A Look Abroad: FC Schalke 04 & Everton
FAN VIEW
A brief snapshot of the two loves of my footballing life
I thought I would take time out from the hustle and bustle of the Premier League and write about a subject dear to my heart: Schalke, the Bundesliga club I chose to follow along with Everton, a club that by the grace of God, chose me to support them.
Schalke is situated in the northern German city of Gelsenkirchen, an anuassuming place little known to the outside world. It is a somewhat ugly industrial city located in the heart of the Ruhr Valley. Gelsenkirchen built it's wealth on coal mining and is built on the site of an old coal mine.
I was introduced to Schalke as a young boy in the 1970s; with Everton, it was a birthright.
Like Everton, Schalke has a rich and proud history from its humble origins. Much respected in German football, they have won the German league title a total of 11 times, including being crowned Bundesliga champions several times since its introduction in the 1960s. Whisper it quietlly, but a little known historical fact is that during the trophy-laden glory years of the 1930s, the club was used by the Nazi party for propoganda purposes.
When you delve into it, the parallels between Schalke and Everton are uncanny. Nicknamed "der Königsblauen" (Royal Blues), we wear the same colours. We both take our names from the tough working class north end districts of the respective cities we originate from. Both Schalke and Everton have long lived in the shadow of their more glamorous and more successful neighbours. For Schalke that is Borrusia Dortmund; for Everton, the obvious: our city rivals, Liverpool.
In recent seasons, things have not gone well on the pitch for Schalke. Like Everton, a poorly-run club over a period of time led to relegation to Bundesliga 2. Fortunately, after three seasons, they have returned the top flight of German football. There are no God-given rights in football, but it's where a club of their stature belongs.
I take in a Schalke home fixture once a season. The approach to the magnificent 60,000-capacity Veltins Arena takes in the Schalke Mile, a boulevard characterised by the bars and restaurants being decked in the royal blue and white of Schalke. I hope Everton can do something similar on the Dock Road approach to Bramley-Moore.
Once inside the Veltins, the atmosphere is electric, noisely backed up by the thousands on the Nord Curv (north curve). For those who haven't experienced it, I thoroughly recommend taking in the Bundesliga experience. Tickets are kept at a reasonable price in comparison to the Premier League and basics such as free public transport are provided to match ticket holders.
I would like to mention the academy, which compares to anything Ajax or Barcelona have to offer. They have continously produced some of Europe's finest, top-drawer players: Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeping legend Manuel Neuer, Gundigan, Mezut Özil and the Sane brothers to name a few.
Sitting in the shadow of the Veltins, they have cleverly incorporated their former home, the Park Stadion, into the training complex. The real beauty of the academy is the open-door policy. Suppoeters can come and go as they please before home fixtures, watch the stars of the future and are able to mix with the players and coaches. A fine model for Finch Farm to follow in my opinion.
So, there you have it. A brief snapshot of the two loves of my footballing life.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Forever Everton. Spirit. Everton Eternal
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers29/06/2026 12:07:07
How does the football compare Danny? Has th3 Bundesliga got the same issues as the PL? Do the fans have better relations with the clubs? Or owners for that matter!
29/06/2026 13:32:30
Nice story Danny, and I also think that Everton, will eventually have something similar to The Schalke Mile, on the approach to Bramley Moore.
Right now though the silence is deafening, I’m hoping it wasn’t just Moyes’s agent, pushing his name forward for the Scotland job, and we can finally turn over a new leaf, and start looking to try and be the Everton Football Club, we both remember from our childhood days🤞
04/07/2026 07:55:01
Indeed Tony. Singing a favorite of yours "we shall not be moved.
Christine, the supporters are fanatical & the atmosphere generated electric. The match going supporter is well looked after. Cheap tickets priced at about 20€ right down to free public transport on display of a match ticket. A small gesture, but every little helps.
The ownership postion makes for interesting reading. Part suppoter, & partGerman regulations insisist on a 51 - 49% stakhold unlike the rather unhealthy autocratic framework leads to near 80% ownership by one majorstakeholder fuelled by greed.
The German model means that throretically no one individual can ride gunshot over proceedings.
A healthy model that gives the suporters a genuine voice with th clubs best intrests at heart.
04/07/2026 09:47:09
Very interesting Danny, highlighting the extent to which corporate greed has been allowed to eat into every aspect of our lives, post-Thatcher. I wish Everton were able to follow aspects of the German model. In Goodison it might have been possible, but at the new ground, no chance. That move was all about the money, it's all that matters. Sorry to be such a miserable git.
06/07/2026 14:04:41
Thanks for that Danny. I love German football and think that English football can learn a lot from Germany in how the clubs are set up and run. A work colleague of mine was a massive Eintracht Braunschweig fan. We were based in Russia in a small place called Efremov where the only things to do in an evening were to go to the local bar or watch The Sopranos on DVD. No matter what the conversation was in the bar he always managed to mention that Braunschweig had the same kit as Brazil & were the first club in the world to have advertising on their shirts. Sometimes he would sneak in that Paul Breitner had played for them as well.
06/07/2026 14:29:48
I picked up a few Schalke fans from Gelsenkirchen, the other day Danny, and I spoke to them like I had loads of knowledge about their club because of what I’ve taken in over the years, when I’ve listened to you talk or write about your favourite German football club!
I knew that they have had a very successful youth academy, I knew they had fell on difficult times, I asked them about my mates son, who played for them not so long ago, and then I gave them a lecture about how despairing it is to see the logical Germans, getting taken in and used to using digital currency!
I spoke about their National team, how I thought that just like he had done for our neighbours, (they were going to our neighbours ground - they’re always going to our neighbour’s ground) how I thought Klopp, would give them back an identity they had/have been losing for years.
What’s the biggest problem with your National team now I asked? They gave me the exact answer that I had in my mind, (mentality) and I think this is something that our own club, have been lacking for years.
We have lost our mentality, or is it just that our mentality has become weak and much less expectant? Either way until our mentality changes, then expect more of the same mediocrity that we have been accepting for what seems like forever.
07/07/2026 15:29:17
Thanks for that Danny; a typically 'from the heart' article.
I would not have relished facing you on the Park.
A formidable force no doubt.
You& others of your ilk are what makes our club special.
On another tack I think the signing situation is pleasing although our obsession with defensive priorities sits a little uneasily with me.
Last season with Branthwaite present we were rock solid.
Frankly, sad to say if he breaks down with a recurrence we have think seriously about his future in the game.
Rather for me our strike force is the crying need.
Barry will not make it & attitude is a real problem. Sell with damage limitation.
Beto will always be adequate (just) but for me a foil, in the shape of Aidan Graham needs to be there alongside a proven player.
Sort of an Adran Heath role.
If the midfield with the new lad can pose more of a goal threat then we start to look good.
Lastly; hold on to Ndiaye at all costs & if financially viable get Grealish back.
Tim can go for a decent fee & take a chance on Alcaraz.
12/07/2026 17:24:25
Whilst likely much younger than you Danny, I also developed a strong bond with Schalke. In the early 2010s, players like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Sane as you mentioned, and Naldo were all at the top of their game.
I vividly remember watching an ITV UCL fixture between Schalke and Real Madrid, probably one of the first games I ever watched. Schalke won 4-3 in the game but were knocked out on aggregate. I too liked how similar their kit was to ours and the fact that they exceeded expectations in Europe throughout that period.
Even players like Goretzka and Draxler were class at Schalke, and its a shame that they never reinvested the money they earned from sales effectively. Funnily enough, Breel Embolo, who earlier this morning was sent off (second yellow) for diving v Argentina, was one of the many causes of their financial crisis. They spent over £20m on him and he never made it happen.
I'm glad they are back in the Bundesliga though, and they carry a pair of Bosnian players with them this time. Dzeko and Katic made me root for Bosnia at this WC. I'll always root for Schalke though, hope they survive next season!
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29/06/2026 11:45:34
Thats a nice vision Danny, and it does make you wonder what will come about on the docks.
Maybe Andy Burnham will have an "up North" admin centre there, that would raise the profile a bit!