TSV Munich 1860 / Bayern Munich - The Allianz Arena - Capacity: 69,000 All Seater
The Stadium – The Allianz Arena Werner-Heisenberg Allee 25, Munich 80939 The Allianz Arena represents one of the biggest new stadium constructions in Europe in the past 20 years. Many people questioned the need for a new stadium, with the Olympic Stadium still perfectly functional after its original construction for the 1972 Olympics. The stadium was used for the European Cup Final in 1978, when Trevor Francis header won Nottingham Forest the cup versus Malmo, and more recently as the final venue for the UEFA Champions League in 1993 and 1997. Its capacity of 63,500 made it an ideal venue for big games, and probably is most famous in Britain for the 5-1 defeat of Germany that England inflicted in September 2001.
However, the stadium was showing signs of age, and sightlines were poor from behind the goals as the running track created a huge gap between the crowds and the pitch. A decision was made in late 2001 to build a new stadium to be ready to be used for the Opening ceremony in the 2006 World Cup Finals. A number of sites were identified, and the local population had the final say with a referendum. The winning site, to the north of the city in Fröttmaning, was cleared in late 2002 and construction began in earnest.
The stadium was completed, on schedule and within budget in April 2005, and the first match was played on the 30th May with a match between TSV 1860 Munich and their local neighbours 1. FC Nuremberg in front of a sell out 66,000 crowd.
The stadium represents the first real shared ground in Germany. The Olympic Stadium was actually used sporadically by TSV 1860 – their fans preferring the intimate surroundings of their training ground in Grünwalder Strasse, which they used throughout the 2004/05 season, averaging crowds of over 20,000. For the new stadium, FC Bayern and TSV 1860 have a half share in the stadium management company, Munich Stadium GmbH.
Inside the stadium there are two huge screens, situated at the North and South ends of the stadium, allowing all spectators an unobstructed view of replays, live coverage and messages. All of the seats are offered protection by the translucent roof. If you are in the upper tier, then bear in mind that it is over 120 steps up onto the concourse. The Arena operates a cash free stadium, like Schalke and the Amsterdam Arena.
Who Plays There? Despite both FC.Bayern and TSV 1860 agreeing to enter into a partnership to run the new Allianz Arena, their fortunes at the end of the 2006 season could not have been much different. FC. Bayern finished off a memorable domestic season by beating Schalke 04 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin to complete a league and cup double, whilst TSV 1860 couldn’t quite make the top 3 promotion places in Bundesliga 2, and now face a second successive season in the lower league while their neighbours will be competing in the Champions League.
The move to the new stadium should also suit Bayern better. Last season the club averaged over 53,000 at the Olympic stadium, with over 22,000 season ticket holders. This season they will expect to increase both the season ticket holders, and the average attendances as the new stadium offers much better facilities for fans as well as better transport links. TSV have moved out of their Grünwalder ground where they averaged just over 20,000 last season. However, in their first league match of the 2005/06 season against Hansa Rostock, TSV attracted over 45,000 to the new stadium – at least giving some optimism back to the blue have of the city.
TSV 1860 competed with Nuremberg before World War 2 for the crown of Oberliga Süd. However, due to bad luck and bad tactics the team only reached the Championship final once, in 1931 when they lost to Hertha Berlin 3-2. The team flirted with the top teams during the next decade, and even managed a first trophy in the German Cup Final of 1942 by beating Schalke 2-0. It wasn’t until 1964 that the team finally started to deliver the success they always promised to deliver. In that year they won the German Cup for the second time by beating Eintract Frankfurt 2-0. By winning the cup they also gained a place in Europe for the first time. After a storming run to the final, they met West Ham United (also in their first European campaign) at Wembley Stadium. A crowd of 100,000 saw the Londoners win 2-0. However, the following season 1860 kept the momentum going in the Bundesliga and at last managed to secure the title by 3 points from Borussia Dortmund.
And so ended the high points of TSV 1860. Since that summer’s day in 1966 they have failed to win a single trophy. They flirted with relegation during the 1970’s and early 1980’s and then lost their professional status due to financial irregularities. It took nearly ten years for them to retain their professional status in 1991, and just 3 years later they returned to the Bundesliga.
Despite poor grounds at the unloved Olympic Stadium (Their spiritual home has always been considered to be the Grünwalder stadium), they retained their top league status until 2003/04 when relegation came on the last day of the season. Details of their progress can be found at http://www.tsv1860.de. They have a small fan shop in the city centre at Orlandostrasse 8.
Bayern Munich The story at FC. Bayern couldn’t be more different than 1860’s. Whilst they lagged being their city neighbours during the 1920’s and 1930’s (In fact it wasn’t until a year after TSV’s Championship win in 1931 that Bayern won their first title by beating Frankfurt 2-0), Bayern soon starting building for a professional future. They were amazingly overlooked at the formation of the first professional league in 1963 when the DFB chose TSV 1860 to represent the city. However, with promotion to the league in 1966 they started building a history that few teams in Europe can match.
Cup Wins in 1966 and 1967 were supplemented by a European Cup Winners Cup title by beating Rangers in Nuremberg. In 1969 they captured a domestic league and cup double, inspired by new young stars in Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller, all of whom went onto star for Germany in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Further league titles were taken in 1972, 1973 and 1974 allowed them to enter the European Cup. IN 1974 they became the first German side to win the competition after beating Athletico Madrid 4-0, after a replay in Brussels. As holders, they got to enter the competition again in 1974/75. This time Leeds United were beaten in a feisty final in Paris 2-0. A hatrick of titles was completed in 1976 when the Germans beat St Etienne 1-0 in Glasgow.
Bayern dominated German football during the 1980’s with a team the shadow of that which had won the treble of European Cups in the seventies. They still managed six Bundesliga titles and three German Cup victories in this time. But European glory was just a step too far – especially after a disappointing final defeat to unfancied Aston Villa in 1982 and then again to Porto in 1987. Franz Beckenbauer returned to the club as coach in 1994, and in his first season they reached the Champions League semi-final before being beaten by Ajax. Two seasons later they captured the UEFA cup by beating Bordeaux 5-1 on aggregate, with Jurgen Klinsmann scoring in every round of the competition. Under new coach Ottmar Hitzfeld the late 1990’s became much more successful. Three titles in the last four years of the century was a great return for the team. They almost captured the ultimate prize as well – after leading Manchester United in the Champions League final 1-0 until the 90th minute before two injury time goals took the title to the English team. A year later Bayern managed to hold their nerve in a penalty shoot out against Valencia in Milan to take the time at last.
Further dominance in the domestic league has seen Bayern only fail to win the league once since 1998, as well as completing three domestic doubles in this time. They talisman of the late 1990’s, Lothar Matthaus has now been replaced by the free scoring Dutchman Roy Makaay.
Last season they completed another domestic double, although they were pushed hard by Werder Bremen and Hamburg. A solid start in the Champions League this season should see them easily qualify for the knock our stages, although in the domestic league the main challenge has already been shown to be from free scoring Bremen. Their fanshop can be found opposite TSV’s in Orlandostrasse 1, as well as one on the lower level of Hauptbahnhof.
How to get to the Allianz Arena The Bavarian government have invested over €150 million in transport links to the stadium which means that transit times from Marienplatz are around 15 minutes on line U-6. The U-Bahn station at Fröttmaning has been upgraded to cope with the demands of the stadium. There will be free travel on match days for ticket holders. However, the ground is a good 10 minute walk from the station – you will be able to see the impressive Arena as you exit the station.
If you are coming from the Hauptbahnhof then you will need to change at either Marienplatz or Sendlinger Tor. A taxi from the city centre should cost no more than €15 and should take 15 minutes. Buses will also run from the main station concourse at least every 15 minutes,
Spectator routes emerge directly from the car parks, the bus parking and via a short transition route from the Fröttmaning underground station. So-called Fan Canyons are cut lengthways into the Esplanade, housing retail facilities and 55 ticket kiosks, with a full and uninterrupted view of the Arena from within the Canyons.
For a more detailed view as to who plays where in Munich go to Footiemap.com.
How to get a Ticket for the Allianz Arena Ticket availability will depend on who you want to go and see. Tickets for TSV games are available right up until kick off either from the shop in Orlandostrasse, online at http://www.tsv1860,de or from the ticket office located in one of the canyons on the walk up from the station. All seats offer excellent unobstructed views of the action, and even if you are in the back row of the lower tier, the pitch doesn’t seem too far away. Ticket prices for TSV start from €10 in the converted standing section in the South Stand (the North Stand is sold out for Season Ticket holders). Tickets for the seats are prices at €20, €25 and €30 depending on which tier you are in (Middle tier being the most expensive). You can also buy a seat in the Löwen area, which offers game by game hospitality. For just €149 per seat you get a sit down meal, drinks and a seat outside one of the hospitality areas.
For Bayern games the story is completely different. Almost every game is sold out to Members and Season Ticket holders. Any tickets that do go on sale will be via the online box office at http://www.fcbayern.t-com.de. Tickets range in price from €20 for the standing places behind the goals, to €60 for a top seat in the East or West Stand. A good bet for the neutral, and tickets that are more likely to become available will be in the upper tier which will cost between €25 and €35. You will find it is easier to get tickets for Champions League and German Pokal Cup games as these don’t tend to be included in the Season Tickets.
SdVgg Unterhacing - Generali Am Sportpark - Capacity: 15,053 Munich also has a third team, hidden away in the southern suburbs. SpVgg Unterhacing are not known for their free flowing football, or their fervent support, but they did reach the Bundesliga back in 1999/2000. Their excellent home form also upset a few of the bigger teams, including a Bayer Leverkusen team who visited on the last day of the season needing only a draw to win the league. Unterhaching turned the pressure on the team for the Rhine, and won 2-0, thus handing the title to their city neighbours to the north. They have since dipped back into the 2nd level of the Bundesliga. Their small 10,000 capacity stadium can be found in Am Sportpark, and can be reached by taking S-Bahn line 2 to Fasanenpark then walking across the park. They are still plying their trade in Bundesliga 2.
How to get to the Generali Am Sportpark Am Sportpark can be reached by the S5 trainline from the city centre, going towards Diesenhoffen or Holzkirchen. The stadium itself is situated almost halfway between Fasanenpark and Unterhaching stations, and it's roughly a 20 minute walk from either. Most supporters tend to get off at Fasanenpark; follow the pathway alongside the railway line for almost a mile until coming to an underpass. Take this and you will find yourself on the other side of the line and in a park. From the underpass, the stadium is signposted, although you will need to head towards the east, west or sud tribune, as that's where the home fans are situated. There are bag and body searches on entry, so don't try to take any glass in with you, as you will be asked to collect them from the club shop after the game.
How to get a ticket for the Generali Am Sportpark With gates generally between 2-4,000, there is isn't too much of a problem with getting in. For example, a recent away game at Bayern Munich's second team only attracted 2,000 fans. Three quarters of the stadium are occupied by the home fans, with the East and West sides being all seater. The west tribune is the main stand, and will cost €23 for a seat, while it's €15 across in the east. To stand behind the goal on the home terrace (sud tribune) is €9. Tickets are generally available on the day from small kiosk outside the entrance to the ground, and you have to buy your ticket before you can enter the stadium.
Thanks to Dan Campbell for the information above
Getting around Munich has a very comprehensive network of S-Bahn, U-Bahn and trams that connect most areas of the city that you will need to travel to. Trains run every few minutes, are clean and safe and announcements are in German and English. Travel cards are available from stations as well as from the Tourist Information Centre in Marienplatz. A day travel card will cost €4.90.
Munich’s Franz-Joseph-Strauss airport is located 25km north east of the city. S-Bahn lines S1 and S8 run direct from below Terminal 1, 24 hours a day and up to 6 times an hour. S1 travels west-east, and S8 travels east-west although both line stop at Marienplatz and Hauptbahnhof. A single ticket costs €8.80. Taxi’s cost around €50 to the city centre. The other option is to take the Lufthansa bus that runs from Bus Stop 2 in the Zentrum area of the Airport. The Bus runs every 20 minutes from 6.28am and takes around 40 minutes to reach Hauptbahnhof. Tickets cost €9.50 single or €15 return for Adults and €5 for Children.
The airport is well served by airlines from the UK, currently with BA from Bristol, Glasgow and Heathrow, Easyjet from London Stansted and Lufthansa from Birmingham, London City, London Heathrow and Manchester.
Click here for a video taken in the stadium during the 2006 World Cup.
The Stadium – The Allianz Arena
SdVgg Unterhacing - Generali Am Sportpark - Capacity: 15,053