Socceroo Jackson Irvine joined Hamburg based 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli ahead of their 2021-22 season, after having spent the latter part of the 2020-21 season with Scottish side Hibernian.

FC St. Pauli is know in the footballing world for its unorthodox methods, often differing from doing things the usual way.  The club and its fan base is known for its punk ethos, focus on social issues and political activism with social responsibility instilled in the club's charter.  The official club symbol is a a skull and crossbones. 

A fan led club, it's Millerntor Stadium located a stone's trow from Hamburg's red lights district boast a 29,500 capacity which is always full, observes seven minutes without advertisement prior to kickoff the game to allow spectators to get into the mood and provides one of the best atmospheres in German football.  

Speaking to the Socceroos website upon signing with the club, Irvine specified this was one of the factors that attracted him to the club. 

"There's so many different reasons why I felt this was a great fit for me, having experienced the atmosphere before," Irvine said.

"To have the opportunity of playing in front of a packed house again, as often as possible, is unbelievably exciting. And having not played in front of fans for a long time now, we can't wait to have everybody back as soon as possible.

"Everybody knows the club. As soon as people back home found out about my move, a lot of them weren't so surprised knowing my personality and the way I like to play football."

Recent reports show just how different the club truly is in their approach.  According to Football Scotland, head coach Timo Schulz allows his players to have a beer before games if the match is an evening kick off.  

Schultz is quoted as saying: "We have a beer round before the game in the evening. Anyone with common sense can have a drink.

"With us, when the game is over if we win also have a case of beer. I don't want to tell anyone whether they drink alcohol or not. Especially not as a coach."

This different approach does not seem to be hurting performance.  St. Pauli are currently top of the 2. Bundesliga with 19 points.  They won 6 matches, drew 1 and lost 2 so far in their 2021-22 campaign.

Jackson and Schultz's face Heidelheim on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 10:30PM AEDT.   As it will be a mid-day match, according to reports this game will not feature a pre-game tinnie.  

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The full 2. Bundesliga schedule can be found using this link.