Union Berlin 2020/21 Away Shirt (Small)

Union Berlin released this away shirt to mark a century of football at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, which opened in August 1920. The anniversary is written beneath the back collar, while the grey lines across the shirt were presented by the club as the different paths that bring the Union family together. 

The stadium means more to Union than a normal home ground. During its major renovation in the late 2000s, thousands of supporters contributed unpaid labour to help rebuild it. That relationship between club, ground and fans is central to why Union developed such a different identity from Germany’s bigger, more commercial clubs.

The anniversary season then gave the shirt an unexpectedly strong football story. Union were only playing their second Bundesliga campaign, yet finished seventh and qualified for European competition. Their place was secured on the final day when Max Kruse scored late in a 2–1 win over RB Leipzig. It sent Union back into Europe for the first time in roughly two decades. 

That makes this more than a random blue away shirt from a small Berlin club. It connects the stadium’s centenary, Union’s fan-built culture and the season the club first proved that its rise to the Bundesliga was not temporary.