HSV women and men celebrate promotion – injuries at celebration in Hamburg!

HSV women and men celebrate promotion – injuries at celebration in Hamburg!

Hamburger SV has achieved remarkable success: both the men's and women's teams have achieved promotion to the Bundesliga. This historic event was celebrated on May 11, 2025 with an impressive 6-1 win against SSV 1846 Ulm, bringing HSV back into the upper echelon of German football after a seven-year absence. After the game, coach Merlin Polzin gave the team time off from training until Thursday in order to properly celebrate this success.

On May 19th, the city of Hamburg is planning a big celebration on the Rathausmarkt, which will be broadcast live by NDR. Michael Otremba from Hamburg Marketing GmbH emphasizes that the rise can be expected to have positive effects for the city, especially in tourism. According to him, the Bundesliga will be broadcast more widely abroad, which should sustainably strengthen Hamburg as a sports location. Peter Feder from the Chamber of Commerce expressed similar sentiments, highlighting the importance of the rise for the city's economic development.

Celebrate with consequences

However, the celebration of promotion turned into unrest the night after the game in the Reeperbahn. A total of 44 people received medical attention during the celebrations, including 19 with serious injuries and 5 with minor ones. The injuries mainly occurred as a result of jumping from the stands and scuffles among fans. One person even suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital. The police secured the cabin wing in the Volksparkstadion, while around 65 emergency services and fire brigade personnel were on duty.

The mood on the Reeperbahn was initially exuberant as fireworks lit up the night. But then the situation changed when dozens of young men blocked traffic, jumped onto car roofs and damaged a taxi. The police had to intervene after about 20 minutes to bring the situation under control. However, a complete closure of the Reeperbahn was avoided in order to prevent traffic chaos, especially in view of the port's anniversary.

Return of women

Particularly noteworthy is the rise of the HSV women, who are playing in the Bundesliga again after 13 years. They fought for their place in the upper house with a convincing 3-0 win against Freiburg II. This marks another highlight for HSV in this historic year.

Finally, coach Merlin Polzin and the players expressed their pride and joy at the promotion. In addition, the success of six points in the last game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth opens up the possibility of a second division championship. With the promotion, coach Polzin's contract is automatically extended.