The Stadium – The Commerzbank Arena Walking away from the Commerzbank Arena after a match, you would be hard pushed to believe that you were just a few miles away from one of the most important commercial cities in Europe. The whole area around the stadium is a mass of trees and greenery. In fact those supporters who arrived in the city by air from the East would have flown very low over mile upon mile of thick forest, thinking they had been some how transported into the wilds of Canada or Washington state in the United States of America. In fact, the previous name of the ground, the Waldstadion literally translates as the Stadium in the Woods.
When the stadium was first built in 1922, the trees played an integral part, acting as a curtain behind the vast banks of terracing. The Waldstadion was almost exclusively uncovered throughout its history. As with a number of the old German grounds, the stadium had a running track around the pitch and terracing set back behind the goals. The stadium was one of the largest in Germany with a capacity in its heyday of over 87,000, although modernisation in the 1960’s actually reduced the capacity to a more sedate 70,000.
The decision to redevelop the stadium initially was made in the early 1970’s in time to stage matches in the 1974 World Cup. Over 25million Deutschmarks were spent on the ground, adding a roof to the Haupttribüne and taking the capacity to 60,000. During the 1980’s, the majority of the stadium was made into all seater and thus the capacity was reduced to under 42,000. However, plans were afoot to completely redevelop the stadium before the decision to award Germany the World Cup in 1998. Development work began in earnest at the Waldstadion in late 2000. Along with redevelopments at Köln and Berlin, a decision was made to carry on playing at the stadium during construction work. Despite the fact the team were playing in the 2nd division of the Bundesliga during this time, the stadium’s reduced capacity of 30,000 was often full. In fact there were many commentators who wondered the logic of redeveloping the ground with such a large capacity considering the lack of success of the team. However, in their first season using the new redeveloped stadium in the second level of the Bundesliga, Eintract Frankfurt averaged over 23,500. With their subsequent promotion at the end of 2004/05, and with a completed stadium, the 2006/07 season holds great promise both on and off the field for Eintract.
The new stadium is truly magnificent. It consists of a complete 2 tier ring, with two rows of executive seating and boxes in the middle, stands close to the pitch (although the side stands curve slightly away towards the middle) and two very unique features. Firstly, the stadium has the world’s biggest retractable temporary roof. The permanent translucent roof covers all the seats, with steel wires running from the edge of this roof to a central console, where the remainder of the roof is stored.
At the press of a button, the steel cables pull the canopy roof out from the centre like a large automatic tent. Some designers have gone as far as to christen it the “Biggest Cabriolet in the world.” However, in its first real use during the final of the 2005 Confederations Cup between Brazil and Argentina, heavy rain caused a rip in the canopy and rain poured down onto the official photographers. The second unique feature is the huge TV central console underneath the canopy. Hanging down from the centre of the roof are four 31 square metre displays, supplied by Philips, allowing every single seat in the stadium a perfect view of the replayed action.
Behind each goal there is a large net that hangs down from the roof to protect supporters from wayward shots. This does have a strange effect on those fans who are sitting behind the goal. Facilities in the stadium are second to none, as you would expect. The sightlines are excellent, both for the action on the pitch and also for the central console. Leg room is also very good, and it is a refreshing change to see another new stadium built with spectators in mind. Around the outer concourse there are a number of food outlets, serving both snacks and beverages. At the Confederations Cup in June 2005, alcohol was for sale for fans to take back to their seats, although only Budweiser was available (being one of FIFA’s main sponsors). Toilets were spacious, although poor signage meant that fans often walked past their closest facilities in search of relief.
Another strange feature of the stadium is the location of the turnstiles. To the East of the ground, the turnstiles are actually located about a 5 minute walk away from the stadium itself. Having passed through the security and ticket check, fans then have to walk through the forest to reach the stadium. For those fans that are due to sit in the East stand for the evening kick offs, bear in mind that the sun will be setting directly in to your faces so it may be worth investing in a hat or a cap. For those fans located at the top of the North stand, then you may get some magnificent views back towards the city centre at dusk. The stadium is also home to the Frankfurt Galaxy, the most successful franchise in the NFL European league, having won the “World Bowl” in 1995, 1999 and more recently in 2003.
Who Plays There? The word Eintract literally translates as “harmony”, which is almost comical when you look into their roots. The first club to be formed in the city, in 1894, was the bizarrely named Football Club Germania. The team was made up of a bunch of local amateurs and played against local teams until the end of the century, when the harmony was tested for the first time in a row over fixtures – and so a break away team called Victoria Frankfurt were formed. At this time, Kickers Frankfurt played their first match and continued to grow during the first part of the 20th century. In 1911, the two clubs merged to form FV Frankfurt. A few years later they were joined by another sporting organisation, TG Frankfurt 1861, to form TSG Eintract Frankfurt – not quite the harmonious founding the name would suggest.
Their first real chance of glory came in 1932 when Eintract won the Oberliga Süd for the first time, and then won through to the German Championship final where they faced another first time finalist – FC Bayern Munich. Bayern went on to win the game 2-0, and took the first of their 18 German Championship titles. The club continued to be successful in the Oberliga, fighting out most seasons with their rivals Offenbach Kickers to see who would go through to the season end championship playoffs. In 1959, the playoff draw meant that both the teams from the Süd found themselves facing each other in the Championship final. In one of the most exciting finals ever seen, Eintract won their first championship with a 5-3 victory.
This win allowed Eintract Frankfurt to enter the 1959/60 European Cup. Given little hope at the start of the tournament, Eintract marched to the final, causing a massive upset in the semi-final stage when they scored 12 goals against Glasgow Rangers over two legs, including six at Ibrox – and that after Rangers coach Scott Symon publically questioned the German’s rights to be playing in the tournament at all. In the final, ironically played at Glasgow’s Hampden Park, over 100,000 people saw perhaps the most famous European Cup Final of all time, when a Real Madrid team led by Puskas and Di Stefano ran riot over the Germans in a 7-3 win.
More controversy followed in 1963 when talks started concerning the formation of the new professional Bundesliga. Offenbach Kickers assumed that based on their record in the Oberliga Süd that they would be asked to represent the region. However, perhaps because of the importance attached to the location of the Deutsche Football association’s headquarters in Frankfurt, Eintract were invited to play instead. Their faith was almost repaid immediately when Eintract reached their first ever German Cup Final. Again, a team from Munich were there to thwart them – this time Munich 1860 won the game 2-0.
Eintract continued to frustrate their loyal fans, never really hitting the heights the regular 60,000 people who flocked to the Waldstadion expected. Going in to the 1970’s the team still had that one German Championship in 1959 to show for all of their efforts. This changed though in 1974 when the team, considered by most to be the best in their history, reached the German Cup final to meet TSV Hamburg. A 3-1 win did not reflect the dominance of the team from Frankfurt, and the match certainly sent out a message to the rest of the Bundesliga. Despite the team being unable to replicate their cup form in the Bundesliga, Eintract repeated the feat of the previous season and retained their cup with a 1-0 win over Duisburg.
In 1980, Eintract surprised many commentators in Europe by beating all comers in the UEFA Cup to reach the final. Meeting them there were their compatriots Borussia Mönchengladbach, in the first all German European final. Borussia here also the defending champions of the UEFA Cup after beating Red Star Belgrade 2-1 in 1979, and adding to their 1975 title. An exciting first leg played in Borussia’s famous Bökelberg stadium, Borussia led by the odd goal in 5. However, in the return leg in front of a huge crowd in the Waldstadion, Eintract attacked from the word go and got the solitary goal they needed to take the cup on away goals.
Less than twelve months later Eintract captured the German Cup for the third time by beating regional neighbours Kaiserslautern 3-1 thus winning a place in the European Cup Winners Cup. The rest of the decade passed uneventfully with the exception of another German Cup Final win in 1988, when Eintract beat Bochum 1-0.
How to get to the Commerzbank Arena The stadium, whilst only being a matter of miles south of the city, really is in the middle of a forest. The city council had a perfect opportunity to develop the transport links closer to the station when the Commerzbank Arena was constructed, but it chose to protect the rural atmosphere around the ground. Therefore, expect a 10 minute or so walk from what ever means you choose, from the options below, when you alight at the stadium stops.
Ticket holders are entitled to free 2nd class transport up to 4 hours before the match, and 3 hours afterwards on all RMV (Rhine-Main Public Transport Network). However, from the experiences at the Confederations Cup in June 2005 allow at least an hour to reach the stadium from the city centre, and around 30 minutes from Frankfurt Main airport. At the Confederations Cup, fans were also routed onto specific local transport based on the stand where their tickets were located. Whilst not confirmed at the time of going to press, these will be coloured based – for instance the East Stand will be designated “Blue”, and fans will be directed towards “Blue” local transport options. The options below are designated North, South, East and West but be forewarned that for the tournament they may be replaced by colours.
For a more detailed view on who plays football where in Frankfurt go to Footiemap.com.
Directions from City Centre If you are travelling from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) then you have a number of different routes to follow to get to the station. For fans that have tickets in the North, South and West stands it is recommended that you take either the S-Bahn lines 8 or 9 in the direction of Flughafen (Airport) or Wiesbaden, and then alight at Sportfeld. Trains run every 10 minutes and the journey time is just over 5 minutes. The main entrance to the stadium is then a 15 minute walk from the station. On this road, you will find dozens of food and drink sellers, as well as unofficial merchandise sellers, unless FIFA instigate a crack down.
If you have a ticket from the East stand then you will be advised to catch one of the special stadium trams, numbers 20 or 21, which run from the forecourt of the main station to Stadion Strassenbahn. Trams leave every 5 – 8 minutes on matchdays. The journey can take up to 35 minutes, however, due to the traffic that heads towards the station. The stadium entrance is a 5 minute walk from the tram stop.
If you are travelling from the Altstadt or anywhere else in the city, then it may be easier to use the S-Bahn stations at Hauptwache or Kinstablerwache, where you can pick up S-Bahn lines 8 or 9 direct to Sportfeld. f you are on the south banks of the River Main at one of the fans villages, or visiting one of the museums on Sachsenhausen, then you can access the stadium from Südbahnhof, where you can either catch the U-Bahn lines 1, 2 or 3 to Hauptwache or S-Bahn lines 2, 5 or 6 Konstablerwache and then follow the directions above. Altnatively, you can get on Bus line 61 from the Südbahnhof forecourt, heading towards Flughafen, and the alight at the stop next to Stadion Östtribune. Buses leave every ten minutes on matchdays. A taxi from the city centre is not advisable due to the heavy build up of traffic around the stadium. However, if it is your only option then allow yourself 40 minutes and expect to pay around €40.
If you are flying into Frankfurt Main airport, or arriving at the ICE station below Terminal 1 at the airport, then you can use all methods of public transport to reach the station. Remember that as a match ticket holder you are entitled to free public transport up to 4 hours before the match, and 3 hours after the match.
If you plan on using the rail network, then head to the regional station in Terminal 1 (Not the ICE station on the same level). Trains leave from Platform every 15 minutes, night and day. You can catch the S-Bahn 8 line from here, and alight at the next stop, Sportfeld station – journey time of around 5 minutes. Then follow the crowds walking to the stadium. Bus line 61 runs from outside the arrivals door in both terminal 1 and terminal 2, heading towards Südbahnhof. Exit the bus at the Stadion Östtribune stop for the turnstiles. The buses run every 30 minutes. There are also hundreds of taxi’s at the airport, night or day who can also take you to the stadium. A taxi should take around 10 minutes and cost around €15.
If you are flying into Frankfurt Hahn with Ryanair, then you will need to catch the Ryanair bus from the airport that will take you to Hauptbahnhof. From there follow the directions from the city centre overleaf.
2nd Division FSV are currently playing at the Commerzbank Arena whilst redevelopment work continues at their stadium. The finished article will be a 24,000 capacity stadium with three new sides built. Two steep end terraces will be uncovered, whilst a new seated and covered stand will run down one side of pitch. Completion is due for June 2009. To reach the stadium catch U7 to Johanns one stop from the Ice stadium and four from Zoo. You will pass the stadium on the way to the tram stop and it is a 1 minute walk from here. The stadium's main stand has a couple of bars and a terrace restaurant.
Getting around Frankfurt has a complete network of buses, trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains which run to almost every corner of the city, all through the day and night. The network is safe, cheap and reliable. A daily ticket costsd €3.50.
Frankfurt Main airport is located 8 miles south west of the City, close by the US air base of Mörfelden. The airport is currently the second busiest transit airport in the world, behind London Heathrow. It has two huge terminals, linked by a Sky Train Monorail on the upper level. Terminal 2 is the newer of the two, and is used by British Airways amongst others. Terminal 1 is almost given over exclusively to Lufthansa and its code share partners, such as British Midland. On the landside of the airport, there are eateries and bars abound, including a McDonald’s in each terminal.
The airport is linked to the city centre by both the Regional train line and the High speed ICE line, located in the lower ground floor of Terminal 1. To access the station, then follow the signs in the station for the DB Trains to the escalators that take you down to the ticket office. Tickets can be purchased from the red machines, as well as from the travel counters. If you use the automated machines, then you need to use code number “50” - tickets cost €3.30 for a single to the city centre, or a €7.20 Tageskarte ticket which gives you unlimited city wide transport for 24 hours. The most regular service to the city centre is the S-Bahn 8 or 9 trains. These trains depart every 10 minutes from Platform 1. Journey time is 12 minutes, and all trains terminate or stop at Hauptbahnhof.
Alternative Airport - Hahn Airport (HHN) Telephone: +49-65-43-5-09-1-13 Website:
Click here to see a short video of the Commerzbank Arena.
The Stadium – The Commerzbank Arena
2nd Division FSV are currently playing at the Commerzbank Arena whilst redevelopment work continues at their stadium. The finished article will be a 24,000 capacity stadium with three new sides built. Two steep end terraces will be uncovered, whilst a new seated and covered stand will run down one side of pitch. Completion is due for June 2009. To reach the stadium catch U7 to Johanns one stop from the Ice stadium and four from Zoo. You will pass the stadium on the way to the tram stop and it is a 1 minute walk from here. The stadium's main stand has a couple of bars and a terrace restaurant.