FC St. Pauli, abbreviated as "St. Pauli", was founded in 1910 and is located in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, Germany. It is a professional football club in Germany. The club was established in 1899 as a loose informal group of football enthusiasts in Hamburg-St. Pauli, until an independent football team named St. Pauli was formed in 1924.
In 1963, the club signed Guy Accorla, who became the first black professional football player to play in Germany. In September 1999, the copyright for the skull and crossbones graphic by Steph Braun was purchased, becoming the club's emblem.
In 2003, the club faced a financial crisis, nearing bankruptcy, and was relegated to the regional league of the then German third football league, competing there for four years. It returned to the 2. Bundesliga in 2007 and was promoted to the Bundesliga in 2010. After another relegation, it has been in the 2. Bundesliga since the 2011-12 season, until it returned to the Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season.