VfL Osnabrück: A traditional club, a proper ground and an electric atmosphere
Osnabrück is in the northwest of Germany, not far from the border with the Netherlands. It is 60 miles to the west of Hannover and about 80 miles north of Dortmund. This historic city of 170,000 inhabitants has a lovely old town, a fully pedestrianised centre and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. And the Stadion an der Bremer Brücke, home to VfL Osnabrück, is one of the best places to experience German football beyond the Bundesliga.
The club’s full name is Verein für Leibesübungen von 1899 e.V. Osnabrück. Its story started in 1899 when a number of “wild” clubs came together to become Fußball Club 1899 Osnabrück. After a complicated series of mergers, splits and name changes, the current name first appeared in 1925.
After the war, Osnabrück was placed in Oberliga Nord where it did well in a league which also contained Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, and FC St Pauli. When the Bundesliga was formed in 1963, VfL Osnabrück joined the second tier Regionalliga Nord and then the 2. Bundesliga. Despite coming close on several occasions, the club was never able to gain promotion to the Bundesliga.
In 2009 VfL Osnabrück was relegated to the 3. Liga where it has remained for the last nine seasons. It has a large, loyal and hugely passionate fanbase. Average attendance so far this season is over 10,000.
Tickets
There is an online shop and you can also order tickets by phone (49180301899) and at the Tourist Information Office on Bierstraße in the town centre. There are two Fan Shops – one at the stadium and one on Krahnstraße. They also sell tickets. A standing ticket costs 11 and a seat between 25 and 29 euros.
Getting to Osnabrück
From Hannover
There are direct flights to Hannover airport from London Heathrow, Stansted and City, Birmingham, and Manchester airports. A direct flight will cost about £150 return and take about 90 minutes. The S5 train (S-Bahn) will take you from the airport (Terminal C) to the city centre in 18 minutes. Trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day.
There are regular trains to Osnabrück from Hannover and the journey will take just over an hour. The cheapest way to travel is to get a Niedersachsen-Ticket, which costs 23 euros for one person and an extra four euros for each additional traveller up to five. You can use it anywhere in Lower Saxony and to the other places on this map. It is valid on regional trains, buses, trams and underground – but not on IC of EC trains.
From Düsseldorf
There are flights to Düsseldorf airport from Birmingham, London Stanstead, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle. The airport has its own station where you can catch a train to Osnabrück. If you want to spend a bit of time in Düsseldorf first, the S1 train will transport you from the terminal to Düsseldorf central station in about ten minutes.
It will take you about two and a half hours to get to Osnabrück from Düssdeldorf, with one change. Plan your journey on the VRR website.
There are also direct InterCity trains to and from Osnabrück. You get there a bit sooner but pay a bit more. If you decide to travel this way you can book in advance either with Loco2 or Deutsche Bahn.
If you want to find out more about travel in Germany take a look at this article: Getting there: travel in Germany.
Getting to the ground
Bus numbers 91, 92, 31, 32, 33, 81, 82 will all take you from the station to the Bremer Brücke.
You can also get there on foot in about 30 minutes. Turn right when you come out of the station and head towards Eisenbahnstrasse. Almost straight away you come to some steps on your right which will take you to a footbridge over the railway lines. On the other side go straight ahead onto An der Humboldsbrücke until you drop down to Buersche Strasse. Cross this road and climb some steps into Humboldtstraße. Follow this road until you reach Bohmter Straße. Turn right and go straight ahead. You will soon see the ground on your right.
Inside the Stadion an der Bremer Brücke
The Bremer Brücke first opened in 1931, but it has been refurbished a number of times and thanks to a recent expansion now has a capacity of 16,667 with 10,475 standing places. Because it has been refurbished rather than rebuilt, it feels like a ‘proper’ football ground.
You are close to the action wherever you choose to stand or sit and you get a good view from all corners of the stadium. The hardcore fans stand behind the goal in the Ostkurve, but there is singing and chanting from all sides of the ground.
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