Hertha Berliner SC: In Memoriam Kay Bernstein

04/15/24 • 76 min

The Assistant Professor of Football: Soccer, Culture, History.

Kay Bernstein was elected the president of Hertha BSC, then in the 1st Bundesliga, in June 2022. He died at his home near Berlin on January 16th of this year, with Hertha being in the 2nd Bundesliga. What sounds like a short and - on the pitch - unsuccessful presidency is in fact the most significant shift and opening up of possibilities in club leadership in German and, possibly, European club leadership over the last years.
In his memory, are dedicating an hour today to his club, to his life and to his impact. Bernstein grew up in Eastern Germany and Berlin, and was a founding leader of the oldest ultra group of Hertha, the Harlekins. When he became president, he was an event manager with networks in various fancultures, and a visionary for his club who placed an emphasis not just in success on the pitch, but in a football club as a community of belonging, togetherness, listening, patience, modesty as well as excitement and fanaticism.
The Visiting Professor of Football is Misha Joel, from Hertha podcast Herthabase and an active fan in Hertha's curve.
HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Deutsche Welle English, "Hertha Berlin President Kay Bernstein dies aged 43"
Deutsche Welle English, "Hertha Berlin Chooses former Ultra as Head"
General Assembly at Hertha where Kay Bernstein is elected president (Hertha TV)
March in Mourning after Kay Bernstein's death
RTL Sport, Rest in Peace Kay Bernstein (Youtube)
bundesliga.com, Minute of Silence for Kay Bernstein at Hertha BSC vs. Kaiserslautern

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Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind
Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

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Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help.
Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.

Previous Episode

Time Travel to Europe's Wild East: Stalinist Albania and Soccer

"The era is brought to life by the accounts of Albanians who lived through it, which capture the importance of football to a populace starved of any other source of communal enjoyment. The otherworldliness and innate cruelty of the Stalinist regime provide a terrifying backdrop to their tales," reads the blurb for Phil Harrison's book The Hermit Kingdom: Football Stories from Stalinist Albania. Albania, on the far eastern edge of Europe, followed a rather unique path through the Cold War - and has a unique soccer culture to match that period. Caught between Russia, China and neighboring Yugoslavia, in a country that outlawed religion for all intents and purposes, the stories from Albania between 1946 and 1991 offers the use of pigeons by fan groups, evil Yugoslavian radios, an almost World Cup qualifier, and an erratic dictatorial regime that proudly practiced Stalinism long after Stalin was dead.
More than nostalgia or chronology, Harrison's book takes us into the stadiums and the city squared of a remote country in a remote time.
This episode also features a brief audio reportage from listeners Dan and Archie, who attended the Europa Conference League game Slovan Bratislava vs Sturm Graz - and 3 Albanian contributions to the Eurovision Song Contest.
HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Inside the Hermit Kingdom: Football Stories from Stalinist Albania (Pitch Publishing, 2024)
Phil Harrison on twitter/X
Partizani vs Tirana, Albanian Championship 1971 (Youtube video)
Vlaznia vs. Besa, 1972 Albanian Cup Final, 2nd Leg (2-2 on aggregate); Vllaznia win 5-3 on penalties. Ramazan Rragami becomes a world record holder, scoring 7 penalties in a Cup Final (Youtube video)
Hamdi Salihi, in Albania vs Montenegro, 2011 (Youtube video)
Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokës (Albania at Eurovision, 2019)

Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje (Albania at Eurovision, 2023)

Anxhela Peristeri - Karma (Albania at Eurovision, 2021)

NEW: send me a text message! (I'd love to hear your thoughts - texts get to me anonymously, without charge or signup)

Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help.
Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.

Next Episode

Soccer is for the Fans? England’s proposed “Football Regulator” and the Struggle for the Soul of the Game

The excesses of global soccer capitalism are well documented on this podcast. Perhaps no footballing country is more affected than England, the birthplace of the modern game and home to arguably the wealthiest clubs and league. To take it up one notch, six of its big clubs attempted to join the breakaway Super League while, around the same time, historic club Bury FC collapse and fell under administration. The fan protests surrounding both, the striking inequality growing in English football, and the fast growth of ever more dubious club owners spurred a “fan-led review” commissioned by the British government and, now, a proposal. In March of this year, the “Independent Football Regulator” was proposed.

From future attempts to join a “super league” to tests of financial stability to a protection for crest and jersey colors, a wide range of developments in modern football would fall under the purview of the regulator if passed. And its introduction could spur similar developments in other countries. What exactly does the “regulator” look like, what could they do? What is the impact on fans as well as the future of bigger and smaller English clubs, at home and on the global stage?

The Football Supporters Organization, the FSA, England’s largest and most influential fan lobbying organization, has been involved in the process from the beginning - as a contributor but also as a critic. Michael Brunskill from the FSA helps me explain the history, the potential and the shortcomings of the football regulator. And what sounds like a technical and political discussion will impact fans of the game around the globe.
HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
FSA response: Independent Football Regulator
UK government Fact Sheet about the regulator
Channel 4 News on the regulator and its history

NEW: send me a text message! (I'd love to hear your thoughts - texts get to me anonymously, without charge or signup)

Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help.
Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.