Interview | Jan Stover, Altona 1893

We spoke to our friend Jan Stover who is visiting us from our Hamburg based sister club, Altona 1893 for a catch up on how things are going over there and ask some random questions.

How are things and how is everyone at Altona?

In contrast to the rest of the world we as Altona 93 supporters are doing fine at the moment. There are some groups of younger fans revitalising our fanszene this season. Loads of new stickers have been produced during the last months. And last weekend we celebrated International Women’s Day with two banners and 25 huge handcrafted purple and white cardboard signs, which we showed during the men’s home match on Saturday (against TSV Sasel) and the women’s home match on Sunday (against TuS Appen).

How many of you are in London this weekend?

As far as I know it’s just Michaela and myself this time because Altona’s men’s team has a very important fixture today.

How is your season going so far in the league/cup competitions?

Sadly, we lost in the fourth round of the cup on penalties to SSV Rantzau and missed another chance to reach the DFB-Pokal in the next season. The sixth division club from Barmstedt is now through to the semifinal. But it’s going quite well in the league. Altona 93 is currently sitting at the top of the table with four points clear (and a game in hand) to runners ups TuS Dassendorf.

Today both teams meet at the AJK. The last time Altona 93 lost a league match was in April 2023 (in Dassendorf) and the last defeat at home dates from October 2022 (again, Dassendorf).

It would be great, if both of these impressive runs could last for another week. T

here were some changes in the women’s team this season, again. But the young team is doing a little better than last season and should avoid relegation in the Landesliga (step 5 in the nationwide pyramid) a little earlier this year.

How are plans for the new stadium coming along?

We have to leave the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn in 2026. Some very skilful and passionate people from our board are working hard on the new stadium plans. It is supposed to be located at a former industrial site next to the Diebsteich station, the area Adolf Jäger grew up.

Will it still be called the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn?

Probably not.

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?

We’re looking forward to seeing how the men’s team has improved since our preseason match in July.

As I haven’t been to a DHFCW match since their first Dulwich season, I’m looking forward to the match tomorrow, too. And last but not least we’re looking forward to meet old and new friends around the matches, attend the pub quiz at The Shirker’s Rest and have a beer with you all.

Kath and Mike even made the way down from Manchester to Champion Hill and will therefore miss out on the West Didsbury and Chorlton banger against Glossop North End, today!

Favourite beer in London?

Is there a SE brewery that hasn’t been sold to the north? Just kidding. Orbit used to have a wonderful red ale brewed with Sorachi Ace hops. I still like the Kernel, Brick and Gipsy Hill beers,

Hepcat is a modern classic in my eyes. As I have a soft spot for Penge (Greetings to the Hint of Mayhem zine!)

I always appreciate(d) Late Knights and Southey. I’m looking forward to taste the Eko beers this weekend. But the thing I’m most keen on is cask ale. There are some places in Scandinavia where you can get it, but I don’t know any in Northern Germany. Like most evenings, I’d like to end this list with Small Beers.

Your league is quite localised in Germany, how far is your furthest away day?

Indeed, it is. By distance from the AJK this would be Buchholz 08 to the south and Düneberger SV to the east. Auntie Google says both are between 36 and 37 kilometers away, if you go by bike. (I have no idea how far that would be in miles. Twenty?)

Favourite away day in your league and why?

This season it has to be Alsterbrüder in February. The ground itself is a crap 4G pitch with just a barrier on one side and behind the goal, but it’s their first season in fifth division, the clubhouse is run by the club and very welcoming. Food and drinks are reasonably priced and the fans built a football book swap inside. The club is in contact with the Swedish writer Torkel Wächter and organised the renaming of the ground to Walter-Wächter-Platz.

Walter was the father of Torkel and had to escape from Nazi Germany, because he was Jewish and involved in the communist resistance. Torkel Wächter discovered this later.

You can find out more about his work under www.32postkarten.com.

It was raining during the whole match, but one of us lives close by and invited us to a prematch brunch and postmatch drinks at a wonderful pub called ‘Wohnzimmer’.

Least favourite away day in your league and why?

The clubs that usually kick off at 10.45am on Sundays. This season these are Paloma and HEBC. The worst (with a running track around the pitch) had been relegated, fortunately.

Favourite UK city outside London and why?

Oh, there are loads. I especially like the seaside towns.

Favourite Hamlet sticker?

There had been some nice ones over the years. My all time favourite is ‘The Hamlet - Pride of South London’, but I admire the ‘Hamlet ‘93’, ‘Up The Hamlet’ and ‘Fridays for Future’ stickers, too. Though there’s one sticker that ticks some boxes in my brain. ‘Defeat the Fascist Snake!’ unites an historical reference, great artwork, political statement and somehow reminds me of the ‘Dialectic Destroying Cobra Morph’ video.

Favourite Hamlet Song?

I must admit, they aren’t the latest: ‘Upside down’ for Ian Daly, ‘I heard a rumour’ for Erhun Oztumer and ‘Vidal of Dulwich’. When it comes to the more timeless ones: ‘Oh Campione’, ‘When I see you Dulwich’ and ‘Here comes the Dulwich, Hamlet!’.

Favourite football ground that is not Champion Hill or the AJK?

I had the pleasure to stay in Barcelona for a year. I was following CE Europa, based at the brilliant Nou Sardenya, home and away for a season and ticked 75 Catalonian grounds altogether. Most of the non league grounds down there are really nice. The most picturesque ones in my opinion were in the small towns in the northeast, Vic and Manlleu in particular. In the UK I would say the old Love Street in Paisley and Bickland Park in Falmouth, to point out just two.

Favourite German word that should be used in the English language?

There are wonderful words in the German language. One that I never used, but you perhaps want to make use of to describe the scenes that sometimes happen with scarfs and seats in the stand before kick off might be ‘Handtuchkrieg’ [‘beach towel war’].

Which Altona fan would be best placed to take down and remove an angry XL Bully dog from the pitch?

There are some muppets in primary school age, who literally attend the home matches since the day of their birth.

They seem to feel extremely at home and in the best way ‘fearless’ at the AJK. Maybe they could manage. (I won’t send them to do so, obviously.)