Magdeburg, Thursday evening, shortly after 7:00 pm. The hall is sold out, completely immersed in the green and red colors of the club and city. The atmosphere boils all over. “German Champion only SCM!” – this is the fan song of the home match against HBW Balingen-Weilstetten.

Of course, the Club World Cup was won in October last year, the Europa League last season – but the last German championship was 21 years ago – the longing for this title is huge in the city on the Elbe.

After all, he is considered the father of success here – coach Bennet Wiegert, as a player at the then 19-year-old champion in 2001. Even his father played for SCM.

The club and Wiegerts are seemingly inextricably linked. Bennet Wiegert has been crowning her continuous and successful development work as an SCM trainer for seven years with this title.

The final whistle blew at 20:48 and all the dams burst. 31:26 vs. Bahlingen. SC Magdeburg won to great delight by coach Wiegert and the players.

A shower of champagne, screaming fans, eventually won the title and broke years of dominance by clubs from Schleswig-Holstein (Kiel and Flensburg).

Although green and red are common, the blue and white of 1. FC Magdeburg dominate the city. People here love the club, which has a great history but has also suffered many bitter defeats. The atmosphere in the stadium is better than some major league arenas. Many trams are adorned with the oversized FCM logo. A long period of pain only deepened the love.

1. The fact that FCM does not play for the German championship does not upset the blue-white fans. First in the third division, promotion to the 2nd division: After decades of failure, people have become humble at Krügel-Platz, named after the legendary master coach of FCM.

The 70s and 80s were the most successful years in the club’s history. Three-time East German champion, seven-time East German Cup winner, and most notably the European Cup Winners’ Cup in a 2-0 win over AC Milan in 1974.

Players such as Jürgen Sparwasser, who scored the 1-0 victory against West Germany at the 1974 World Cup in Hamburg, or Joachim Streich, the GDR record international player who died in April, shaped Magdeburg football.

But with the reunion came the time for tears. Until 2015, the “club” as it was called in Magdeburg was swinging in the fourth league. He then jumped to the third division and was even promoted to the second division in 2018. But it immediately fell again. And for two years, the blues and whites even battled against slipping back into insignificance.

Constance only arrived with coach Christian Tietz and sporting director Otmar Schork. In the 2021/22 season, the dominating return to the second division followed with the best average attendance in the third division despite Corona.

But the sports city Magdeburg doesn’t just have ball players to offer. Especially the swimmers of SCM are successful. Florian Wellbrock, the Olympic and world champion, stands out right now. And the city on the Elbe has repeatedly produced great track and field athletes and rowers.

But of course, football and handball draw the most attention, as these are Magdeburg’s sporting drivers. Many wear both jerseys and scarves – green and red for SCM handball players and blue and white for FCM football players.