Played in Germany: A Footballing Journey Through a Nation's Soul

by Kit Holden

Beyond the booze and the what football really tells us about Germany, the UEFA Euro 2024 hosts

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In summer 2024, the eyes of football fans worldwide will turn to Germany as it hosts the European Championship. For many, the country seems familiar a footballing behemoth with clubs as famous as its beer and its cars. But, if you look closer, the beautiful game can offer a deeper understanding of Europe's powerhouse.

Played in Germany takes us on a journey through modern Germany’s football heartlands in search of the issues that define it. Through the stadiums, songs and simmering resentments of football, it sheds light on a nation so diverse and divided that the only thing that really unites it is the game itself.

From the author of Sports Book Awards-shortlisted Scheisse! We're Going Up!

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PRAISE FOR PLAYED IN GERMANY

'Immaculately researched, entertainingly written' Jonathan Liew

'Vivid detail' John Kampfner

'An intimate portrait of Germany' Archie Rhind-Tutt

'Absolutely wunderbar!' Adrian Goldberg

Genres: Football, Nonfiction, Sports, Germany, History, Soccer

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Tom Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politics, History and Football - my 3 favourite subjects to read about!
German football is rich in character, central to the cultural fabric of the country, Kit Holden really captures the vibe here as Europe waits for Germanys Euro 2024 to kickoff.
His book ‘Scheisse We are Going Up’ was so good it made me a supporter of Union Berlin.
Here ‘Played in Germany’ stitches together the complexities of War & Holocaust, guilt & education, Left Wing v Right wing, Reunification of East & West, and how football has been pivotal to Germanys journey.
This book is brilliant, a great book to read now with the Euros about to start!
Thank you very much to Duckworth Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read & review.

[Joe O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has become increasingly common to hear sports writers and cultural commentators declare that in order to see into the soul of a country you should first understand its football. That’s the approach taken by Kit Holden in “Played In Germany”, his superb journey around the hotbeds of German club football. By travelling around Germany’s patchwork of cities and regions, Holden uses the national club football scene as a way of understanding what might appear to be a disparate country, making the claim that “if you want to know how Germans tick, football is as good a window to look in as any”.

In “Played In Germany”, Kit Holden tours around a dozen German cities to see what the relationship between these towns and their local football teams can tell us the wider society and the history of the nation. A key theme of the book is that these local clubs provide an identity to these areas, long after the industries (coal, steel) that originally gave these regions their purpose have disappeared.

Another vitally important theme throughout Kit Holden’s book is the constant ‘battle for the soul of German football’, essentially the fight by supporters to maintain traditional fan culture and hold back the tides of commercialism - a fight perhaps best represented in the ongoing controversy over ‘RB’ Leipzig. And this battle (or one side of it, anyway) encapsulates the best characteristics of Germany’s soccer culture; as Kit Holden argues: “As football has become more and more commercialised, German fan culture has also become a beacon for those trying to reclaim the game in other countries”. But the Leipzig debate is also reflective of another strand where German football and German society are a mirror of each other: three decades after the dissolution of the East German state, there still exists a divide - you could almost describe it as a wall - in German football (only one of the ten stadiums selected for Euro 2024 is located in ‘the old East’).

“Played In Germany” isn’t just a pure socio-cultural study. Kit Holden encounters a rich cast of characters during his journeys, from the heads of Ultra groups to university professors, and he even gets interviews with the likes of Stuttgart legend Guido Buchwald and the 80s & 90s superstar Lothar Matthâus - and most intriguingly spends a day with the guy who minds FC Köln’s mascot goat.

Pacily-written and eminently accessible - but also bringing a strong moral clarity to its analysis - “Played in Germany” is excellent on whether football clubs, as what are ostensibly community institutions, have a moral responsibility to tackle societal issues and address the sins of the past.

Reading “Played in Germany” over the last week has been the perfect accompaniment to the 2024 European Championships … and this book has often been far more engrossing than much of the soporific football on display at the Euros.

[Jonathan Northall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Played in Germany has the subtitle ‘A Footballing Journey Through a Nation's Soul’ and it does exactly that. Author Kit Holden expertly takes the reader on a journey through Germany to look at the historical, cultural, and social influences that make fußball what it is in the country.

The publication of the book is timed with the 2024 European Championships, in Germany, and the simple premise is that each chapter looks at one of the venues for the tournament. What Holden produces is a book that is easy to read due to the expert storytelling. It could be read in one sitting such is the skill on show. Holden has chosen his interviewees wisely and this tool brings the reader into the conversation, and it creates a wonderfully nuanced view of each part of Germany.

Although the book’s leitmotif is the European Championships, this book will last far longer than the football tournament. Holden’s journey into modern Germany has many fascinating sections and serves to enlighten the reader as to what makes the nation tick. It also reaffirms for football fans that their own footballing influences have a fascinating backstory and they, will, find out why they love their team and hate their rivals the way they do.

This book is a must for football fans everywhere and I hope that Holden revisits the German football story in more depth in future because as good as this book is, the reader will want to know more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Owen McArdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't really expect this to be so literally a history of football in the Euro 2024 host cities (plus, bizarrely, Mönchengladbach but nowhere else as an extra inclusion) but it was really fascinating to actually learn a bit more of the history behind some of the Bundesliga clubs and how that links to the cities!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and insightful look at the cross-section of culture, politics, and football for select German cities and their surrounding areas.

My only gripe with this book is that, as an Eintracht Frankfurt fan, I felt the chapter on Frankfurt did not discuss the connection between the city and the club(s) the way other chapters did. Rather, it primarily focused on German patriotism, democracy, and grappling with the history of the Nazi era.

[Chris Thorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable easy read.

[William Longthorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

By all accounts, a very good, informative insight into the cross between Germany's social and football landscapes. My only criticism is the slightly irritating bias towards the left politically. I understand that Mr Holden can have political beliefs, but his constant bashing of the more Conservative views portrayed came off as bad journalism. Otherwise, a very good book and for people interested in football and anthropology, I'd give it a read

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun run through German geography as seen through a football lens.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reflection & 35 Years of German Football - Reading “Played in Germany” 🇩🇪⚽

I so chanced on Played in Germany while buying my next batch of reads and it turned out to be one of those books that quietly pulls you back through time.

My story with the German national team began in 1990.

A friend told me to support Argentina, the defending World Cup champions. I did, for exactly one match. Their opening defeat to Cameroon made me rethink that decision.

So I waited for the first round of games to finish and picked the team that scored the most goals: West Germany, 4–1 against Yugoslavia.

I watched the highlights, and that was it.

Lothar Matthaus became my hero, elegant, disciplined, and fiercely intelligent on the field. To this day, he remains my favorite footballer ever.

I followed Matthaus through his club journey too, from Inter Milan to Bayern Munich.

Though I’ve long stopped following both clubs with much interest, my loyalty in club football has been with Arsenal.

That started in 1989 when my relatives were split between Liverpool and Everton, and I decided to support whichever team beat both and won the league.

Cue Arsenal, and that unforgettable Michael Thomas goal at Anfield.

Reading Kit Holden’s Played in Germany was more than nostalgia. It reminded me why I connected so deeply with the German team, the structure, the reinvention, and the sense of system that underpins everything they do.

Germany’s strength has never been just talent. It’s been collective discipline, clarity, and the courage to rebuild after every fall.

This book resonated deeply with me because of my lifelong love for the German national team.

A solid 9.5/10. Insightful, layered, and a wonderful reminder that football can teach us as much about leadership as it does about life.

Curious, which team first shaped your love for the game?

#PlayedInGermany #KitHolden #GermanFootball #LotharMatthaus #Arsenal #BookReflection #LeadershipThroughSport #SystemThinking #FootballCulture #WorldCupStories #LeadershipReflections

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expertly planned and informative book. The volume is well written and represents an excellent potted introduction even if alarm bells rang when I saw the author had cited James Hawes’ execrable A Shortest History of Germany in the bibliography. Some of the chapters chart well traversed territory – Dortmund, Berlin, Leipzig – although the former is treated in a wider Ruhr chapter that gives more coverage to Schalke than previously. I found the sections on the Rhineland, Frankfurt and Hamburg to be particularly good.

It's a learned overview but perhaps not a critical deep dive – although one discussion that did stand out including the fact that one cannot choose one’s football club in the light of the Hamburg/St. Pauli dichotomy. It’s therefore a tad contemptuous of football hipsters – which isn’t surprising given the author admits to being a Bayern Munich supporter. It’s also perhaps light on the national team - aside from in the Frankfurt chapter where the difficulties with squaring a dislike of nationalism with supporting one’s country in the World Cup are very well teased out.

The book was largely finished before Euro 2024 although a good postscript highlights how the tournament didn’t match up to the dreaminess of the 2006 World Cup, also held on German soil. The section on women’s football also seemed to be a bolt on at the behest of a reviewer rather than properly integrated into the narrative throughout.

In terms of where it fits in the literature, it’s not as good as Uli Hesse’s peerless Tor! nor Raphael Honigstein’s Das Reboot, comically out of date though that book is. It was disappointing not to see Terry Duffelen’s Borussia Dortmund: a History in Black and Yellow go uncited. Back to the content, the author was probably aghast when Bayer Leverkusen won the title as the bulk of the manuscript was completed – as he doesn’t devote any time to them at all – and while the section of RB Leipzig goes some way to tackling the issue, the reputation of so-called ‘plastic’ clubs could have been given more coverage.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Played in Germany was deeply interesting on multiple levels. A history of German politics and German soccer and the frequent overlaps between the two. Kit Holden provided a deep dive into the changes and shifts that came over Germany, particularly on the club level and the unification. The Bundesliga has a wilder, different feel to it than the Premier League or La Liga, and a lot of that stems from the 50+1 rule to block the corporate takeovers of soccer clubs that are becoming more prevalent throughout European soccer. Germany’s reluctance to share in large displays of patriotism (for obvious historical reasons) has made it a country of regions in a similar way to the US, and that regionalism ties into deep connections to their club soccer teams. Going region by region, Holden made a sort of travel guide for soccer fans prior to Euro 2024, and I feel the urge to travel to Germany and see several of these places. A very enjoyable read and one that got me excited for the upcoming Bundesliga season.

[Owen Silgram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kit Holden promises an insight into Germany's very soul through the lens of football. He perhaps falls short of any ground-breaking conclusions, but lands upon lots of interesting tidbits and hypotheses in his attempt.

The book is structured geographically, with Holden investigating a different region of Germany in each chapter. As a result, the chapters vary mildly in quality. Highlights include the chapter on Frankfurt, particularly the focus on Holocaust remembrance culture, the comparison of the politics of HSV and St Pauli in the Hamburg chapter and the discussion of Berlin's football clubs as a reflection of the city itself. The other chapters are of generally high quality, with perhaps the exception of the one on Stuttgart, which focuses heavily on the influence of Porsche and Mercedes on the city without quite satisfyingly tying it back to the football itself at the end.

The aim of the book is perhaps a poisoned chalice and Holden's failure to fully achieve it is understandable. Overall, I feel I have learned much about both Germany's footballing and political culture while being entertained in the process.

[Andrew West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly great read. It kept being suggested to me through Instagram's ad algorithm, and I wasn't interested at first. I don't know what made me decide to get it, but I had to order it from the UK. Each chapter is about a different region in Germany, and while the book frames each chapter about 1 or 2 football clubs from that area, it really dives into each German region's history and how that affected the clubs or the clubs affected the region. Highly recommended, even if you aren't into the Bundesliga, though, it would help.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really pleasant surprise. A well researched and racily written overview of Germany through the eyes of its football clubs and supporters who are freely quoted throughout.

This is a timely publication given that Germany will be hosting Euro24 and the thousands of visitors to the competition will be thoroughly educated and entertained if they browse through this excellent book beforehand.

Highly recommended.

[Sam Risdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent exploration of the intersection of football with history, politics and popular culture in Germany. Those familiar with the history and politics may not learn much but the book provides excellent analysis and commentary of how football reflects and challenges the legacies of both. Adds a great deal to the tiresome, one dimensional conversations of fan culture, 50+1, and a declining bundesliga. Read it

[Zane Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting journey through Germany told through it's history. You'll learn a lot about German culture and it's football culture with this book. Sometimes it felt as if it were too historic, as I was hoping to read a bit more about the modern day game and fans of German football clubs. Never the less this is a good read ,

[Martin Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book,not just about football and the teams that play in Germany,the book is brilliantly written and put together with the different chapters, taking each major city and telling you about it geography historically and politically, highly recommended the book

[Dan Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well written dive into the history of German football but also German society and culture. Really enjoyable and a great book to read during the Euros.

[Oliver Swaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells you how much football has an impact on all different aspects of life in Germany, very interesting read!

[Jamie Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute triumph of a book from Kit Holden, brilliantly written and very informative.

[Fergus Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful overview of German football history. Kit does a great job relating the dichotomy of a proud sporting culture with a struggle to show German nationalism on the international stage. The book travels region by region to examine what makes the game unique across Germany and the clubs that compete for honors.

[Luca Lamanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

History, Politics, Culture and Football - what is there not to love!

[Matt Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read that encompasses a well-balanced blend of football, history, culture and travel across Germany.

[Richard Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good intro to German club football culture and its wider place in society.

[Tavy Liddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly brilliant read on the culture behind many German clubs. Utterly brilliant.

[Liam Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funnily, learned more about Germany than I did about its football culture. Loved this book; was a lighter read, deeply researched and there were plenty of excellent football anecdotes.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a relatively concise journey through modern Germany, focused on football, but was exactly what I'd hoped to read - an insight into the country, with interviews from people involved in football that were engaging and informative, but in a wider political context.

Although the page count was fairly small, it didn't feel too short as Holden wrote in a clear manner that covered topics succinctly, and generally as a narrator rather than adding his own views and analysis. Sometimes this meant interviewees went unchallenged, as after an entire book of people saying the fan-led football was more important than money, a womens' team founder suggested that she was criticised for welcoming investment because she wasn't a man, who German society allows to be a big bad capitalist. A few of the other interviewees also made somewhat fanciful, or at least unproven, claims, but I suppose the aim of the book was to broadcast real opinions rather than scrutinise them.

The short portraits still gave me an idea of the character of different places, as well as individual teams. Not all of this was focused on football, but also the superior attitude of Bavarians or the areas with less economic success, and was educational without coming across as patronising at any point. Historical context was there, but the focus was on contemporary attitudes and issues, and any history was for background use.

Holden rarely included any information on the travelling aspect itself, and the stories were told by his interviewees rather than him. I appreciated this approach, and I think this, along with his fairly neat style, made the book seem a lot fuller than its page count would suggest. With the exception of a top-flight president, there were not many figures with a high profile, but I didn't feel that this mattered.

[Jake Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great summary of German football and its developments. It explains so social and economic context of the Bundesliga whilst refusing to avoid the difficult topic of German recent history. An excellent introduction to German football.

[Alec Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great stories and descriptions of football broken down by region in Germany. A page turner that will have you wanting to book a flight to watch a match there next season