I plan on being in Dusseldorf next month. Is there a Bundesliga team playing there or near there? Anyone know where I can get a schedule in English?
I don't know if there is a team in Dusseldorf, but here is a schedule for games in Germany in December. They only play two weekends. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/soccernet/results?leagueCup=GER.1&theDate=20021207
Thanks for your help. I hope to find a game that I can attend while I'm out there. Maybe for one of the two off weekends in December there are league cup matches.
There is a team in Düsseldorf but I think that they are as far down as the 4th (?) Division. You should check them out anyway because I believe they just built a stadium in a bid to be one of the cities for WC '06. I've been to their old stadium and it wasn't so bad (somewhere around 30k maybe) so I'm sure the new one must be nice. My team (we were touring W. Germany and Holland) also got to practice on their practice fields, it was oh so nice http://www.fortuna-duesseldorf.de
They just so happen to have a home game on December 15th. http://www.fortuna-duesseldorf.de/saison/saison.php?page_id=saison&sub_id=spieltag&sp=19
Fortuna Düsseldorf used to be a BL team, and they were quite good. Then luck and fortune (hm...bad pun) left them rather quickly over a few seasons, and now they play in the fourth divison. 1997 relegation from 1st to 2nd league (not the first time, but it seems the final last time). 1999 relegation from 2nd to 3rd league. 2001 avoid relegation to 4th league only because two teams ahead of them were denied new licenses. 2002 relegation to 4th leage (currently mid-table). German champions in 1933; 4-time finalist in the German Cup between 1938 and 1962, losing all four finals; German Cup finalist in 1978, German Cup winner in 1979 & 1980, and finalist in the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1979 (losing to Barcelona 3:4 in overtime). Beat Bayern 7:1(*) in the 78/79 season. (*) Strangely enough, nearly every team that's ever played in the BL has their biggest win and biggest loss against Bayern München. Every year Bayern loses one game big (we're not talking CL here).
Leverkusen is only about 30 minutes from Düsseldorf by train. Koln about 45 minutes in the same direction, although they play in the second division now.
You could go to the Fortuna Düsseldorf home game on the 15th, and you'd have your choice of about 55,000 empty seats for a fourth-division soccer game. There is no new stadium (yet) - although there might be plans to build one, I'm not sure. Don't count on showing up in Leverkusen and buying tickets - I went to games there for four years, and tickets are very difficult to come by (although maybe that's changed now that the team is having a mediocre season). You can easily get tickets in Cologne, but remember they're in the second division. Your best bet for first-division soccer is Bochum, which isn't far from Düsseldorf (1/2 hour or so on the train). You should be able to get tickets there, unless Bayern or Dortmund happens to be in town. Also, try Dortmund, although that stadium is usually sold out for BL games too. Schalke is almost always sold out nowadays. Bottom line: Bochum.
Just checked out their website, and it appears they are currently renovating an older stadium called "Paul Janes Stadion", which apparently has belonged to the club since 1930. BAck when they were in the BL, they used to play in the cavernous Rheinstadion, although it didn't seem quite as cavernous because they had a lot more people at the games. According to this link: http://www.fortuna-duesseldorf.de/stadion/stadion.php?page_id=stadion&sub_id=tickets ... the renovated stadium currently only has one grandstand open, with a capacity of 7,150. So I would guess that when it's finished, it'll have a capacity of 30,000 or so. Not sure whether this is a WC2006 project or not, but Olaf should have those details. EDIT: The link I posted says they played in this stadium until 1972, at which point they moved into the larger and more modern Rheinstadion.
A new stadium is being built right now as they imploded the Rheinstadion a few weeks ago (though I think it was still good. Lots of BL teams would be glad to have it). It is a shame that Düsseldorf didn't get the WC 2006 as IMO the plans for the new stadium promised the second best German stadium after the Arena AufSchalke. The new stadium might be used for the Olympics 2012, for which the national bidding campaing is still running (Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt), but IIRC it was planned as mere soccer stadium and therefore no capable for the Olympics. Plan for the new stadium (52.000 cap): http://www.stadionwelt-stadien.de/S...ldorf-Rheinstadion/Neubau-Rheinstadion_01.htm If you want to visit a Bundesliga game, you'll have no luck in Schalke, Leverkusen and probably Dortmund (though in DO this depends a bit on the opponent). Bochum would indeed be a good choice, they are facing 1860 Munich on December 14 or 15 - no need to order tickets and quite an attractive game. There's also the All Star Game on December 16 in the Arena Auf Schalke, but I don't know whether tickets are still available.
Olaf, is the planned stadium the same one I posted in the link above? All-Star Game, really? Is this the first time they're doing this this?
If I got the right link, you posted the current Paul-Janes-Stadium witha 7.150 capacity. It's the first All-Star Game and unfortunately it will be the last (though, let's wait and see... NHL started with three charity games in loose order as well before having it annually). The acceptance is huge, I think it'll be sold out very quickly.
Okay, I understand now - I originally thought that only the West stand was finished and the other three still had to be build. When in actuality only the West stand has seats and the other three are terraces, with a total capacity of 7,150. So Fortuna will actually play in the new stadium when it's finished - that gives them some incentive to achieve the "Durchmarsch"!
Moenchengladbach is right around the corner (it is to some extent a bedroom community for Duesseldorf), and the Boekelberg has not been selling out.
I went to a Leverkusen away game at the Boekelberg once - cool stadium IMO, a lot of history there, a real old-time feel to it.
Well this is my neighborhood, so i'll give this a shot, i'd say that the best bet for a first division game is Moenchengladbach, almost never sold out and the stadium isn't that bad. Leverkusen, you'll never get tickets, but you might be in luck, I have 1 ticket for the game on Dec. 14th but i'll be out of town. That's about the only way you'll get a ticket it to it now, if you want it PM me. Schalke would be great, but again you'll never get a ticket, Dortmund isn't too far, should be able to scrounge a ticket somehow. Bielefeld is about a hour, maybe hour and a half or so away by train if you're willing to trek a bit. I haven't been to Bochum, but am looking for an excuse, so can't tell you about it but i would expect you could get tickets pretty easily. Best bet is Moechengladbach, or if you're going alone, let me know about Leverkusen.
Gladbach, sure, didn't think about them. In December maybe not the best choice though as it isn't comfortable. Bochum is completely roofed and quite modern, so I'd prefer that. 'Traditional' soccer atmosphere of the 80s surely is better in Gladbach.