The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences.
In The Derbyless City: An Emotional Map of Berlin Football, author Damiano Benzoni uncovers the hidden world of Berlin football, exploring its full depth far beyond the bright lights of the Bundesliga.
Photo © Jonny Whitlam
What gave you the idea for the book?
I have lived in Berlin for five years, and I immediately noticed the variety of teams and communities tied to the grassroots football scene: this prompted me to start exploring and understanding the city through the lens of football.
At the same time, I happened to witness a very peculiar time for both Hertha (relegation and the death of ultra-turned-club president Kay Bernstein) and Union (their first-ever Champions League qualification igniting a bit of an identity crisis), and felt it was something worth narrating.
How was the writing process?
The book was written and published in Italian first, and then translated to English, which allowed me to include some parts I had previously not featured in the book. I decided to link each chapter to a game I attended, and every section revolves around one aspect of Berlin (i.e. former East Berlin, former West Berlin, Hertha, Union, migrant teams, grassroots football). There's a lot of personal experience, anecdotes and social observation, but also archival research.
What was your biggest influence whilst you were writing the book?
My biggest influences were Jonathan Wilson's Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football, together with Thirty-One Nil: On the Road With Football's Outsiders and When Friday Comes: Football, War And Revolution In The Middle East by James Montague and the COPA90 documentaries by Eli Mengem.
A huge influence was also to be found in the books of an Italian author - and personal friend - Gianni Galleri, who wrote fascinating travel books about Balkan football. It's the sociological and historical approach to football writing, intertwined with travel writing, which has always fascinated me.
How did you first get published?
I published the Italian version of the book through an Italian football publisher I already knew, Urbone Publishing, as he had asked me several times to write a book for him: The Derbyless City proved the right chance to work together.
After publishing the book in Italian, I contacted Pitch Publishing and immediately received positive feedback on an English translation.
What advice would you offer other writers when writing gets hard?
When I found myself wandering a bit too much, I found that getting to the cutting board helped unblock me: it helped me focus on the structure and, after cutting a huge chunk, finishing the book happened in a rush.
What is your most memorable football experience?
Witnessing a crowded stadium stand in silence for 90 minutes to pay homage to the memory of late Hertha president Kay Bernstein, barely days after his death, was a moving moment that will always be with me. No frills, no chants, only heartbreak and heartfelt respect for a figure which had meant so much for the club.
What was the last football book you read?
I was honoured enough to receive a copy of Around the World in 80 Clubs: A Journey Through the Weird, Wacky and Wonderful World of Football by Paul Watson directly from the author. I loved its light-hearted approach, and I can't get enough of quirky and obscure football stories; I was also honoured to see my name in the acknowledgements.
What is a football book more people should read?
Thirty-One Nil by James Montague, I would say: it's just so important to go looking for stories which are not normally told, for football in places where we don't usually go looking for it.
What is your next football-writing project?
I would love to focus on my hometown club's rise, as Como is about to play its first ever Champions League season and I got to live through the club's ups and depressing downs in the last 25 years.
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The Derbyless City: An Emotional Map of Berlin Football is published by Pitch Publishing and is released on 14 September.