Overview

• Publisher Horst Bläsig confirmed that the October 13 edition is the last, closing a weekly that uniquely chronicled Berlin football from youth leagues to the Bundesliga.
• Bläsig blamed a “toxic mix” of declining revenue, rising printing and energy costs, and missing investment, noting that digital efforts such as the e‑paper and archive increased costs without meaningful returns.
• A planned takeover by the Berliner Fußball‑Verband was abandoned shortly before the application deadline, with a BFV letter citing required six‑figure investments, structural changes and independence concerns, and separate talks with a major Berlin publisher also failed.
• Founded in 1923, the magazine paused in 1944 during World War II and resumed in West Berlin in 1950, while an East‑Berlin counterpart existed until 1993.
• Readers, players and coaches mourn the loss of an institution that connected the amateur game through features like the weekly “Elf der Woche,” leaving a notable gap in local football coverage.