The past twelve months have simply flown by! Twelve months characterized by highs and lows, disappointments and celebrations, painful setbacks and mutual support...
The past twelve months have simply flown by! Twelve months characterized by highs and lows, disappointments and celebrations, painful setbacks and mutual support...
The past twelve months have simply flown by! Twelve months characterized by highs and lows, disappointments and celebrations, painful setbacks and mutual support. Both the team, as well as the fans, were responsible for some emotional memories through what was a very difficult 2013. The situation on the whole made it tough to maintain an overview and, for that reason, WERDER.DE has put together a comprehensive review of the Green-Whites most exceptional moments throughout the year. Today, in part four: The Campaigns of the Year
In the middle of the relegation battle during the 2012-13 season, the entire city of Bremen stood unconditionally behind Werder as they experienced a never before seen wave of support under the motto "ALLEz GRÜN". Weser Stadium was packed with 42,100 spectators for both home matches against Hoffenheim (2-2) and Eintracht Frankfurt (1-1) and there was a breathtaking atmosphere. The team and the fans decided to stick together. And it all happened just like it was decided in a spontaneous and secret meeting in the East Curve Hall at Weser Stadium. The rest has become club history.
From that point on, WORUM, an independent Werder fan portal, turned the whole city within days into an actual tsunami of unconditional solidarity and identification with the underlying theme of "ALLEz GRÜN". The idea was "Werder need Bremen. Bremen needs Werder". All Green-Whites actions culminated in an indescribable atmosphere for the final two home matches at Weser Stadium. A short time later, the impressive initiative was honoured with the Sport Bild award for the Best Fan Campaign of the Year. But the overall goal was keeping the league together. Manager Thomas Eichin was impressed with the action, saying: "The fans were as one with the team. That was unique and the key to staying in the league. We are a big family here and I really respect that. That's exactly why I came here."
The storm Xaver caused major concern in northern Germany in December 2013. That included Bremen and the infrastructure around SV Werder's Weser Stadium, which obviously is located directly next to a river. The water level rose to well over five meters on December 5, resulting in a serious threat of flooding and the subsequent evacuation of the entire ground floor of the stadium, including the WERDER FAN WELT. Werder workers and fans helped with the evacuation effort.
The all-clear was luckily sounded early the following morning. Werder's president Klaus-Dieter Fischer was on site at 4:30 a.m. with the crisis management group. "I didn't sleep a minute. We invested many millions into the stadium. That would have been a disaster. We were very frightened. But in the end, there was about 20 centimetres of space. We breathed a sigh of relief. We would like to thank everyone for their great support," said a relieved Fischer.
Before Werder Bremen started the new Bundesliga season in mid-August at home in Weser Stadium against Augsburg, the 42,100 spectators saw a wonderful bit of stadium choreography. Thomas Schaaf, who left Werder after 14 years, was duly given his farewell and the new coach Robin Dutt received a friendly welcome. "That really touched everyone in the stadium," said manager Thomas Eichin. Werder then started the season with a 1-0 victory over Augsburg. "What will be remembered is the goosebumps moment, the memories and the pride of having done something long-lasting," recalled the initiative on their info page.
Week in, week out, countless people around the world hope to celebrate Werder Bremen's Bundesliga team. The second edition of the "International Werder Weekend" in late April 2013 provided a wonderful impression of just how colourful, diverse and wide spread the Werder family actually is. Werder fans from Czech Republic, Belarus, Russia, Sweden, Austria, Scotland, England, Ethiopia, Kenya, China and the United States came together for the weekend in Bremen.
The members of the Scottish Werder fan club used the meeting for a charity marathon, riding their bikes 500 kilometres in three days, collecting money along the way with their Wheel to the Weser campaign for the non-profit Tartan Army Children's Charity organisation and Trauerland - Zentrum für trauernde Kinder und Jugendliche e.V. in Bremen.
SV Werder president Klaus-Dieter Fischer will never get tired of reminding people that the club also stands for social responsibility. And the Green-Whites take this awareness very seriously. As a major sign of recognition, the club in March 2013 received the DFB Integration Prize for the projects of their CSR brand WERDER BEWEGT - LEBENSLANG.
