14.2.14

Standing Room Only

Kampfbahn Glückauf 

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V-  they romanticised themselves as a band of self governing outsiders, at odds with the exclusive bourgeois nature of many German sports clubs.  They were undeniably a working class club, the players and supporters sharing a background in heavy industry. 
German football was puritannical in its anti-professionalism, and in 1931 Schalke fell foul of the authorities over payments to players.
They were suspended for 6 months. 
Any doubts about the importance of the club to the people of Gelsenkirchen were answered when the  ban was lifted.
Since 1928 the club had played at Kampfbahn Glückauf , a stadium designed to hold 34,000.
When Schalke played their comeback match, a friendly against Fortuna Dusseldorf, an estimated 70,000 crowded into the ground. 


Glück auf Kampfbahn, FC Schalke 04- by Friedrich G. Einhoff



Good vantage point for any goalmouth incident

Lads enjoying a birds eye view of the goal