Background
Ingolstadt is a small city half way between Munich and Nuremberg.
Until the dramatic rise of local team FC Ingolstadt 04 put the city firmly on the #football map, the most memorable thing about this city of 130,000 people was that it was the setting of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
And the rise of FC Ingolstadt 04 has indeed been dramatic. People familiar with how #German teams like to put the year of the club’s formation into its name could be forgiven for thinking that FC Ingolstadt 04 has a long history. But the 04 refers to 2004 not 1904. Since then the club has risen steadily from the fourth the the top tier of German football.
Cynics may say that this remarkable rise was only made possible by money – the involvement of Peter Jackwerth, a local millionaire, and the car maker Audi. But it’s not quite as simple as that. Unlike Hoffenheim (which is also associated with a wealthy and influential fan), Ingolstadt have not invested huge sums of money on players. The club has spent a mere 10 million euros in transfers since its formation. And although Audi bought the naming rights, a new stadium was paid for though loan deals with the city. It was only in 2013 that Audi become heavily involved in the club., becoming sole owner of the stadium and buying a 20% share in the club.
Stadium
Ingolstadt play their football at the Audi Sportpark. This is a brand new stadium with a capacity of 15000. The cheapest standing tickets cost 14 euros, and the most expensive seats in the main stand cost 44 euros. Having achieved #Bundesliga status about three years ahead of schedule, Ingosladt are currently upgrading their ticketing systems. At the moment the simplest way to get tickets is probably to call the club (+49 (0) 841 88 557-150 )
Directions
It takes less than an hour to get from Munich to Ingolstadt, and the journey from Nuremberg takes about 30 minutes.
On match days a fleet of free shuttle buses transfer fans from and back to the main bus station in the city centre. There is also a bus (No. 202) from the main station.
Other information
Colours : red black and white
Nickname : Die Schanzer
Local rivals : Fc Augsburg
