Fans and Stadiums

The Bundesliga: A History

Course 1 · Chapter 8 · Fans, Stadiums and Culture

For many visitors the Bundesliga is as much about the stands as the pitch: big standing terraces, loud organised supporters, comparatively low prices and fierce local rivalries. This chapter looks at that culture, at the disputes over safety and control, and at the separate story of women's football in Germany. Names, dates and figures are from general knowledge and flagged for checking.

The Stadium Experience

Standing terraces

Many Bundesliga grounds keep large standing areas, where supporters stand close together. Borussia Dortmund's south stand, known as the "Yellow Wall", is among the best known (check its capacity and name).

Prices

Standing tickets and season tickets are cheaper than in some other big leagues, and the match ticket often includes local public transport (check current prices and the transport arrangement).

Beer and food

Beer and sausages are part of match day, and the link to the wider beer culture appears in German Beer, Oktoberfest & the Reinheitsgebot (check the rules on drinking in stadiums, which vary).

Supporters and Ultras

  • The groups. Organised supporters, often called "ultras", run chanting, banners and choreography in the stands, and many are independent of the clubs (check the term and what it covers).
  • What they do. They create the atmosphere with songs, flags and displays, and organise travel to away games (check examples).
  • Friction. Their relations with clubs, police and other fans can be tense, over pyrotechnics, banners and behaviour (check specific cases, neutral treatment).
  • Politics. Many supporters' groups take public positions on racism and on commercialisation; others avoid politics (check).

Rivalries

  • Revierderby. Borussia Dortmund against Schalke 04, two clubs from the Ruhr area with a long local rivalry (check).
  • Der Klassiker. Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund, the two clubs that have often contested the title (check).
  • Nordderby. Hamburg against Werder Bremen, the north German rivalry (check).
  • Others. Cologne against Mönchengladbach, and city derbies in Berlin, Munich and elsewhere (check).

Safety, Control and Protest

  • The balance. Clubs, police and the league must weigh safety against atmosphere and civil liberties; the right balance is disputed (check, neutral treatment).
  • The 2012 dispute. A league safety plan led to fan protests, including periods of silence in the stands, before the plan was changed (check the name, the year and the outcome).
  • Pyrotechnics and sanctions. Flares are banned but still used, and fines and collective punishments for clubs are debated (check examples).
  • Why it matters. The same argument returns in the debate over money and control in Chapter 7: who decides what a club's stadium is for?

Women's Football

  • A ban. The DFB banned women from playing in its member clubs in the mid-1950s, and lifted the ban around 1970 (check the dates and the reasons given).
  • A league. A national women's league, the Frauen-Bundesliga, started in 1990 (check the year and the name history).
  • Success. The national team has won the World Cup, and clubs such as Frankfurt and Wolfsburg have won European titles (check the years and the clubs).
  • The gap. Crowds, pay and media coverage remain far below the men's game, though growth is reported (check recent figures).
More than a game The German stadium is a place of local identity, politics, protest and argument. This is part of what outsiders mean when they describe the Bundesliga as different (check against what fans and clubs say about their own experience).
A British comparison English top-division grounds went all-seater after the Taylor Report of 1990, with prices rising sharply after the Premier League began (check). Scotland's clubs and some English clubs have discussed "safe standing" areas, similar to the German ones (check). The comparison shows how a different response to the same safety concerns shaped the two cultures.
Check the details Prices, capacities, rule changes and attendance figures change often, and accounts of protests and sanctions vary by source. Verify against the DFL, club sites and recent reports before quoting any figure.

Exercises

Exercise 1

Describe three features of the German stadium experience and say how each affects atmosphere.

→ Solution
Exercise 2

Explain why disputes over safety rules can turn into disputes over who controls the club.

→ Solution
Exercise 3

Summarise the history of women's football in Germany and name two obstacles it has faced.

→ Solution

Quick Reference

  • Stadiums: large standing terraces, such as Dortmund's south stand (check)
  • Prices: comparatively low, with transport often included (check)
  • Supporters: ultras, choreography, disputes with clubs and police
  • Derbies: Revierderby, Der Klassiker, Nordderby (check)
  • Women's game: ban to about 1970, league from 1990, World Cup success (check)