FC Heidenheim is the underdog football story you've been waiting for

Imagine a rural town with lots of trees but nothing resembling anything urban within an hour's drive.
Now imagine a football club in that town. Probably nothing special, right?
Not if you're Heidenheim. Because this town of about 50,000 people is not just succeeding in Germany's highest level, but is going to play some of the best teams around Europe in 2024/25.
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[@Miemets]

anyone else here because FC Heidenheim just won 2 out of 2 games, leading the Bundesliga with a cleansheet? What a rags-to-riches story!

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

*insert "Always Has Been" meme here*

[@fch1846]

❤️💙

[@kylecorman7859]

I too have found myself watching more of the Bundesliga than almost any other league. The fan excitement, the high quality of play, and stories like the one you presented are why the German leagues are as exciting as any others. I’ll be cheering on Union Berlin next season as they made the great escape you mentioned.

[@stevefeltner8181]

Excellent job, Thomas! Over time, I'm finding myself getting more enjoyment from watching Bundesliga football than even EPL and this story is an example. Glad u jilted it even tho I think u might consider a stream looking at our sister city Stuttgart Stuttgart!

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

Thank you Steve! There's so many good stories in German football, and I suspect that's partly how things are structured there with the 50+1 ownership rule. A team like Heidenheim needed a great manager to rise 5 tiers and Saarbrucken have been giant killers the last couple years but remain mired in 3.Liga.
And I'm sure my friend Sascha Fox would love it if I started paying attention to Stuttgart more! th-cam.com/channels/lu0s3reKNZ0qYkhTPr0O2g.html

[@stevefeltner8181]

YES! All around

[@benjaminl.2960]

Thank you very much for the great video. I live in Heidenheim and was also born there. I've been a fan since I was a little boy, more precisely since 1996. At that time, the club still played in the 6th. Division. It still feels like a dream that we can experience Bundesliga in our small town and now even play the playoffs for the conference league. The adventure continues. Thx again and keep up the good work.

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

I really appreciate that you enjoyed it and hopefully I didn't butcher any German pronunciations!
I really enjoy German football because stories like this can almost always happen, like with Saarbrucken in the Pokal. I'll will definitely follow Heidenheim with a soft spot in my heart!

[@docraiden1353]

Great video, where you only forgot one important man. Holger Sanwald, the CEO, who is said to have been the first to talk about the vision of this fairy tale when it was still a dream that could never be fulfilled for everyone else. He is the man off the pitch who, together with his team, ensures that Heidenheim also does things right off the pitch.

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

Ah, a big oversight on my part then!

[@Biotee]

That’s right. Holger believed in Frank and he still does and Frank believed in the players, and still does. Thank you for this video and best regards from nobody-ever-heard-before Heidenheim. We celebrate what is happening here 😁

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

As well you should! Heidenheim's story is inspiring and one of the reasons I love this game.

[@AlecParente]

Awesome job Thomas

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

Thank you!

[@mikezey9742]

The one thing I will be interested to see next season is how the club will handle European competition with the Bundesliga. Many clubs have gone high and then fallen back down. So I at least will be following them and their fortunes next season.

[@SoccerZombieSTL]

Union Berlin is a great and very recent example of this. Real curious how they get on as well. Heidenheim's depth will be put through the test for sure!