About The EM Stadion The EM Stadion is completely unrecognisable from just 18 months ago when it was known as the Wals-Siezenheim and home to SV Austria Salzburg. However, with the investment both from the local government and from Red Bull, the stadium is now a much expanded 30,000 seater arena and home to the new Red Bull Salzburg club. In fact it is hard to escape from the Red Bull theme on visiting the stadium for a domestic match, with Red Bull branded everything – including the name which will revert back to the Bullen Arena after the 2008 tournament.
The new look stadium was completed during the summer of 2007 as one of the venues for Euro 2008 and was officially opened with a friendly versus Arsenal in July 2007. The stadium is one of a select few that is using the FIFA-approved artificial Ligaturf. The previous 18,200 seater stadium has had an additional tier added to bring it up to the 30,000 requirements as a tournament host. This was achieved by raising the 1,900-tonne roof by 10metres and slotting in the extra tier.
Views are excellent from any part of the stadium. Whilst the Arena doesn’t have the scenic surroundings of the Tivoli stadium in Innsbruck, it is much more pleasant that some of the stadiums we have in this country. The stadium has some really unique features such as concession stands that serve fans both inside and outside the stadium from the same points, two huge screens and one of the loudest sound systems in Austria. It also has a lighting system that wouldn’t look out of place at a disco. Inside the stadium the concourses are wide and spacious, allowing fans a view of the action whilst they queue. Access to the upper tiers of the stadium is via the staffolding towers dotted around the stadium. Like the stadium in Klagenfurt, only three sides have two tiers, with the main West Stand having a row of Executive seating instead Come June 2008 the whole area will have been completely transformed into a true football festival.
Who plays there? Up until the end of March 2005 the Wals-Siezenheim stadium was home to SV Casino Salzburg, the three times champions of the Austrian Bundesliga. However, in the sweep of a pen on a contract, over seventy years worth of history were erased when Red Bull bought the club on the 6th April 2005. Along with the name change, the club were “forced” to adopt a new strip and a new management team. The sale of the soul of the club was too much for many of the fans who formed their own club, buying back the original name SV Austria Salzburg and joining the regional leagues of the Salzburg region. In their first season playing in the traditional violet and white strip of the former club they finished top of the league and thus started their long climb back up to the top in a similar fashion to AFC Wimbledon.
SV Casino Salzburg were originally formed under the name Austria Salzburg in September 1933, although they had a pretty undistinguished history until they changed their name to Casino in 1978. Under the new name the team won the Bundesliga in 1994, 1995 and 1997. In 1994 the club also reached the UEFA Cup final, losing 2-0 to Inter Milan on aggregate. In 1994/95 they reached the group stages of the Champions League, finishing third in a group containing Ajax, AC Milan and AEK Athens. They almost appeared in the group stages again in 1997 when they lost to Sparta Prague in the final qualifying rounds. The takeover certainly alienated most of the fan base as Red Bull published the slogan “Salzburg – the club with no history”. They appointed Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthaus as the management team in May 2006 and in their first season the team won the league with 5 games to spare. With funds available to invest in the team few would bet against them retaining this title in 2007/08.
How to get there The stadium is located almost at the end of the runway of the airport, and is less than a kilometre from the terminal building alongside the A1 West Autobahn and opposite the Casino. It is around 3km from the city centre. Bus lines 1, 10 and 18 run from the central bus and railway station to the stadium stop in Stadionstrasse on the east side of the ground. Journey time is less than 25 minutes. Close to the stadium is the Europark commercial centre, which includes an Ikea and a massive shopping centre.
For more details of the surrounding area go to Footiemap.com to view their Austrian map.
Getting a ticket Tickets can be purchased from the Bulls shop at the stadium from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday or until 2pm on a non-match day Saturday. You can also call +43 662 43 33 32 and arrange to collect and pay for your tickets on a match day. The website http://www.redbulls.com has an online ticketing function which you need to register for to use. The stadium before redevelopment was almost full on most occasions, although the new stands mean that tickets should be available for most games. Ticket prices range from €11 in the terraced area behind the goal to €22 in the East or West stand. All seats offer excellent views of the action on the pitch.
Getting around The best way to get around Salzburg is by foot. There is a network of buses which run to most places outside the city centre, ticket prices are €4.20 for a day pass. Buses radiate out from the bus station on Südtirolerplatz. The city also has a small S-Bahn network that runs to the outskirts. You can purchase the Salzburg Card for €21 which covers all public transport and access to the main tourist sights and museums in the city. This can be purchased from the Tourist office in Auerspergstrasse 6 (Tel: +43 662 889 870).
Salzburg’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart airport is the second largest in Austria. As more and more airlines wise up to this fantastic weekend destination, passengers are sure to grow considerably over the next few years. The airport is located just over a mile from the German border, and 2 miles from the city centre. To reach the city catch the number 2 bus that runs every 10 minutes from outside Arrivals and takes 15 minutes and costs €1.80.
Currently the following airlines serve Salzburg on a daily basis from the UK. British Airways from London Gatwick, Flybe from Exeter and Southampton, Ryanair from Liverpool, London Stansted and Nottingham East Midlands, and ThomsonFly from London Gatwick, Bournemouth, Coventry and Doncaster Robin Hood airport.
