- Aug 8, 2008
- 517
- 98
I was in the pub last night and the subject came round to football like it tends to do. Anyway one bloke in particular was singing the praises of the Premier League, stating that it was the best league in the World in every way.
I do like a heated debate so disagreed with him on a number of points he had made, mainly on his claim that the Premier League was the best supported league, I told him that honour belonged to the Bundesliga.
“No bloody way” was his response “name the clubs” he demanded, I could name a few but not all, but I was positive the gates in Germany beat the gates here. Other’s joined in and mostly said I was talking out of where the sun don’t shine, god I love these people that believe all the hype they see on Sky, bets were made but as I’m not really a gambler I said we would settle it with a pint. I have a good few pints to collect after checking out the facts today.
The Bundesliga has attracted larger average gates for the past 7 years, and in fact the gap is widening. With safe standing areas and a policy of charging fair prices in all categories the Bundesliga will continue its trend to attract larger gates than the Premier League.
I read somewhere that the average age of a Premier League fan is 39! that’s no surprise as youngsters can no longer afford to go anymore.
FC Schalke 04 one of the better supported clubs in Germany charge 13 Euros to stand and watch top flight football, that’s cheaper than most Conference teams over here. I’ve seen the argument on another thread that only poorly supported teams can offer affordable prices to their fans, poppycock, Schalke 04 have an average gate of 61,387.
In fact 11 teams in the Bundesliga have average gates over 40,000 compared to 7 in the Premier League.
Borussia Dortmund 74,830
Bayern München 69,000
Schalke 04 61,387
Hamburger SV 54,774
Hertha Berlin 52,157
Stuttgart 51,926
FC Köln 49,312
Borussia Mönchengladbach 47,376
Eintracht Frankfurt 47,012
Hannoverscher 41,860
Werder Bremen 40,473
For the record the average gate in the Bundesliga was 42,565 compared to the Premierships 35,630.
Germany has the highest attendance figures for any league in europe. The tickets are affordable and accessable to all, and as a result their safe standing areas are populated by young and old, it allows the next generation to bloom and carry the flag for their clubs future.
The atmosphere's generated in German stadiums is the best in Europe. Fandom and terrace culture is at an all time high, while at the same time ours is in rapid decline.
I'd swap the footballing super power this country has now become in an instant, if we could replicate what Germany have done with their football.
It's not just about generating the most money for the fat cats and the players. Football is not just about winning at all costs. It's about enjoyment, identity and belonging for me as much as any trophy.
Those German supporters are still seeing their club's win leagues and domestic trophies each season. They are no longer European heavyweights, and that could be attributed to the relative lack of money within their game in comparison to ours; but is a sacrifice of European success for a handful of clubs worth it if it improves the match going experience and enjoyment of an entire nation? Without doubt.
So while millions of German fans are watching their football each weekend with smiles on their faces, and taking their kids along to become a part of their clubs; our children are sat at home watching on the TV as the rich get richer and the suits get to applaud another success on the field, latching onto a club they probably had no interest in 15 years ago, and certainly don't understand what made the club so glamourous and appealing in the first place. The odd European trophy is the only difference between the success of our clubs and the likes of Bayern Munich.
If the price of that success is excluding the next generation of fans and killing fandom for good; then I'd rather not have it.
I do like a heated debate so disagreed with him on a number of points he had made, mainly on his claim that the Premier League was the best supported league, I told him that honour belonged to the Bundesliga.
“No bloody way” was his response “name the clubs” he demanded, I could name a few but not all, but I was positive the gates in Germany beat the gates here. Other’s joined in and mostly said I was talking out of where the sun don’t shine, god I love these people that believe all the hype they see on Sky, bets were made but as I’m not really a gambler I said we would settle it with a pint. I have a good few pints to collect after checking out the facts today.
The Bundesliga has attracted larger average gates for the past 7 years, and in fact the gap is widening. With safe standing areas and a policy of charging fair prices in all categories the Bundesliga will continue its trend to attract larger gates than the Premier League.
I read somewhere that the average age of a Premier League fan is 39! that’s no surprise as youngsters can no longer afford to go anymore.
FC Schalke 04 one of the better supported clubs in Germany charge 13 Euros to stand and watch top flight football, that’s cheaper than most Conference teams over here. I’ve seen the argument on another thread that only poorly supported teams can offer affordable prices to their fans, poppycock, Schalke 04 have an average gate of 61,387.
In fact 11 teams in the Bundesliga have average gates over 40,000 compared to 7 in the Premier League.
Borussia Dortmund 74,830
Bayern München 69,000
Schalke 04 61,387
Hamburger SV 54,774
Hertha Berlin 52,157
Stuttgart 51,926
FC Köln 49,312
Borussia Mönchengladbach 47,376
Eintracht Frankfurt 47,012
Hannoverscher 41,860
Werder Bremen 40,473
For the record the average gate in the Bundesliga was 42,565 compared to the Premierships 35,630.
Germany has the highest attendance figures for any league in europe. The tickets are affordable and accessable to all, and as a result their safe standing areas are populated by young and old, it allows the next generation to bloom and carry the flag for their clubs future.
The atmosphere's generated in German stadiums is the best in Europe. Fandom and terrace culture is at an all time high, while at the same time ours is in rapid decline.
I'd swap the footballing super power this country has now become in an instant, if we could replicate what Germany have done with their football.
It's not just about generating the most money for the fat cats and the players. Football is not just about winning at all costs. It's about enjoyment, identity and belonging for me as much as any trophy.
Those German supporters are still seeing their club's win leagues and domestic trophies each season. They are no longer European heavyweights, and that could be attributed to the relative lack of money within their game in comparison to ours; but is a sacrifice of European success for a handful of clubs worth it if it improves the match going experience and enjoyment of an entire nation? Without doubt.
So while millions of German fans are watching their football each weekend with smiles on their faces, and taking their kids along to become a part of their clubs; our children are sat at home watching on the TV as the rich get richer and the suits get to applaud another success on the field, latching onto a club they probably had no interest in 15 years ago, and certainly don't understand what made the club so glamourous and appealing in the first place. The odd European trophy is the only difference between the success of our clubs and the likes of Bayern Munich.
If the price of that success is excluding the next generation of fans and killing fandom for good; then I'd rather not have it.