COTTBUS - STADION DER FREUNDSCHAFT - CAPACITY: 22,000 (4,100 SEATS)
About Stadion der Freundschaft The “friendly” stadium is a typical Eastern bloc stadium with sweeping terraces behind the goal, as well as tall imposing floodlights. The ground has been redeveloped in the past few years to cope with the needs and demands of the Bundesliga, including the conversion of the main tribunes to all seater, as well as a new roof being put on both stands. Views are good from the Tribunes, but the presence of a perimeter fencing does hamper those in the lower tiers, and behind the goals.
Who plays there? One of the youngest teams in the Bundesliga, and also one of the teams that seems to yoyo between the top two leagues along with the likes of Bochum and Duisburg. The club were actually formed in 1963 as a merger between SC Cottbus and Aktivist Brieske. The club played almost all of their footballing history in the lower leagues in East Germany, only really reaching the top divisions after unification took place in the early 1990’s.
Once the country was united, Cottbus started on their long road to the top league. They finished as runners up in the Oberliga Nord in 1994, and then won the Regionalliga nord in 1997 earning a place in the 2nd Bundesliga. After three indifferent seasons they finished third in 2000 and gained promotion to the top league for the first time in their history. Whilst they struggled for the whole campaign, they did finish the season in 14th place, and the following season went one place better. Unfortunately they endured a poor season in 2002/03 and were relegated at the end of the campaign. It took them three more seasons before they returned to the top flight again in 2006, equalling their best place finish of 13th at the end of last season.
How to get there The stadium is located in the south of the city, close to the bands of the river Spree. The main railway station is a 10 minute walk west of the stadium along the Stadtring. Buses also run along this route, stopping at the Messe which is opposite the stadium.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Germany, go to Footiemap.com.
Getting a ticket Energie Cottbus have a very loyal set of fans, and despite their constant fight against relegation most games sell out in advance. The club sell a fair share of season tickets meaning that on the day sales are limited. You can purchase tickets from the club shop in BerlinerStrasse 3, or by phone (+49 1805 323 637 443) or via the internet at http://www.fcenergie.de. Ticket prices start from €12 for a place on the Norwand behind the goal to €17 for a covered seat in the Tribune. On matchdays, tickets can be purchased from the kiosks outside the Ost and West tribunes.
Getting around The city centre is very compact, and most of the sights, hotels and of course the stadium are all within walk able distance of each other. Buses and trams radiate out from the main station to the south of the centre, and tickets can be purchased either from the driver or from the kiosks at major stops. A single ticket for either bus or tram is currently €1.
The nearest international airport is some 100 miles away in Berlin. Berlin Schönefeld airport is located 18km south east of the city centre, in the old East German part of the city. The airport is used by Easyjet from Bristol, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, and Newcastle and Ryanair from London Stansted. The airport is linked directly to the city centre on S-Bahn lines 9 and 45. Air Berlin currently use Tegel airport to the north of the city.
The railway station is a 5 minute walk from the terminal building – the walkway is clearly signposted. S45 runs to Westkreuz in the west of the city, whilst S9 (the “Airport Express”) runs to Zoo Station via Alexanderplatz, taking around 30 minutes. The single fare is €2.40. A taxi to the city centre would take around 30 minutes, depending on traffic and cost upwards of €40. From here an hourly train runs to Cottbus, taking around 100 minutes.
About Stadion der Freundschaft