Founding an OFC

• Take an active part in fan culture and club life at HSV

• It is much more fun to follow HSV in a group than on your own and you can meet new people through your love of HSV

• Make your collective voice heard as you have direct access to the club

• More direct support from the club for you and the OFC's members

• Various discounts on HSV merchandise as well as better access to match tickets

• You need to have at least six people in your fan club.

• Every OFC inside Germany has to pay a €25 fee when the fan club is started as well as a €25 fee per season. Fan clubs outside of Germany do not have to pay the annual fee, but do have to pay the foundation fee.

• Every OFC has to have a contact person or chairman with up-to-date contact information, that supplies us with an OFC e-mail address as well as a current list of members at the start of every season. The data from the members' list will only be used internally, e.g. for OFC ticket orders.

• Acceptance of the values of HSV (e.g. being open, tolerant, not allowing any form of discrimination or racism.)

• Handover of the OFC certificate or pennant after the OFC has been formed (not always possible internationally)

• Official fan clubs have after one year of membership the right to buy tickets for home and away games before they go on general sale.

• Handover of presents on fan club anniversaries (5th, 10th, 25th and 50th anniversaries).

• Fan culture department provide prizes for giveaways at the OFC's events in their home city if requested (once a season).

• Contact with the club and organisation of events with first team members visiting the OFC (unlikely but not impossible internationally).

• Promotion opportunities for OFCs on HSV.de and the club's English and German social media channels (HSV Worldwide series)

• Possibilty to create individual items of merchandise for the OFC with the HSV logo. We recommend our licensed partner. Contact here.

• A 10% discount on orders when ordering over €150 worth of merchandise.

After we have received and checked your fully filled out registration form and members’ list, you will receive your welcome package and your OFC number. This number will be important during your time as a fan club. Your OFC certificate will be presented to you at your next OFC meeting or, if preferred, sent to you by post.

For further questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details are on the first page of the information sheet.

• You are a group of HSV fans that would like to organise a fan club

• You choose a date to meet and realise your plan

• You look for a place to meet; here it is advisable to choose a club house for the OFC

• Now look to organise your first meeting (see below)

• Generally, there is always at least one person in every group that presses ahead with the foundation of an OFC and who organises all the necessary arrangements. This person or the one best suitable for the job then should take over the control of the meeting.

• To make the meeting more professional, first of all decide on someone who will keep the minutes and who might also be the secretary of the club later on.

• Organise an attendance list, it might be helpful for future meetings or organisation.

• Talk about the aims and objectives for the club. There are no guidelines for this. The main thing is to have fun, enjoying your shared passion for HSV and being together.

• It is always helpful to write down your aims and objectives in the form of a constitution. It’s up to you if this is taken down in a very formal way or if it’s just verbal. Your constitution is only for your own use, it is not a requirement you have to fulfil for us.

• Once you have agreed on a constitution you should move on to elections. Here it is advisable to elect a committee made up of three people: a chairman, his / her deputy and a treasurer. If necessary, you can also elect a secretary, a kitman, a tour manager, etc., just about everything you can think of. Just make sure not to give the power of decision to too many people since this will only complicate matters unnecessarily. Also, an uneven number of members of the steering committee simplifies a lot of decisions.

• Once all positions have been allocated there are only two more things to do. First, you have to find a name for your fan club. Please remember that your name might be dismissed by us if it is too close or similar to one of an already existing fan club or if it is not considered appropriate.

Second and finally, you have to fill out the registration form and send it back to us. It is very important that you fill out the form fully. Also, the members’ list has to be complete or we cannot process your application.

• Bank account details for the foundation fee are as follows:

Recipient: HSV Fußball AG

IBAN: DE12200300000000290809

BIC HYVEDEMM300

Amount due: €25

Reference: the fan club’s name, its registration-no., season…(e.g. 23/24)

• Next to the benefits we make available to you, the following rules apply to you and your fan club which must be obeyed so that we can work together successfully and represent the club in the best possible manner.

• A full list of all members of your fan club must be sent to the fan culture department at HSV. Also, all changes to your members’ contact data (new entries or departures) must be reported in a timely manner. Every year, a full and current list of your members must be sent to the fan culture department by the 1st of July. All data is for internal use only. No data will be passed on to third parties.

• As an OFC you are also representatives of HSV in public. Please keep this in mind in all your actions and always try to enhance the reputation of HSV wherever you may be.

• A violation of the rules can result in the denial or removal of your status as an OFC.