It doesn’t have to be Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund - one of several great German football clubs

For the last couple of years the British sporting media has reported at length about the numbers of fans coming to watch football in Germany. They are attracted by the prospect of experiencing the electric atmosphere of a Bundesliga game and modern grounds.

There are many great German football clubs, but nine times out of ten the reporter refers to Borussia Dortmund. They tell you how easy it is to get there, how cheap the tickets are – and of course, all about the Yellow Wall. 
And they are absolutely right. Dortmund do indeed have great supporters. And the Yellow Wall cheering on their team is something any football fan would appreciate.
So fair play to the marketing people at Dortmund who have put the club right in the middle of world football consciousness and made it the go to place for ‘the Bundesliga experience’.

But it doesn’t have to be Dortmund.

There are plenty other great German football clubs that are just as easy to get to, where the tickets are just as cheap and where you can have an absolutely brilliant day out.

Why not go to Borussia Mönchengladbach?

A flight to Düsseldorf and a 45 minute train journey will take you to Mönchengladbach. A shuttle bus will then drop you off at a brand new stadium to join a crowd of 50,000 to cheer on the team that is currently fourth in the league, competing in the Europa League and playing some great football.

Borussia Mönchengladbach - another great German football club
Fortuna Düsseldorf

 Or how about  Fortuna Düsseldorf?

This must be one of the most straightforward footballing days out you will ever have?

You can buy tickets ahead of the game at the tourist information office. The underground takes you literally to the entrance to the stadium, which was built for the world cup and has truly superb facilities. And you will get the full German footballing experience

It doesn’t have to be the Bundesliga. 

The crowds might be smaller, but you can have a great experience at 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga games. 

VfL Bochum fans

You might like to take a look at  VfL Bochum.

A 45 minute train journey from Düsseldorf and a 20 minute walk (or a 5 minute underground ride) gets you to a stadium with one of the warmest, fan-friendly atmospheres I have ever experienced.

Lower league football is well worth a trip

 

After the 3 professional leagues, German football is divided into five regional leagues.
If you are feeling even more adventurous, why not take a look at one of the Regionalliga teams?
Rot Weiss Essen, for example were German cup winners in 1952 and the first German team to play in Europe. Despite years of decline and turmoil on and off the pitch the club still has a huge and passionate fan base and games with local rivals are particularly intense, passionate affairs.

Rot Weiss Essen fans

It doesn’t have to be Düsseldorf

I chose these four teams because they are all in or near Düsseldorf, which is the part of Germany I know best and because the transport infrastructure around Düsseldorf airport makes them easy to get to.
You could make the same case for teams in or near other major cities like Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich.

And if you want, you can do it by yourself

There are plenty of great websites which will get tickets and organise travel and a hotel for you – but you don’t have to do it that way.
German public transport is efficient, reliable, cheap and really simple to use and match tickets usually entitle you to free transport to and from the ground.
Getting tickets direct from the clubs online is straightforward and more and more clubs offer Print@home, which allows you to print your ticket before you set off.
And most clubs either have an English section in their website, or someone at the end of a phone who can speak excellent English.

Find out more about German football

The cover of Discovering German Football
Book Cover - The German Ruhrgebiet: a guide for visitors
Book cover - Bayero4  Leverkusen: an introduction

Books about German football

Book cover - Discovering German Football
Book Cover - Borussia Mönchengladbach: an introdction
Book cover - Schalke 04: an introduction
Book cover - Bayer 04 Leverkusen: and introduction
Book cover - Football Tourist's Guide to the German Ruhrgebiet
Book Cover - Fortuna Düsseldorf: an introduction
Book Cover - The German Ruhrgebiet

Going to watch Armenia Bielefeld

DSC Armenia Bielefeld – the club and the town

Bielefeld is on the eastern edge of North Rhine Westphalia, beside an ancient forest called the Teutoburger Wald. Hannover is about 70 kilometres to the north-east and Dortmund is the same distance to the south-west. The city has 327,000 inhabitants is the home of the international baking products company Dr Oetker and the manufacturing giant Schüco.

DSC Armenia Bielefeld - flag with logo
It is also home to DSC Armenia Bielefeld, one of Germany’s oldest football clubs. Although its golden age was in the 1920s and 1930s, Bielefeld has spent 16 seasons in the Bundesliga and currently plays in the second division. The club has retained a large and loyal fanbase and average attendance in 2017/18 was 18,002.

In the early 1980s, I was fortunate to spend two years in Bielefeld. And I lived just around the corner from the Alm – Armenia’s ground.  This is where I first experienced German football.

Bielefeld had just been promoted back into the Bundesliga and was about to embark on a five-year stint in the top tier. The previous season the club had won the 2 Bundesliga in record-breaking style. They scored 120 goals, achieved a 28 match unbeaten run and won 30 of the 38 games. There was a confident a buzz about the club. Attendance and expectations were high.

Since those exciting days, fans have endured a lot for their club. At one point Bielefeld fell right out of the professional leagues. A gradual climb back to the top preceded full-time membership of the “elevator group” – those teams that continually move up and down the divisions.

Despite repeated financial difficulties and the occasional threat of bankruptcy, the club has survived. Long-suffering fans are currently enjoying a period of success. In 2014/15 a run of thrilling victories over bigger clubs took them to the semi-final of the German Cup. Bielefeld were 3. Liga champions the same year and moved up to the 2. Bundesliga. A draw on the last day of the season secured a 15th place finish in 2016/17, which just enough for a further year in the second division. The current season has started well for Bielefeld and the promotion places are still within reach.

Tickets

You can buy them at the fan shop in the Osttribüne of the stadium. There is also an online ticket shop.

Getting to Bielefeld

There are frequent direct trains from Hannover and Dortmund to Bielefeld. The journey will take about an hour from either city.

Getting to the ground

The simplest way to get to the ground from the station is on foot. It will take you about 15 minutes. If you don’t feel like walking, it’s also easy to reach by public transport.

Exactly how you travel depends on where you are sitting or standing in the stadium.

Block 1 – 4 (Südtribüne) and Block M – T (Osttribüne)

Take the tram (Stadtbahn) 4 towards “Universität/Lohmanshof” and get off at “Rudolf-Oetker Halle”.

Block B – J (West-/Nordtribüne)

Take the tram (Stadtbahn) 4 towards “Universität/Lohmanshof” and get off at Graf-von-Stauffenberg-Straße.

Block A1 & A2 (Away end)

Take tram 3 towards Babenhausen Süd and get off at Wittekindstraße.

Inside the ground

The SchücoArena is named after the club’s main sponsor.  It has a capacity of 26,515, with 8,000 standing places. Thanks to a phased ten-year modernisation programme it is a comfortable and modern venue with great visibility throughout.

Key information

  • Website
  • Facebook  Twitter 
  • Email info@arminia-bielefeld.de
  • Telephone +49 (0)1806 – 51 53 02
  • Online Ticket Shop 
  • Ground: SchucoArena
  • Capacity: 26,515
  • Average attendance 17/18: 18,002
  • Address: Melanchtonstraße, 33615 Bielefeld
  • Colours: White and blue
  • Nickname: Die Blauen (the blues)

A few numbers

  • Seasons in the Bundesliga: 16  
  • Position in the all-time Bundesliga table: 21  
  • Biggest home win: 5:0 against Borussia Mönchenglabdbach (8.5.82) and Darmstadt (21.4.79)
  • Stadium capacity: 26.515
  • Highest attendance: 26,329(78/79)
  • 2 Bundesliga champions: 1999
  • 2 Bundesliga Nord champions: 1978 1980
  • West German Champions: 1921/22, 1922/23
  • Westfalen Champions: 1912, 1921-1927, 1933, 1962, 1990
  • West German Cup Winners: 1966
  • Westphalian Cup Winners: 1908, 1932
  • Westfalen Cup: 1991, 2012
  • Bundesliga promotion years: 1970, 1978, 1980, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004

DSC Armenia Bielefeld – A short history

The early days

At the beginning of the 20th century the nearest thing to sporting clubs in Bielefeld were two social clubs called Teutonia and Terpsichore whose members played a variety bof sports.

In 1904 two Terpsichore members, Alwin Bohlen and Jonny Hennigstein, put forward the idea of starting a football section1904. The club hierarchy turned this down. Their proposal did, however, inspire Emil Schröder to join them in setting up their own club and put an advert in the local paper.

On 14 April 1905 fourteen men met in Restaurant Modershohn, in the cellar of the town hall, and decided to form a club. On 3 May 1905 1. Bielefelder Fußballklub Armenia was founded.

Members paid a monthly fee of one mark and the club colours were blue white and black.

The new team played its first game two weeks later on Kaiser Wilhelm Platz in the town centre against a team from Osnabrück. Armenia players wore orange. We don’t know the result. 

Soon new members started to join and in the autumn Arminia made contact with DFB and played its first league games in Bezirksliga Westfalen in the 1906/07 season. Bielefeld played against Osnabrück teams Teutonia, Olympia 1903 and FC 1899 and came third.

By now other clubs had started to form in the town and in 1907 the Bielefeld Sportverband (Sports Union) was founded. In same year FC Siegfried joined Armenia and the club moved to a new ground in Kaiserstraße (August Bebel Straße today).

Unfortunately, the land was taken over by the town after five months and at the same time, the club found itself beset with financial problems. After a new president improved finances stabilised and in 1910 Armenia moved to Pottenau.

First success and a new home

Bielefeld’s first big success came in the 1912/13 season when they were crowned as Westfalen champions and lost the regional semifinal to Düsseldorf SC.

The outbreak of war stopped the progress of the club which was reduced to playing at district level and won the 1916 and 1917 championships. 1919/20 was first real post-war football season. Unfortunately, travel restrictions imposed by the victorious allies meant the championship could only be played in part (Armenia played 17 out of 18 games. FC Osnabrück 99 only managed 8).

That year Armenia merged with Bielefelder Turngemeinde 1848 with the aim of establishing a big sporting club with many sections. One later DSC won the eastern section of Kreisliga Westfalen, but they had signed an ineligible new player (Friemauth). This led to a 3-month ban and they missed the Westfalen final against Preussen Münster

Next year Bielefeld ended on equal points with Kölner BC 01. A deciding game was played in München Gladbach (now Mönchengladbach). Armenia lost 2:1, but the result was reversed because Cologne had played an ineligible player (Scottish defender Gregor Smith) in a league game against Essen. As a result, points were deducted from Cologne and Armenia won the league. This meant they competed for the first time in the German championship, but lost 0:5 to FC Wacker München

In 1922, as in other towns across Germany, the football and gymnastics clubs separated. In 1922/23, as league champions, Bielefeld played in the regional final against TuRU Düsseldorf, coming back from being 3:1 down at halftime to win in extra time, qualifying for the national finals for the second time. The club booked a special train to transport fans to games. The quarter final in Bochum against SC Union Oberschöneweide was abandoned after 2.5 hours at 0:0. The replay was played in in Berlin. Bielefeld lost 1:2 aftyer conceding a goal in added time.

Walter Claus-Oehler was Bielefeld’s first national player. He made is debut on 10 May 23 against Netherlands. The club would then have to wait 75 years for the next nation callup.

After this the glory days on the national stage were over. Armenia won the Wesfalian championships four times but did not progress from West German to the national championships.

Bielefeld was involved in the first live broadcast of a football match which covered a game against Preußen Münster at Münstermannplatz on 1 November 1925.

On 30 January 1926, the club changed its name to Deutscher Sportclub Armenia Bielefeld and also made the move to the Alm which remains home today.

The new ground opened on 1 May 1926, but success continued to elude DSC, which for a time was eclipsed by another local side – VfB 03 Bielefeld. Attendance dropped and finance worries returned. DSC was saved by lucrative friendlies against Hamburger SV and 1. FC Nürnberg. Bielefeld fans had to wait until 1932 before they could celebrate the club’s  next sporting success – defeating Osnabrück to win the Westfalia Cup. 

There were many reasons for Bielfeld’s lack of success.

One of the greatest was complacency. The 1920s and 1930s saw the dramatic rise of the Arbeitervereine (working class clubs like Schalke, Dortmund), but many Bielefelders did not consider them ‘proper’ football teams or worthy opponents One of these clubs wrote suggesting a friendly. The reply from Bielefeld proposed they learn to play football first. The club was called FC Schalke, who went on to dominate regional and national football throughout the 1930s.

Bielefeld under the Nazis

During the war years players called up for military service, making it impossible to get a team together. Leading members of the club strongly supported the politics of the Nazi regime. Jewish members were expelled and banned from the ground. Fritz Günewald, a former board member had to return an Ehrennadel (badge of honour) He died in the Warsaw ghetto. His badge was returned in 2003.

After the war

The club reformed after the war and joined Landesliga Westfalen, but was relegated to Bezirksliga in 1947, placing Bielefeld in the third tier for the first time. The next season (1947/48) DSC looked set for promotion but were docked 14 points for fielding an ineligible player

The next year the regional  Landesliga was expanded to include Armenia, who won the league and got promotion to Oberliga West

Relegation followed at the end of the next season and a further drop in 1954 returned Bielefeld to the third tier.

Performances then gradually improved and by 1962 Bielefeld was back in the second division. The club didn’t qualify for Bundesliga when it was formed in 63 and only just made it into the league below (Regionalliga)

Back to the top

Bielefeld just missed promotion in 1967 and finally made it to the top tier in 1970.

In 1970 Bielefeld was involved in a match-fixing scandal. As a result, two players were banned for life. Although the club was allowed to play 1971/72 in the Bundesliga it was demoted at the end of the season. Left with massive debts, its very existence at risk.

But by the end of 1978 Armenia wasback in the Bundesliga. Demotion the next year was followed by promotion the year after. This was one of Bielefeld’s most successful seasons ever. Key statistics include. 30 wins out of 38 games, 28 game unbeaten streak and 11:0 win over Hannover.

Despite struggling to avoid relegation the club remained in the Bundesliga for the next five years

Gradual decline

But falling attendance compounded ongoing financial problems led eventually to relegation in 1985. The club then went into free fall, dropping out of the professional leagues altogether and continued to face horrendous financial difficulties.

Between 1994 and 2005 Bielefeld enjoyed steady improvement. Veterans Thomas van Helen, Armin Eck and Fritz Walter signed. The club was promoted to Regionalliga West/Südwest, then the 2 Bundesliga and eventually back to the Bundesliga for 1995/96

Ups and downs

Despite signing international star Stefan Kuntz the club finished 14th and was relegated in 1997/98.

The 1998/99 was another promotion season and Bruno Labbadia was the league top scorer with 28 goals

In 1999/00 a run of 10 successive defeats was the low point of a miserable season which ended in yet another relegation. And Bielefeld just avoided a further drop in 2000/01.

Promotion and relegation were to be the pattern for the next decade.

The glory days return

2014/15 was a brilliant season. They reached the semi-final of the cup by beating Hertha BSC, SV Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach) and emerged as 3 Liga champions.

2015/16 was stable but it 2016/17 relegation was only narrowly avoided. The battle to secure second division status went right down to last two games – 6:1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig and 1:1 draw against Dresden

The club still has carries debts from the 2000s and being a Bielefeld fan continues to have low as well as high points. But the 2017/18 season was a good one and a times promotion to the Bundesliga appeared to be within grasp.

Famous players

Born in nearby Schloß Holte Ewald Lienen began his professional career with Arminia in 1974. He left the club in 1977 for Borussia Mönchengladbach. His second spell from 1981 to 1983 coincided with the most successful period in the club’s recent history. He had a second term at Borussia before ending his career with MSV Duisburg. Since then he has managed 14 clubs in Germany and abroad and is currently with FC St Pauli.

Uli Stein began his professional career with Bielefeld, making 124 appearances between 1976 and 1980. He also played for Hamburger SV (1980-87 and 1994-95), Eintracht Frankfurt (1987-94) before a second spell with Armenia (1995-97). He also played six times for the national side between 1983 and 1986.

He was known for his tempestuous nature and sometimes his actions had negative consequences. For example, in 1986 he was dropped from the national team after calling Franz Beckenbauer a Suppenkasper (laughing stock). In 1987 he was sacked by Hamburger SV after punching Bayern player Jürgen Wegman after he scored a goal during a super cup final.

Bruno Labbadia played for SV Darmstadt, Hamburger SV, 1 FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, 1. FC Köln, Werder Bremen, and Karlsruher SC. He also made 98 appearances and scored 50 goals or Arminia Bielefeld between 1998 and 2001. Since 2003 he has managed 6 Bundesliga clubs, most recently Hamburger SV.

Werner Hellwig (1925 – 2008) was a defender.

He began his career during the war with Kriegspielgemeinschaft Bielefeld  and joined Armenia in 1944.

He was badly injured and lost arm 1944 but continued to play in the early post-war years

For one year he was given special permission to take throw-ins with one arm

Walter Claus-Oehler (1887-1941) was a left half. He played for Armenia from 1918 to 1935 and was the first Bielefelder to play for Germany. He died in Paris during the war.

Stefan Kuntz was a striker who scored 179 Bundesliga goals. He began his career with Borussia Neunkirchen before signing for VfL Bochum in 1983. Between 1980 and 2005 he played for 9 clubs. He played for Bielefeld from 1996 to 1998, making 65 appearances and scoring 25 goals. With Kaiserslautern he won the cup in 1990 and the league in 1991.

He played for Germany 25 times and scored 6 goals and was a member of the squad which won the 1996 European Championship.

Find out more about German football

Discovering German football
Are you planning a football trip to Germany?

This short guide will help you plan your trip and decide which clubs to visit. There is also key information on every club in the top three divisions as well as links to the best books, websites, blogs and podcasts.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Buy now from Amazon US

Getting there – travel in Germany

Travel in Germany - underground train

Travel in Germany is a joy. Trains are quick, reliable and comfortable. Public transport in towns and cities is integrated so that you can use the same ticket on train, tram, bus or underground. And if you get the right ticket you can travel long distances relatively cheaply. This makes Germany the perfect place for a football trip.

Local travel

Local travel arrangements are different depending on the city and region you are in. But they all offer day and group tickets and other money-saving deals. They all have helpful websites – often with an English section – which include journey planning tools as well as fare information.

Here are the local transport websites for each club in the top three divisions to help you plan your football trip.

Types of train in Germany

Long distance trains

InterCity Express (ICE) are Germany’s fastest trains. They can travel at up to 186 mph and are ideal for long-distance travel. They are very comfortable and have superb facilities.

With speeds of up to 125 mph InterCity (IC) trains also cover long distances quickly. Some intercity trains cross into neighbouring countries (Holland, France etc). They are called EuroCity (EC) trains. You will have a smooth and comfortable journey on these trains. Many of them have a restaurant car. Some of the newest IC trains are double deckers.

Regional trains

Interregio-Express (IRE) trains connect regions with each other.

Regional-Express (RE) and Regional Bahn (RB) trains are ideal for travelling across a particular region or between neighbouring towns. Some of these trains are double-deckers.

Local trains

You will find S-Bahn trains in most large cities. These trains cover short distances within cities or between neighbouring towns.

Many German cities have underground (U-Bahn) and tram (Straßenbahn) networks.

Saving money

Train travel in Germany needn’t cost the earth, but you do need to look out for special tickets and reductions.

The cheapest way to travel longer distances is to buy a saver ticket (Sparpreis).

If you plan to do a lot of travelling you can save even more money with a BahnCard. This costs 62 euros but entitles you to 25% reduction on all fares for a year. If you are under 27 it only costs 39 euros.

A “Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket” lets you travel anywhere in Germany for a day. You have to leave after 9 am on weekdays and you can’t use it on ICE, EC, or ICE trains. But you can travel on all regional trains. It’s ideal for group travel. The first person pays 44 euros, but up to four extra travellers can join the group ticket for 8 euros more each. So a group of 5 can travel right across the country for just n76 euros.

The “Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket” also lets you travel right across Germany on either a Saturday or a Sunday. You can’t use it on ICE, EC and IC trains, but you can travel on all regional trains. You can use it for groups of up to 5. The first person pays 40 euros and each additional traveller pays 4 euros.

Länder-Tickets allow you to travel anywhere within a particular state for a day. On Monday to Friday you have to leave after 9 am and you can’t use it on ICE, EC and IC trains. But you can travel on any regional train and in most states use local public transport as well. These tickets have different prices, depending on the state.

You can get more information on all these tickets here on the Deutsche Bahn website.

Long distance buses

Of course, if you are not in a hurry, bus travel is an even cheaper way to get around.

Deutsche Bahn offers intercity bus travel to and between many major German cities.

Flixbus also provides low-cost bus travel to and right across Germany.

Other websites to help you plan your football trip

(NOTE: Some of the websites in this section are affiliate links and will earn Bundesliga and Beyond a small commission if you book through them. This adds no cost to you but helps keep my website sustainable. It’s also worth noting that they are services I am happy to use myself.)

You can use Trainline EU or From A2B to buy tickets to and from anywhere in Europe. You simply provide departure, destination, date and time and they do the rest in seconds.

The English section of the Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) website is clear and helpful. You can plan trips and buy Print@Home and e-tickets here. They also give information and advice on the best deals.

And if you want to find out even more take a look at The Man in Seat 61. Its author, Mark Smith, knows everything there is to know about train travel in Europe and beyond. If you go to the Germany section you will find advice on buying tickets, interactive maps to help you plan routes, general information about travel in Germany and links to other helpful sites.

What have I missed or got wrong?

I have done my very best to check all my information, to include every club and to organise them conveniently. But am certain to have made mistakes. If you spot anything, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know.

Find out more about German football

Discovering German football
Are you planning a football trip to Germany?

This short guide will help you plan your trip and decide which clubs to visit. There is also key information on every club in the top three divisions as well as links to the best books, websites, blogs and podcasts.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Buy now from Amazon US

Going to watch SC Paderborn

SC Paderborn

The British Army of the Rhine once had a huge barracks at Paderborn, and over the years thousands of young Brits have gone to SC Paderborn 07 for their football while away from home.

The club can trace its roots rights back to 1907 when one of its many predecessor clubs was founded. The club we know today was formed in 1985 following a merger of two local sides and adopted its current name in 1997. Between then and 2005 Paderborn played in regional leagues and for the last 12 years, apart from one season in the Bundesliga, has moved between the 2nd and 3rd divisions.

The wrong kind of record

In 2016/17 the club came very close to making history as the first football club to drop from the Bundesliga to the fourth division in three successive seasons. Having earned promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2013/14 Paderborn endured a miserable season in the top division, finished bottom and dropped straight back into the 2 Bundesliga. In 2015/16 the misery continued, and Paderborn came bottom again. A third successive relegation in 2016/17 was avoided despite finishing in 18th place yet again because 1860 München, having been relegated from 2 Bundesliga, failed to meet DFB financial deadlines. As a result, the Bavarian club was refused a professional license and put into a Regionalliga. This allowed Paderborn to hang onto league status.

Moving on up

Paderborn fans have enjoyed the 2017/18 season. Strong performances before and after the winter break meant their club had secured promotion with three games still to play. All that remained for the final stages of the season was a battle with Magdeburg for first place.

SC Paderborn at a glance

Website: http://www.scp07.de/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meinSCP

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SCPaderborn07

Email: info@scpaderborn07.de

Telephone: +49(0) 5251 8771907

Online Ticket Shop: https://www.eventimsports.de/ols/scp07/

Ground: Benteler Arena

Capacity: 15,000

Average attendance 17/18: 8,035

Address: Paderborner Straße 89, 33104 Paderborn

Colours: Black white blue

Getting to Paderborn

Paderborn has its own airport, but there are no longer any flights to and from the UK. The city is 60 miles to the east of the Ruhr conurbation and 90 miles south-west of Hanover. It has good rail links, so the simplest way to get there is to fly either to Dortmund Düsseldorf or Hanover and then get the train.

Dortmund Airport

There are flights here from London Stansted and London Luton. You need to catch a shuttle bus to Dortmund station where you can catch a train to Paderborn.

Düsseldorf Airport

There are flights here from Birmingham, London Stanstead, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle. The airport has a station where you can continue your journey to Paderborn.

Hanover Airport

There are flights here from Birmingham, Manchester, London City and London Heathrow. When you arrive you take a local train (S5) from the airport to Hanover station. These trains run every 30 minutes and the journey takes 18 minutes. There are frequent trains between Hanover and Paderborn, and it takes about 2 hours to get there.

If you are not in a hurry

A more leisurely way to get here would be by train – take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, change there for Cologne and then continue to Paderborn. This costs about £150.

If you have plenty of time, National Express will take you from London to the region by bus for about £40 return. But be prepared for a very long journey!

 

Getting to the ground

Your match ticket entitles you to free local bus travel from the town centre to the stadium. The number 68 towards “Schöne Aussicht” will take there from the station in about 15 minutes. You get off at “Arena/Almeaue”.

Find out more about German football

The German Bundesliga at a glance

German Bundesliga - Schalke 04

The clubs of the German Bundesliga

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@bayer04.de

Telephone: +49(0) 214 5000 1904

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf Dortmund

Ground: BayArena

Capacity: 30,210

Average attendance 16/17: 28,428

Address: Bismarkstraße 122, 51373 Leverkusen

Colours: Red black

Nickname: die Werkself (works eleven – because of links to local pharmaceutical firm Bayer)

Borussia Dortmund

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact Form

Telephone: +49 (0) 1806 51 5304

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Düsseldorf

Ground: Signal Iduna Park

Capacity: 81,359

Average attendance 16/17: 79,653

Address: Sportweg, 44139 Dortmund

Colours: Black yellow

Nickname: BVB

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@borussia.de

Telephone: +49(0) 1805 181900

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Düsseldorf, Cologn/Bonn, Dortmund

Ground: Borussia-Park

Capacity: 54,067

Average attendance 16/17: 51,494

Address: Hennes-Weisweiler-Allee 1, 41179 Mönchengladbach

Colours: Green white black

Nickname: die Fohlen (the foals)

Eintracht Frankfurt

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@eintrachtfrankfurt.de

Telephone: +49(0) 800 743 1899

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Frankfurt

Ground: Commerzbank-Arena

Capacity: 51,500

Average attendance 16/17: 49,088

Address: Mörfelder Landstraße 362, 60528 Frankfurt am Main

Colours: Red black white

Nickname: die Adler (the eagles)

FC Augsburg

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@fcaugsburg.de

Telephone: +49 (0) 821 455 477 0

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Memmingen, Munich, Stuttgart

Ground: WWK Arena

Capacity: 30,660

Average attendance 16/17: 28,172

Address: Bürgermeister-Ulrich-Straße 90, 86199 Augsburg

Colours: Red green white

Nickname: die Fuggerstädter (after a famous local family)

FC Bayern München

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: tickets.fcb.de

Telephone: +49 (0) 89 699 31 333

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Munich

Ground: Allianz Arena

Capacity: 75,000

Average attendance 16/17: 75,000

Address: Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 25, 80939 München

Colours: Red white

Nickname: der FCB, die Bayern (Bavarians)

FC Schalke 04

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: kundenservice@schalke04.de

Telephone: +49 (0) 180 622 1904

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn

Ground: Veltins-Arena

Capacity: 62,271

Average attendance 16/17: 60,703

Address: Arenaring 1, 45891 Gelsenkirchen

Colours: Blue white

Nickname: die Königsblauen (the royal blues), die Knappen (the miners)

Hamburger SV

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email info@hsv.de

Telephone: +49(0) 40 4155 1887 (1 or 3)

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Hamburg

Ground: Volksparkstadion

Capacity: 57,000

Average attendance 16/17: 52,341

Address: Sylvesterallee 7, 20525 Hamburg

Colours: Blue white black

Nickname: die Rothosen (the red shorts)

Hannover 96

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email info@hannover96.de

Telephone: +49(0) 511 96900 96

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Hannover

Ground: HDI Arena

Capacity: 49,000

Average attendance 16/17: 36,647

Address: Robert-Enke-Straße 3, 30169 Hannover

Colours: Black white green

Nickname: die Roten (the reds)

Hertha Berlin

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact form

Telephone: +49(0) 1806 515301

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Berlin Tegel, Berlin Schönefeld

Ground: Olympiastadion

Capacity: 74,400

Average attendance 16/17: 50,267

Address:  Olympischer Platz 3, 14053 Berlin

Colours: Blue white

Nickname: die alte Dame (the old lady)

RB Leipzig

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: ticketing.rbleipzig@redbulls.com

Telephone: +49(0) 341 124797 444

Online Ticket Shop

Nearest airport: Leipzig

Ground: Red Bull Arena

Capacity: 44,279

Average attendance 16/17: 41,454

Address:  Am Sportforum 1, 04105 Leipzig

Colours: Red white

Nickname: die roten Bullen (the red bulls)

SC Freiburg

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: karten@scfreiburg.com

Telephone: +49(0) 7613851777

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, Stuttgart

Ground: Schwarzwald-Stadion

Capacity: 24,000

Average attendance 16/17: 23,959

Address:  Schwarzwaldstraße 193, 79117 Freiburg

Colours: Red white

Nickname: Breisgau-Brasilianer (Brazilians of Breisgau)

SV Werder Bremen

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: tickets@werder.de

Telephone: +49(0) 421 434590

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Bremen, Hamburg

Ground: Weser-Stadion

Capacity: 42,100

Average attendance 16/17: 40,881

Address: Franz-Böhmert-Straße 7, 28205 Bremen

Colours: Green white

Nickname: die Grün-Weißen (the green-whites)

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact form

Telephone: +49(0) 7261 9493 0

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Stuttgart

Ground: Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena

Capacity: 30,150

Average attendance 16/17: 28,155

Address: Dietmar-Hopp-Straße 1, 74889 Sinnsheim

Colours: Blue white

VfB Stuttgart

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact form

Telephone: +49 (0) 1806  99 1893

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Stuttgart

Ground: Mercedes-Benz Arena

Capacity: 60,449

Average attendance 16/17: 50,515

Address: Mercedesstraße 87, 70372 Stuttgart

Colours: White red

VfL Wolfsburg

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: service@vfl-wolfsburg.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 53 61 8 903 903

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Hannover

Ground: Volkswagen Arena

Capacity: 30,000

Average attendance 16/17: 26,962

Address:  In den Allerwiesen 1, 38446 Wolfsburg

Colours: Green white

Nickname: Die Wölfe (the Wolves)

1. FC Köln

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact form

Telephone: +49 (0) 221/260 11 221

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf

Ground: Rhein-Energie Stadion

Capacity: 50,997

Average attendance 16/17: 49,571

Address:  Aachener Straße 99, 50933 Köln

Colours: Red white

Nickname: Die Geißböcke (the billy goats)

1. FSV Mainz 05

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: Contact form

Telephone: +49(0) 6131 37 550 0

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Frankfurt

Ground: Opel Arena

Capacity: 34,000

Average attendance 16/17: 29,096

Address: Egen-Salomon-Straße 1, 55128 Mainz

Colours: Red white

Nickname: Die Nullfünfer (the O-Fives)

Find out more about German football

German Football Books: Discovering German football

Are you planning a football trip to Germany?

This short guide will help you plan your trip and decide which clubs to visit. There is also key information on every club in the top three divisions as well as links to the best books, websites, blogs and podcasts.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Buy now from Amazon US

The German 3 Liga at a glance

3 Liga fans - Fortuna Köln

 

 

The 3 Liga at a glance – Germany’s third division football clubs

 

Here is a collection of key information about the football clubs of the German 3 Liga. Where to go, how to get there and get tickets. I hope it saves you some time either when planning a trip or finding out about a club.

VfR Aalen

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@vfr-aalen.de

Telephone: +49(0) 7361 524880

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Stuttgart, Nürnberg

Ground: OSTALB ARENA

Capacity: 14,500

Average attendance 16/17: 3,796

Address: Stadionweg 3, 73430 Aalen

Colours: Black white

Chemnitzer FC

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@chemnitzerfc.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 371 561580

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Leipzig

Ground: community4youARENA

Capacity: 16,061

Average attendance 16/17: 6,971

Address: Gellerstraße, 09125 Chemnitz

Colours: Light blue white

Nickname: die Himmelblauen (the light blues)

Rot-Weiß Erfurt

Website

Facebook  Twitter

Email: sekretariat@rot-weiss-erfurt.de

Telephone: +49(0) 361 347660

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Leipzig

Ground: Steigerwaldstadion

Capacity: 18,611

Average attendance 16/17: 5,809

Address: Arnstädter Straße 28, 99096 Erfurt

Colours: Red white

SG Sonnenhof Großaspach

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@sg94.de

Telephone: +49(0) 71 91) 220 99 33 02

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Stuttgart

Ground: Mechatronik Arena

Capacity: 10,001

Average attendance 16/17: 1,629

Address: Fautenhau 1, 71546 Aspach

Colours: Red black

Carl Zeiss Jena

Website

Facebook  Twitte

Email: info@fc-carlzeiss-jena.de

Telephone: +49(0) 3641 765100

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Leipzig

Ground: Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld

Capacity: 12,630

Average attendance 16/17: 3,915

Address: Oberaue 3, 07745 Jena

Colours: Blue yellow white

Nickname: Carl Zeiss

Hallescher FC

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: club@hallescherfc.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 345 4441293

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Leipzig

Ground: Erdgas Sportpark

Capacity: 15,057

Average attendance 16/17: 6,587

Address: Kantstraße 2, 06110 Halle (Saale)

Colours: Red white

Karlsruher SC

Website

Facebook  Twitte

Email: info@ksc.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 7 219643450

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Frankfurt

Ground: Wildparkstadion

Capacity: 28,762

Average attendance 16/17: 13,855

Address: Adenauerring 17, 76131 Karlsruhe

Colours: Blue white

Nickname: KSC

Website

Facebook  Twitter

Email: service@fortuna-koeln.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 221 998966121

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Cologne, Düsseldorf

Ground: Südstadion

Capacity: 11,748

Average attendance 16/17: 2,128

Address: Siegburger Straße 215, 50679 Köln

Colours: Red white

Sportfreunde Lotte

Website

Facebook  Twitter

Email: info@sf-lotte.de  

Telephone: +49(0) 5404 956710

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Bremen, Hannover (Lotte does not have a station. The simplest way to come is by bus from Osnabrück.)

Ground: FRIMO Stadion

Capacity: 7,474

Average attendance 16/17: 2,535

Address: Jahnstraße 8, 49504 Lotte

Colours: Blue white

1 FC Magdeburg

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email:info@fc-magdeburg.de

Telephone: +49(0) 391 990290

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Hannover,

Ground: MDCC-Arena

Capacity: 25,500

Average attendance 16/17: 17,100

Address: Friedrich Ebert=Straße 62, 39114 Magdeburg

Colours: Blue white

Nickname: der Club

SV Meppen

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@svmeppen.de

Telephone: +49(0) 5931 93010

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Bremen, Dortmund

Ground: Hämsch-Arena

Capacity: 13,815

Average attendance 16/17: 2,645

Address: Lathener Straße 15, 49716 Meppen

Colours: Blue white

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@scpreussen-muenster.de

Telephone: +49(0) 251 987270

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Düsseldorf

Ground: Preußenstadion

Capacity: 15,000

Average attendance 16/17: 7,075

Address: Hammer Straße, 48153 Münster

Colours: Black white green

Nickname: Preußen

VfL Osnabrück

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@vfl.de

Telephone: +49(0) 541 770870

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Bremen, Hannover

Ground: Osnatel Arena

Capacity: 16,667

Average attendance 16/17: 9,231

Address: Scharnhorststraße, 49084 Osnabrück

Colours: Purple white

Nickname: Lila-Weiß (the lily whites)

SC Paderborn

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@scpaderborn07.de

Telephone: +49(0) 5251 8771907

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Dortmund, Hannover, Düsseldorf

Ground: Benteler Arena

Capacity: 15,000

Average attendance 16/17: 5,541

Address: Paderborner Straße 89, 33104 Paderborn

Colours: Black white blue

Hansa Rostock

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@fc-hansa.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 381 4999910

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Hamburg

Ground: Ostseestadion

Capacity: 29,000

Average attendance 16/17: 11,433

Address: Kopernikusdtraße 17 c, 18057 Rostock

Colours: White blue

Nickname: Hansa

SpVgg Unterhaching

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: infor@spvggunterhaching.de

Telephone: +49(0) 5931 93010

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Munich

Ground: Alpenbauer Sportpark

Capacity: 15,053

Average attendance 16/17: 1,935

Address: Am Sportpark 9, 82008 Unterhaching

Colours: Red blue

SV Wehen Wiesbaden

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: infor@svww.de  

Telephone: +49(0) 611504010

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Frankfurt, Cologne

Ground: BRITA Arena

Capacity: 13,000

Average attendance 16/17: 2,238

Address: Berliner Straße 9, 65189

Colours: Red black

Nickname:

Werder Bremen II

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: info@werder.de

Telephone: +49(0) 421 434590

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport:

Ground: Weserstadion Platz 11

Capacity: 5,500

Average attendance 16/17: 1,410

Address: Franz Böhmert Straße 1, 28205 Bremen

Colours: Green white

Würzburger Kickers

Website

Facebook  Twitter 

Email: mail@wuezburger-kickers-de

Telephone: +49(0) 931 660898100

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Nürnber, Frankfurt

Ground: Flyeralarm Arena

Capacity: 10,054

Average attendance 16/17: 11,145

Address: Mittlerer Dallenbergweg 49, 97082 Würzburg

Colours: Red white

Nickname: die Rothosen (red shorts)

FSV Zwickau

Website

Facebook  Twitte

Email: kontakt@fsv-zwickau.de 

Telephone: +49(0) 3 75 2119550

Online Ticket Shop 

Nearest airport: Leipzig, Dresden

Ground: Stadion Zwickau

Capacity: 10,134

Average attendance 16/17: 5,305

Address: Stadionallee 1, 08066 Zwickau – Eckersbach

Colours: Red white

Nickname: die Schwäne (the swans)

What have I missed or got wrong?

I have done my very best to check all my information, to include every club and to organise them conveniently. But am certain to have made mistakes. If you spot anything, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know.

Find out more about German football

The cover of Discovering German Football
Book Cover - The German Ruhrgebiet: a guide for visitors
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Books about German football

Book cover - Discovering German Football
Book Cover - Borussia Mönchengladbach: an introdction
Book cover - Schalke 04: an introduction
Book cover - Bayer 04 Leverkusen: and introduction
Book cover - Football Tourist's Guide to the German Ruhrgebiet
Book Cover - Fortuna Düsseldorf: an introduction
Book Cover - The German Ruhrgebiet