1. FC Union Berlin is today celebrating its 56th birthday!
Late in the afternoon of January 20, 1966, more than 200 athletes, officials and guests of honour gathered at the Oberschöneweider Transformatorenwerk for the official foundation conference.
In August 1965, a change in sports policy between DTSB and the Socialist Unity Party (SED) focused on raising the levels of football in the GDR. Part of the new plan: the founding of independent football clubs from existing sports clubs. The football section of the Turn- und Sportclub Berlin with its men’s and youth teams formed the basis of the now independent club in the Oberschöneweide industrial area. The TSC was the only one of the ten newly founded clubs to play in the second division.
On that Thursday, the club’s name was announced publicly for the first time in the clubhouse hall. It was the result of a survey of Berlin football fans that was distributed in the press – they were asked to submit suggestions for a suitable name and emblem.
Out of the 286 submissions with a total of 476 suggestions, a majority had come out in favour of “1. FC Union Berlin”, without an appropriately usable emblem among them. The club’s board of directors, under its chairman Werner Otto, commissioned the Berlin graphic designer Peter Gribat with the design. One of his designs prevailed – to this day it has only been adapted and changed insignificantly.
Heinz Busch, Chairman of Berlin Sports Association, announced the foundation of 1. FC Union Berlin with the words: “Long live 1. FC Union Berlin!”