From the publisher:
The Derbyless City uncovers the hidden world of Berlin football, exploring its full depth far beyond the bright lights of the Bundesliga.
From Damiano Benzoni – journalist, photographer and Berlin resident – the book draws on lived experience and extensive research.
Blending reportage-style storytelling, personal observation and evocative photography, this innovative work:
- Takes readers on an immersive journey through stadiums, neighbourhoods and fan communities
- Looks beyond elite football to tell the stories of dozens of clubs across East and West Berlin
- Explores identity, memory and division through football – from Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin to grassroots and migrant-founded teams
- Guides us from the grandeur of the Olympiastadion to the intimate terraces of the Alte Försterei, weaving through smoky pubs, kebab shops, quirky grassroots pitches and the many clubs that form the city’s vast football landscape
Essential reading for anyone interested in football culture or travel-style sports writing, The Derbyless City is an evocative exploration of why a city with such a vivid football identity remains ‘derbyless’ at the top level.
The author:
Damiano Benzoni is an Italian sportswriter and photographer based in Como. He is a contributor to The Blizzard and When Saturday Comes, and worked as a video host and producer for OneFootball in Berlin. An avid football fan, his allegiances are split between Como, AS Roma and Hertha BSC.
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