As part of the plans to host Euro 2008, Innsbruck’s modest Tivoli Neu stadium is having a major face lift which will take the capacity up from its current 17,100 to just over 30,000 in time for the for big kick off in June 2008. The current stadium will be developed stand by stand, resulting in a smart uniform stadium with some of the best views of any stadium in Europe.
The end result will be a uniform stadium similar in design to the Stade de Geneva in Switzerland. Four identical stands decked out in grey seats will offer 30,000 unobstructed views of the action on the pitch, and those in the south and east stands will also get an amazing view of the snow capped Tirol Mountains behind. The stadium will also feature a number of restaurants, a fitness centre and a conference centre. Quite what the club will do with 30,000 seats after the tournament is finished is unsure as currently FC Wacker only average around 5,500 for their home games.
The new stadium is due to host the Austrian national team in a friendly in October 2007 in a game versus Ivory Coast in a game that will officially open the ground.
Who plays there? The Tivoli Neu is the current home of FC Wacker Innsbruck. The were actually only formed in June 2002, rising out of the ashes of the bankrupt FC Tirol Innsbruck. However, due to the legal complexities of the situation, the new club basically have no history prior to June 2002.
The club started in the regional leagues of the Tirol region for 2002/03 season, but soon moved up into the Red Zac Erste Liga, the second level of Austrian football. At the end of the season the club merged with Wattens who had finished 3rd in the league, and thus were allowed to take their place in the Austrian Bundesliga – a situation that would not be allowed to happen in most other European leagues. In 2004/05 the club finished 6th in the 10 team league. The following season they didn’t fair much better, whilst last season they nervously looked over their shoulders for long periods before a decision was made only to relegate one team at the end of the season.
Wacker were bottom for periods of the season until Grazer AK went into administration and were docked 28 points, thus condemning them to relegation with many games left to play. Therefore a 9th place finish wasn’t impressive but was enough to ensure another season of top flight football for the club. The current squad in dominated by Austrians, with a sprinkling of overseas players including Nigerian top scorer Olushola Olumuyiwa Aganum.
Whilst the club have not ever had the opportunity to compete for any major honours, their previous entity FC Tirol Innsbruck won the Austrian Championship for three consecutive years from 2000.
2007/08 was an annus horribulus for the club as they finished in last place and will be playing in the Red Zac league in 2008/09.
How to get there Innsbruck is only a small city and so the easiest way to reach the stadium is on foot. It is located next to the Ice Hockey Stadium alongside the A12 Autobahn. It is less than one kilometre from the main Hauptbahnhof.
If you are walking from here, come out of the station, turn left and follow Sterzinger Strasse southwards until it becomes Sudbahnstrasse. After 200metres it will join Olympiastrasse. Turn left here and follow this road over the railway and the river. After 300metres turn right into Stadionstrasse. If you want to use public transport then bus lines B, K and J run to the Tivoli stop from the old town and train station every few minutes. For the Euro 2008 tournament when the stadium will host a number of games, special buses will run in the build up to games, and after the matches at regular intervals. These will be free for match ticket holders.
For more details of the surrounding area click on Footiemap.com to access their Austrian map.
Getting a ticket Tickets for every match at Euro 2008 have been sold out for many months, and the only way now of getting tickets is by applying through one of the nations football associations once they have qualified. Whilst tickets for matches may become available after the draw is made on the 2nd December, it is unlikely that a further sale to the public will yield more than a few hundred tickets per venues.
If you are here to watch an Austrian Bundesliga game then you should have no issues turning up on the day to watch a game. FC Wacker Innsbruck do sell tickets in advance via http://www.oeticket.com or by calling +43 512 588877-86. Tickets cost €14 for a place in the Nord or Sud Tribune and €18 for a seat in the Ost or West stands. Views are good from any spot although head for the Nord tribune to get a great view of the Tirol Mountains on a clear day.
Getting around Innsbruck is a small city, and with a unique location almost sandwiched between the Tirol Mountains. Public transport is a mixture of buses and trams. The tram lines run through the old town and out to the surrounding villages. The Innsbruck card, available from the Tourist Information Centre in Burggraben 3 covers all public transport as well as entry into the city’s main attractions and in the winter months the ski lifts, and costs €23. Alternatively a single ticket for the tram or bus will cost €1.60.
Innsbruck’s small airport comes alive in the winter when dozens of flights will arrive daily, bringing thousands of winter sports fanatics. As Innsbruck is one of the few places in the world where you can step off a plane and be on the slopes in less than an hour, it is a very popular destination. It is the main base for a couple of Austria’s regional airlines such as Welcome Air and Austrian Arrows. The only airline that flies direct into Innsbruck from the UK is British Airways from London Gatwick.
Bus route F connects the airport to the central station every 15 minutes and the journey takes less than 20 minutes. The central station has some excellent fast routes to other destinations such as Munich (1hour 45mins), Vienna (2hours) and Venice (4hours).
