{"id":3281,"date":"2020-08-27T15:14:03","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T14:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.jomec.co.uk\/life360\/?p=3281"},"modified":"2021-05-04T16:35:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T15:35:50","slug":"its-grittier-it-feels-like-we-live-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/its-grittier-it-feels-like-we-live-it\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s grittier, it feels like we live it\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>The Manchester St. Pauli fan group recently celebrated three years since their first match screening. But how is their \u2018safe space\u2019 about more than just football?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NB: This article was first published on 27\/08\/2020 as part of a major project. All information accurate as of the published date. All interviews conducthttps:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/its-grittier-it-feels-like-we-live-it\/ed within the COVID-19 government rules at the time of writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hidden away in the back of Manchester\u2019s Chinatown The Seven Oaks pub hosts another Saturday afternoon of football. Between sips of Punk IPA, UX designer Barry Briggs says the venue always used to be a spot for a quiet pint when the city centre bars had all closed. But for the last three years, match-day has meant a crowded room where football, left-wing politics and punk music mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we were looking for a venue, we wanted to create a safe space more than anything, we didn\u2019t want it full of your usual football knobheads,\u201d Barry says. \u201cJust because we have a diverse group of fans, whether that\u2019s race, politics, gender, whatever. That immediately shrunk the number of places and it meant that we couldn\u2019t go to your average footy pub on a Saturday afternoon and watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While they support clubs nearby, Barry says they have now all adopted FC St. Pauli as their primary club. A cult club from Hamburg\u2019s Red-Light District, or the <em>Reeperbahn<\/em> (mile of sin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It isn\u2019t ordinary to find a group choosing a football pub on the strict condition that it contains as few of the \u2018normal\u2019 football crowd as possible. Particularly when the result is a group containing left-wing punks and anarchists entering a pub once described as having Manchester\u2019s most ruthless landlord. But nothing about this group appears ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, after searching for local venue that could meet their criteria, The Seven Oaks became a weekend haunt for the Manchester St. Pauli group. Originally a dozen or so found refuge from another downpour before dashing to Primark to replace their sodden socks. On return, they drank beer, talked politics, football and their future. Locals looked bemused at this new group in black punk attire adorned with skull and crossbones logos that sat watching a German second division game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">3 years since our first screening. It involved a trip to Primark for new socks after a Manchester downpour, bemused regulars in the Seven Oaks and a 1:0 win. <br><br>Thanks to everyone who\u2019s been a part of it since then. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JhSdpieFL5\">pic.twitter.com\/JhSdpieFL5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Manchester St. Pauli (@MancStPauli) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MancStPauli\/status\/1288009304566636545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 28, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>They are given the bar space upstairs to not upset any customers looking for Premier League games on the big televisions.&nbsp; Despite praising the fact they have their own area, they worry about the lack of wheelchair access. A key part of their constitution being accessibility and \u2018football for all\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group now have perfected their match-day ritual since that first rainy Saturday in 2017. They arrive half an hour before kick-off, grab a pint, set up flags and other paraphernalia in their private space before other members arrive. As their website says, \u201cit\u2019s better to have your hopes dashed in good company, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took a while for the stragglers to join. In the past, it was a handful of members straining to understand <em>Sky Deutschland <\/em>commentary, or even St. Pauli\u2019s official streaming service. Barry laughs at the afternoons avoiding the scores online to watch the stream uploaded after the game. He says locals would go to the pub after and forget to upload the second half. It\u2019s unclear if he is joking or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, the group has around 60 members who tightly cram in the donated upstairs section to watch on any given Saturday. But Barry insists the group is, and has always been, about more than obscure football and copious amounts of beer. \u201cOnce we realised there were enough of us this side of the Pennines, we talked about what the group should be about,\u201d Barry says. \u201cShould we be sat in a pub, watching a game, drinking beer or should we be doing more? Like the club does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Seven-Oaks-Manchester-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The Seven Oaks pub in Manchester. Once a late-night hangout, now the chosen venue for Manchester St. Pauli screenings. Image credit: Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>St. Pauli\u2019s fans accept their position as perennial strugglers, with the club narrowly avoiding relegation recently. Despite their lack of trophies, they have won admirers and critics over the last 30 years for their intense activism and strict anti-racist, anti-homophobic and anti-commercialist values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The club\u2019s renaissance began in the late 1980s. Racism and hooliganism were prominent on other terraces and the club attracted more disparate groups that found no comfort in the state of football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The creeping gentrification in Hamburg\u2019s port districts saw an influx of squatters, punks, anarchists, and the politically left-leaning in the neighbourhood. Before long, they would head to the club\u2019s <em>Millerntor Stadium<\/em> to watch the team. The club quickly became place for like-minded discussion over politics and local issues, even if the quality on the pitch has arguably not been the club\u2019s main appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barry and the other members of Manchester St. Pauli accept their club will never bring football up to the standard of their local clubs Manchester United and Manchester City. But with all the outside scrutiny and commercialism the top clubs receive, it is unlikely they would ever want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSt. Pauli are about more than football and I always say it\u2019s just as well, because the football is bollocks,\u201d he says. \u201cApart from the City and United fans, the rest of us have this running joke that we must just like shit football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>British fans who have converted often speak of a \u2018pureness\u2019 of the club, bereft of modern football\u2019s intense commercialism and undercurrents of racism and homophobia. St. Pauli as a club are often described as bringing back \u2018soul\u2019, a real buzzword for fans bemoaning how soulless the game has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1myw_Q5yZ6U80DClVW9bxiuJft84CSROU\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1myw_Q5yZ6U80DClVW9bxiuJft84CSROU\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\n\n\n<p>In Nick Davidson\u2019s book <em>Pirates, Punks and Politics: Falling in Love with a Radical Football Club <\/em>he explains his rationale for leaving British football behind. \u201cFootball sold itself down the river. The Premiership had distorted everything,\u201d he says. \u201cSalaries and admission prices had gone through the roof, kick-off times were at the mercy of the television executives and the very soul of football had been sold to the highest bidder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barry grew up as a Sheffield United fan. Initially, he only followed St. Pauli as a secondary club after hearing of a club in Germany which shared his left-wing politics and had an interesting skull and crossbones emblem. Then when the club fell on hard times financially, punk rock band, Sisters of Mercy, one of Barry\u2019s favourites, sponsored them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI went to Hamburg about fifteen times before it coincided with a game being on, it was always for gigs,\u201d Barry says. \u201cThen I went to the ground, checked out the shop, loved the whole vibe of the ground, little bit scuzzy, a bit punky, stickers and graffiti and shit everywhere. A far cry from the bloody Etihad or Old Trafford or any of that shite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He hesitates to use the \u2018pure\u2019 clich\u00e9 to describe the experience but acknowledges a connection when he finally saw the club\u2019s <em>Millerntor<\/em> Stadium. \u201cI just thought I <em>like<\/em> this, it feels gritty, more traditional but without some of the baggage that comes with traditional British football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As he grew fonder of St. Pauli, supporting Sheffield United was becoming increasingly problematic as he heard things around him on the terraces more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remembering an away trip to nearby Port Vale, he says \u201cThey had an Italian striker who happened to have long, scruffy hair, as strikers from the continent used to do. There were blokes all round me calling him racist names which made me feel so uncomfortable. So, to think you could go to a footy game and not only is that not part of it, but that they\u2019re passionately opposed to that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, the same year Manchester St. Pauli were formed, their team were the fourth best club in Germany in terms of merchandise revenue despite their lowly status in the second tier. But, with a rebel, punk image to preserve, every move the club makes now comes with intense fan scrutiny and deep philosophical questions to reconcile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery accusation that people level at the club about being merchandising whores is absolutely true. You can\u2019t deny it.\u201d Barry says. &nbsp;\u201cI remember being amazed the first time I went to the club shop; if you could make it in black and you could print a white skull and crossbones on it\u2026 they had one. Just ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, he admits raising the bulk of their funds by flogging a symbol of counterculture is easier to swallow. \u201cAt the same time, that seems quite a good way of raising funds, most rock bands these days raise money through merch sales rather than record sales. So, if you\u2019ve got that at your disposal, sell the shit out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merging high morals and a football club\u2019s ultimate business nature presents difficulties. Jonathan Cable, an academic specialising in sport and political protest at Gloucestershire University says, \u201cThey\u2019re not explicitly anti-commercial, they do make money off this \u2018over-the-counter-culture.\u2019 So, commercialism can cause a clash and how far can a club go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A big part of the Manchester St. Pauli\u2019s group ethos is the \u2018safe space\u2019 environment which Barry frequently refers to. A place like no other, where the two worlds of politics and football fandom collide. Group decisions are decided through discussion and votes and the group frequently praise their club\u2019s ability to listen to fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1-293x391.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/SP-Jacket-1-293x391.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>A St. Pauli fan proudly showing off their affiliation. Image credit: Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Barry mentions an incident just under a decade ago, where the <em>Millerntor<\/em> Stadium contained a corporate box for one of their sponsors, a local strip club. After it became apparent home goals were celebrated by pole dancers gradually exposing themselves more and more, this became a proposition too insensitive to the club\u2019s morals and was swiftly stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cArguably they shouldn\u2019t have made that misstep in the first place, but the fact that when the fans complained they listened\u2026 could you imagine City doing that?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many reasons why feelings of despondency are driving British football fans towards Germany and in one way or another they all seem to come back to money. Whether it is the cost of tickets, which is driving out the younger fans and bringing in what Barry and others call the \u201cprawn sandwich brigade\u201d at Manchester United. Or the money clubs have at their disposal meaning fans are reduced to passive consumers with very little say in how their club is run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Germany, there is the \u201c50+1 rule\u201d whereby clubs require a ruling percentage of fan ownership, which is intended to prevent outright takeovers by wealthy oligarchs. There are exceptions, but they are both rare and roundly criticised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Because of this rule, fan engagement and activism are more prominent elements. But German football as a whole has significant differences in terms of fans\u2019 experiences, with St. Pauli just being an alternative option within this bracket. Ellis Jones, a British fan who frequently watches FC K\u00f6ln credits what Germany does, and Britain does not do, from a fan perspective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSafe standing being allowed in most stadiums and being able to drink beer at your seat is really convenient.&nbsp; It\u2019s both expensive and sometimes inconvenient to travel to football matches in the UK. In Cologne, the tram is free with a match day ticket. &nbsp;Another example of German football doing things right, in my opinion.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the BBC\u2019s <em>Price of Football<\/em> survey found in 2015 some season tickets for Germany\u2019s top club Bayern Munich could be purchased for less than the cheapest equivalent ticket at every club in the top four leagues in England and Scotland, fans started realising a football holiday may not hurt their bank balance as much as they thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/139ae398-2072-44d0-a489-08e8ec777c4d?src=embed\" width=\"700\" height=\"2200\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/139ae398-2072-44d0-a489-08e8ec777c4d?src=embed\" width=\"700\" height=\"2200\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><div style=\"padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px;width: 640px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/infogram.com\/139ae398-2072-44d0-a489-08e8ec777c4d\" style=\"color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Activism in German football timeline<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/infogram.com\" style=\"color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Infogram<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As the conversation comes onto activism in Germany and how St. Pauli may not be the only kids on the block when it comes to mixing politics with football, Barry references Union Berlin\u2019s left-wing ethos. But believes St. Pauli\u2019s uncompromising approach to politics makes them unrivalled in this sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s certain stuff that Union Berlin do really, really well that St. Pauli don\u2019t but my opinion is St. Pauli do a lot more and are a lot more in your face about it,\u201dhe says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d say that Union Berlin maybe hold back a little bit because they\u2019re worried about the commercial impact of some things. St. Pauli wear rainbow flags on their shirts and have skull and crossbones on their corner flags, it feels like they live it a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Executive decisions at St. Pauli are made in accordance with their values. Even on occasions where it may hinder their success on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The club\u2019s last stint in the Bundesliga led to more flirtation with commercialism as more external partners wanted to come on board. For most clubs this would be a lifeline, for St. Pauli fans this meant fears of losing their soul and they responded with a series of protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another issue is how much of the club\u2019s politics and activism is taken in by British fans sampling St. Pauli. The club\u2019s politicisation was never intended as a footballing gimmick and it was more of a happy coincidence that the club became the place where football, politics and local issues mingled. While German journalist and pundit Raphael Honigstein believes St. Pauli fans follow the club \u201chook, line and sinker\u201d and do not separate the club from its values, he says of British fans: \u201cI don\u2019t know if they internalise St. Pauli\u2019s values or if they just see it as a bit of an adventure in an alternative football lifestyle. It\u2019s probably a bit of both, but I think for people there on the ground it obviously means something different than for someone who just kind of opts in for a weekend.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/Gegen-Rechts-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>St. Pauli &#8220;Against the Right!&#8221; sticker. Image credit: Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of the context that saw the club entice outsiders in the first place, it may be understandable that resentment could grow locally of St. Pauli becoming a haunt for the footballing hipster. Their famous <em>Totenkopf <\/em>logo may be visible in every quarter on matchday but has also been likened to someone wearing a Ramones t-shirt without knowing a single song. Even Barry, who sits wearing a hat with the same logo admits you could buy one in passing at Hamburg airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But perhaps a lack of viable alternatives in Britain makes the pilgrimage to Germany worth the effort. In non-league football, the lack of large investment makes fan-engagement more hands-on and supporters can have a genuine say in the running of their club. Invariably, the more successful a club is in the UK, the more supporters are reduced to customers and their influence wanes as cash flows in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raphael Honigstein says context is the key to St. Pauli\u2019s global appeal as something different. \u201cI think there was that specific moment in time when people in Hamburg disliked hooliganism right-wing attitudes they were at Hamburger SV and thought \u201cyou know what, I\u2019m going to support the other club,\u201d he says.&nbsp; \u201cBut this <em>other<\/em> club was already there. Maybe they just kind of co-opted it. And it\u2019s difficult to imagine in 2020 it happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Barry and the group celebrate three years as a Saturday haunt for its members, their current aim is trying to work out when it is safe and responsible to return to Chinatown for a screening. They are continuing their charity work and have started a five-aside football tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lockdown has temporarily halted the group\u2019s progress and while they have managed to raise money for Homeless Aid UK during the pandemic, the group are keen to return to their safe space. \u201cWe feel more connected to the club than others I suppose,\u201d Barry says. \u201cThe lefty, punk, \u2018Nazis fuck off\u2019 stance is a bit grittier and a bit more real. But we try and keep an informal, family atmosphere if we can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-soundcloud wp-block-embed-soundcloud wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Barry Briggs On St. Pauli, Music And Baggage by Barney Lloyd-Wood\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F881612287&#038;show_artwork=true&#038;maxwidth=1200&#038;maxheight=1000&#038;dnt=1&#038;secret_token=s-gc7jpBUWZuD\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Barry Briggs On St. Pauli, Music And Baggage by Barney Lloyd-Wood\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F881612287&#038;show_artwork=true&#038;maxwidth=1200&#038;maxheight=1000&#038;dnt=1&#038;secret_token=s-gc7jpBUWZuD\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Manchester St. Pauli fan group recently celebrated three years since their first match screening. But how is their \u2018safe space\u2019 about more than just football?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":3293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cIt\u2019s grittier, it feels like we live it\u201d - Life360<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/its-grittier-it-feels-like-we-live-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cIt\u2019s grittier, it feels like we live it\u201d - Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Manchester St. Pauli fan group recently celebrated three years since their first match screening. 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