Going to start posting about the Friendship between the two clubs on this thread in about 10 mins....

HSV & Rangers - Fan friendship for 43 years!

"Hamburg Loyal Rangers Supporters Club".

Both sets of fans have been friends for 43 years. In the early 70’s German fan culture was nothing like the heights it has reached in recent times.

The HSV fans went to the stadium, cheered their team on and went home again, but there were few organised fan clubs- this is where Rangers come in...

The first HSV fan club was formed in 1972.

As HSV entertained Rangers in a friendly two years later, loyal Rangers supporters made a major impression on HSV fans with their songs, chanting and the music from the instruments they brought with them to the old Volkspark stadium.

I should also add that Glaswegian workers settled in Hamburg in the 70’s and believed to have strengthened the size of the connection.

Some HSV supporters wanted to taste more of the same and made their way to Glasgow in 1977, to watch some matches of the now 54-time Scottish League Champions. At that time there were only standing terracing at their world famous Ibrox stadium.

One thing HSV and RFC had in common at the time was a running track around the pitch between the supporters and the pitch. Despite that feature the atmosphere was amazing, and Hamburg fans decided there and then to found a fan club in Germany which they called “Hamburg Loyal RSC”

It is nowadays the oldest Rangers fan club outside the British Isles. Fans still visit each other in Hamburg and Glasgow to keep up the friendship started all those years ago (one reason I have started this page).

The fan-friendship became stronger in 2009 as HSV were drawn against Rangers’ fierce rivals Celtic in a Europa League tie.

Fans from RFC and HSV organised bus transport to and from the airports in Hamburg and Glasgow, and also showed the supporters the best fan-friendly pubs.

Rangers fans fell in love with Hamburg as local fans showed them around. They were shown the red light district known worldwide as the Reeperbahn (I personally have got to recommend to all followers) amongst other things!

The Rangers fans supported HSV against Celtic (of course!!) and were impressed at the choreography of tifos and songs the HSV supporters displayed that night. (I would recommend watching HSV fan videos of these games on YouTube)

Supporters of both clubs enjoyed a real highlight in 1996, as Jörg Albertz moved from Hamburg to Rangers, before returning to HSV in 2002. Those transfers inspired more travelling between the two cities, as both fan clubs visited each other.

Albertz is still a hero in the red white and blue part of Glasgow, and Hamburg has certainly not forgotten “The Hammer” either.

Hardly surprising then, that many Rangers and HSV fans make trips over regularly to support each other.

Hope that people enjoyed the information, so everyone is clear this friendship has nothing to do with the “allegiance” of the smaller clubs in each city. I believe the majority was posted on HSV’s website prior to our friendly in 2011 in Hamburg.