I've just moved from the D.C. area to Wiesbaden, Germany. Can anyone out there give me some tips on finding/contacting supporters groups (05 Mainz, and Eintracht Frankfurt seem to be the closest Bundesliga2 teams---1.FCK the closest Bundesliga1---not sure if I want to drive all the way to Kaiserslautern.) Also, do Sportvereins have Over -30 yr old leagues---or at least the equivalent of Men's Open Leagues?? My preferred method of being a regular at a pub and getting asked to join---(how I got on teams in the states!), probably won't work here (don't get to the Kneipen as often as I used to...have a new baby!) Finally, can one get Premiere (I guess they have all the live Bundesliga games) on Kabel tv or do you have to get a satellite---and if so, what are some German satellite companies---can't find any online, and good ol' DirecTv doesn't serve Deutschland. If anyone out there can help, I'd really appreciate it!
Support Mainz and not scandal club Frankfurt Maybe PM CJCourtney, he was living near Mainz for a while. A fan website e.g. is www.kigges.de There are senior leagues, but I don't know if they have a minimum age. With not very far over 30 you might have to join some low level team. But there surely is something like a wild league in Mainz. Premiere covers a Bundesliga conference on Saturday and Sunday in their 'cheap' programme for 5 Euro plus 7.50 Euro decoder fee each month (you can also buy the decoder for some hundred Euro to avoid the monthly fee). The sports program with lots of US sports and all Bundesliga games is about 20 to 30 Euro a month I think. You can get Premiere via cable and satellite, I'm quite sure with that. With satellite I'm 100% sure, Astra (www.astra.de) is one company.
How does SES Astra get away with using Astra as their working name? I would think that Astra Bier would have the rights to the name.
Probably with the addition SES. But Astra beer isn't famous (without St Pauli nobody would know it), so might be that it is a rather new brand. And if the beer company didn't protect the name, then they got no rights anyway.
I am sure that there is a minimum age for senior leagues (but i don't know the exact age). if you look for fansites/sites of supporter groups: www.football.nethut.no www.stoop.de
Thanks for all the info. I've been lurking here for years...it took moving to an unfamiliar system for me to learn how to post. Yeah, I've been to a Mainz game (the 1.FC Koln game on Mon.), and was very impressed with the atmosphere (too bad the result wasn't better!). Maybe they're the team for me?! So am I understanding correctly, that to get Premiere, I can have regular analog cable tv, but buy/rent a tv-top decoder? Does Premiere provide this? What is the german for "Wild league"? Wildliga? Just wondering so I can ask around. Thanks again
Any electronics shop selling TVs will also sell Premiere including a decoder. "Wild league" is 'wilde Liga' or 'Hobbyliga' or 'Thekenliga'.
hey todd, you are a lucky guy. mainz05 is one of the coolest teams in germany ;-) it´s a young team playing very atractive soccer. the atmosphere in the arena is also very good. i live in mainz and i play in a wild league. it´s called "bunte-liga rheinhessen". we play with 14 teams on small field (6 vs 6) without offside. if you need more information about this league check http://www.die-bunte-liga.de use the forum if you have some questions. the season is nearly over but we play every sunday on zitadelle in mainz. just for fun. most of us are over 30 and some have kids too. we have also players from wiesbaden.
Until October 31 Premiere is offering a start package with the regular programme including Bundesliga conference (all games at the same time, they switch from game to game) for 199 Euro. Package includes fee for twelve months and you own the decoder. If you buy this programme after October 31 you'll pay 5 Euro monthly for this package plus 7.50 monthly fee for decoder rent or 199 Euro for decoder ownership. The Sports Package (including the basic programme) costs 18 Euro each month. You've got to add 7.50 Euro monthly decoder fee or buy the decoder for 149 Euro. Programme prices are for two years minimum. If you want quitting possibility after one year, the packages will be 2 Euro extra each month.
Fuxer, I checked the site you mentioned...that looks like my kind of league! I didn't see anywhere to sign up if teams need/want extra players---for example, me! Is it possible to be put on a list or something as a player new to the league? I know you said the season is winding down...is there anyway to sign up for next season. Or is there an indoor season, perhaps? Or maybe all the teams are sort of closed shops not wanting players new to the league? I find myself more and more following mainz05 since I've been here---hey, they're my new local team! Olaf, thanks for the heads-up on the Premiere offer!
the season is over when all games are played. i think in 2 or 3 weeks but we also play during the winter just for fun. the best thing to find a team is to play with us. some people from different teams meet each other every sunday. you can call it training if you want ;-) most time we stay together for a beer after training. feel free to use the forum on http://www.die-bunte-liga.de if you want to play with us or just want to watch a game you can contact me. fuxer@gmx.de btw a lot of the bunte-liga players go to mainz05. we are in block "M".
Todd, I just moved from there and could have shown you around. Hey, I even had a dish to sell... If you want to see the Bundesliga on TV, either get a sat dish a subscribe to Premiere World or head to Maxwell's pub by the river in downtown Mainz. Look for the Passage at Fort Malakoff and you can't miss it. As for Premiere, you'll need to open a German bank account since they want to draw payments monthly from an account. Believe it or not but its 2002 and we still can't get North American and European banks to interoperate. For that matter the German and Swiss ones struggle with each other but I digress... For EPL, head to the Danny Boy Irish pub in downtown Wiesbaden or the Irish Pub in Mainz. The Danny Boy has a nice football fan shop next to it if you are interested in overpriced replica jerseys. Another option in the Mainz fussgaenger zone is Scrooge's pub which has a more laid back crowd (no idiots fighting, etc) and you can see EPL and Bundesliga matches). For live football, you have Mainz 05 right there in town and Eintracht Frankfurt 20 minutes away. The 05ers are great fans and the club does play attractive football. 1FCK are stuggling but at least you can watch some decent opponents only one hour away. The FCK fans are pretty friendly and there is even an American contingent that tailgates in the parking lot before the match. Cologne is only 90 minutes away so if they get back to the 1BL next year (they should), then head up to Mungersdorfer Stadium to see the Geissbocken play. Also only 90 minutes away is Leverkusen but with only 22,500 tickets available per game, you must buy them months in advance. Postgame pubs abound in Cologne and there is even one row of English and Irish pubs near the Cathedral with multiple EPL and SPL games on the big screen. Amsterdam is 4 hours away and Paris about 5 1/2 if you plan to see Ajax or PSG. If local attempts to get Ajax tix are too tough, try meeting up with the American Ajax supporters when they show up in town (see their web site). PSG tickets are not too hard to get in advance. For live EPL, you can fly from nearby Hahn airport (30 minutes away) and land in London for about 20 bucks each way. If you are looking to be invited to play with a club there are several fields where pickup games go on and invites can then follow.In the parks along the Rhein in summer, especially around the Theodore Heuss bridge you can find 2-3 pickup matches happening every Sat-Sun. There is also a recreational center field in Kastel (along 455 close to the Esso) where the Italians, Greeks, Tunisiens, and Turks play. Sometimes Germans even play there. If you feel like you can keep up with the 20 yerra olds, the Zitadelle in Mainz is the place to go. You'll find wherever you go to play, they will be jazzed that an American likes to play and follow football. If all else fails, there are a few ex-college players in the area who get together and play over at the Kastel housing area (where they ship your car). That should be enough to get you started otherwise, shoot me a PM. Chris