Get to Know: Martin Bertels, Schalke Fan-Club New York Founder

How did you become a Schalke fan? What was the first game you ever watched?

I grew up about 50 miles from the old Parkstadion, so I was introduced to Schalke as a kid – very young, I don’t remember the age exactly. I went to a match against Gladbach there when I was a child. Schalke was the Bundesliga club in the region growing up, so I was immediately drawn to them. It’s a passion that has lasted ever since, even if I’ve lived in the United States for almost thirty years now!

What’s it like supporting Schalke in New York? How did you start your own fan group?

When I first moved here, it was before the internet truly took off so it was very hard to watch a game, let alone connect with other like-minded fans. It was very difficult to support week in and week out – games weren’t really showing here yet, so I couldn’t do much besides try and read the results in the newspaper or something like that. A few years after I moved here, the access to games through the internet and cable really blew up. I subscribed to Schalke TV, and even if there was a delay, I was able to follow much more closely than before.

Regarding the fan group, I always ran into a fan here and there of Schalke in New York City. It wasn’t until 2014 when I knew a decent number of folks when I decided to look into making it official and becoming a true fan club. I contacted the Schake Fan Club Association in Germany to go through the process of being recognized as an official Fan Club, and before you know it, it was done!

We have a Facebook page to connect and stay in touch with other supporters in the area. In addition, New York is a place where a lot of supporters come as tourists. When games are on, they’re looking for ways to watch the games with other fans, and we do our best to provide that experience.

What makes your home, Legends, special?

Oh my God, it’s incredible. In there, that’s all it is. It’s just football in that basement, and Jack does an incredible job. The Football Factory is just such an exciting place – they have all the games you could ever imagine on. The spirit of the place, even sometimes at 7:30 in the morning the place is packed, people watching games. We started off at a different bar, but we realized very quickly that wasn’t the place for us, and that’s how we then ended up at the Football Factory at Legends.

It’s a great place – all the memorabilia, jerseys, scarves and flags on the walls. I don’t know of any other place that is so dedicated to such a great experience.

What do you love about the club, what makes it special?

I think what’s so special about Schalke is – first of all, it’s a member club. It’s not like in the Premier League where there are single owners, a consortium of owners, different models. We are still very much a member club, a club where decisions are made by its members. The supporters have a very, very strong voice at the regular member meetings.

The spirit of the club grew out of an area that was very much working class, the miner tradition in that area. It’s special that the club represents the area and its working-class people so authentically. There are other clubs that are elitist and get their success from fat wallets, and Schalke is a working-class club that gets any success through true grit and hard work. It’s a big difference in the modern game, and that’s what I love. That’s why I support Schalke – the spirit and mentality of the club.

What is your favorite Schalke 04 game that you have watched?

Easy – 4-0 down against Dortmund, 2017. And we somehow turn it around to get a point. Incredible.

Who is your favorite player that has played for Schalke?

Ralf Fährmann. My son – who is in college now – is a goalkeeper, and we both traveled to the 2016 Florida Cup to watch Schalke. We met Fährmann there, and we had such a good conversation with him. He gave my son tips, which was very nice, and he’s very connected to the club. He has a special place in our heart.

Why do you recommend people support Schalke?

All the things that I mentioned earlier – the spirit and the mentality that this club represents. On top of that, I would say that you really get connected to the club once you’ve been to the VELTINS-Arena. There’s such a special atmosphere there. In 2019, I took two of my friends over to watch a game – both soccer fans, but no Bundesliga allegiance. We got Nordkurve tickets, and they had the time of their lives. It was such a special experience, and they have been fans ever since.