FC Wegberg-Beeck - Rot-Weiss Oberhausen (19-02-2022)

 

For our afternoon game we go to the Regionalliga West, one of the leagues in the regionally divided fourth division of German football. The FC Wegberg-Beeck is a fusion team just across the border with the Netherlands (and close to Mönchengladbach).

 

They play in the Waldstadion Beeck, a small stadium in a small town, not dissimilar to an average ground of an average local club in Germany or the Netherlands, except that it has one covered stand and a decent size canteen. Everything looks very new.

 

We pay 15 euro for a place at the one stand, which is also covered, as rain is predicted for later in the afternoon. Inside the stadium is a small statue commemorating the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1998, which was also the formal opening of the stadium. To be honest, it looks even newer than roughly 25 years.

 

There are some 400 people, including almost 100 away supporters, who made the relatively short 80 km trip from Oberhausen. Rot-Weiss Oberhausen used to play in higher divisions and has a great ground. They are top of the league, which might also explain the very decent away support got the Regionalliga.

 

In addition to the loud away fans, there are some 15 cops, who are dressed in riot gear (a bit over the top). The home fans are clearly local, mostly older men, with few women and children. They are fairly quiet, perhaps used to disappointment, given that FC Wegberg-Beeck is near the bottom of the league.

 

In the 6^th minute the hosts have their first chance, a shot out of a rebound, which goes well over. The game is poor, which is not helped by the strong wind, but in the 25^th minute a quick counter attack is finished easily by the visitors: 0-1. A minute later, Wegberg has a good attack that ends with a very poor cross.

 

In the 42^nd minute, out of nowhere, from some 12 meter out, an Oberhausen player shoots low, quite soft, but it rolls in the goal because the goalie can’t see it: 0-2. Two minutes for half time the guests have another good attack, but the shot is cleared from line by an excellent sliding by a defender. Hence, 0-2 is also the half time score.

 

The second goal of Oberhausen was by and large game over, as Wegberg cannot and Oberhausen does not want to. But in the 67^th minute an Oberhausen player cuts in, gets himself free on the side of the box, and shoots low in the far corner: 0-3.

 

In the last five minutes the game comes alive again. In the 86^th minute a counter by the guests is stopped twice by the goalie and in the 89^th minute a powerful Oberhausen shot from outside the box is beautiful saved by the home goalie. And then, a minute later, a miscommunication between the Oberhausen goalie and a defender leads to a Wegberg goal:1-3. Few home supporters celebrate.

 

FC Wegberg-Beeck and the Waldstadion Beeck have the atmosphere of a small, local amateur team; more Oberliga than Regionalliga, which it soon might be again. Not the most inspiring destination in Germany.

SSV Ulm 1846 – FSV Frankfurt (14-10-2017)

 

After an enjoyable game in a northern suburb of Paris, the evening before, my brother and I have made our way to Ulm in the south of Germany, for a game in the Regionalliga-Südwest (Fourth Division-Southwest). The SSV Ulm was founded in 1846 (!) as an athletic association (Turnerbund Ulm) and the football club became independent in 1926. SSV Ulm 1846 played one season in the top flight, the Bundesliga (1999-2000), before relegating twice in a row, facing bankruptcy, being set back to the fifth tier, getting back to the fourth tier, going bankrupt again in 2011, etc.

 

This is the first season back in the Regionalliga and the team is in the lower half of the table. They play FSV Frankfurt, which is near the bottom, so there must be hope. After meeting up with my friend MT, who lives a few hours away, we buy tickets for the non-covered, standing-only parts of the stadium (€9).

 

The Donaustadion was built in 1925 and has last been renovated in 1999. It is a classic German sports stadium, which an annoying athletics track around the pitch. It can hold 19,500, but I doubt there have been more than 10,000 at the same game in over a decade. Today the official attendance is 1,570 spectators, of which some one hundred have made the roughly 300 km (190 miles) trip from Frankfurt am Main.

 

Most of the home fans are (white) working class, various ages, predominantly male, but with quite a number of women. On the more expensive Main Stand there is a bit better mix of class and gender, though there the crown is still exclusively white and mostly older.

 

The first 20 minutes are pretty slow and create few if any real chances. The atmosphere in the stadium is good, however. Fans are singing and have brought various banners and flags. At the beginning of the game some of the home fans display two banners, which say: “We can also be different” and “But not today.” Not sure whether it is a protest or sarcasm.

 

The first half is not very exciting. In the 24^th minute SSV Ulm gets a corner, but the header goes over the goal. And in the 44^th minute the hosts shoot from 18 meters, but the shot goes just wide. 0-0 is the half time score.

 

The second half picks up where the first half left off and very little of note happens, except for a header by Ulm, which goes just wide, and a shot by Frankfurt, which also goes just wide. In the 73^rd minute, somewhat against the game, the visitors score after a good attack and a header from just 2 meters: 0-1. Eight minutes later Ulm strikes back, after a long attack and a rebound gets deflected: 1-1.

 

Out of nowhere we have a game. In the 85^th minute Ulm has a free header, but it goes over. Two minutes later, by surprise, a Frankfurt player gets the ball in the box, shoots hard and low from 14 meters, and the ball goes through all kind of people into the goal: 1-2. Almost the next minute Ulm gets a corner-kick, the weak header falls on the ground, and another player kicks it in from 2 meters: 2-2. The celebrating home fans gets a last shock in the last minute, when a free kick of the visitors ends in the side net, but the final score remains 2-2.

SSV Ulm 1846 is a club that has fallen on hard times, but it is grounded in this small town in the middle of nowhere, and while it lays in the fourth division of German football, it still has a better atmosphere and attendance than most clubs in the second division of other countries. Definitely worth a trip!

SV Meppen – FC St. Pauli II (04-09-2016)

 

At the end of a great groundhopweekend with my brother I make one last hop (by myself) to Meppen, a small town just across the Dutch border in Northwest Germany. The local pride, SV Meppen, dates back to 1912 and spent a total of 12 years in the 2. Bundesliga (Second Division). In 1998 they relegated and a decade later they relegated again. Today they play in the Regionalliga Nord (Fourth Division North).

 

I arrive at the bit grandiosely named Hänsch-Arena – Hänsch Stadium would be much more accurate and adequate – and ca easily park in front of the cute stadium. As I buy my ticket for the (covered) Old Stand, for €10, I notice that I am one hour early. Kick-off is at 15.00, not 14.00.

 

Hänsch-Arena is a nice old stadium with two main covered stands on the long sides and two uncovered standing-only stands behind the goals. It also has a small fan shop and a cute stadium bar with full bar. Obviously, there are also several snack options involving sausages and even fries.

 

On this fifth round of the 2016-7 season there are (officially) 2.213 spectators, a pretty large number, which was undoubtedly because SV Meppen had won its first four games of the new season. The fans are local, typical of a small provincial town (white, middle class, predominantly male). There were also some 50 away supporters, not bad for a U-23 team.

 

After an uneventful start, the visitors make a dumb foul in the 5^th minute, and SV Meppen gets a penalty. Although the goalie gets a hand to it, the ball goes in: 1-0. Just two minutes later the hosts have quick attack, the striker goes around the goalkeeper and scores: 2-0. What a start!

The hosts are enjoying their quick, and surprisingly comfortably lead, and get some corner kicks, while St. Pauli II creates a few half chances. In the 14^th minute the visitors have a good attack, lone striker going alone at the goalkeeper, in between defenders, but shoots just wide. Ten minutes later another good St Pauli attack, but shoots hard at goalie. 

 

After half an hour Meppen shoots from 25 meter at goal; the shot is low but stopped by the goalie. Ten minutes later a long Meppen solo from the left moves into the middle and then shoot just over. Half time score: 2-0.

 

St. Pauli dominates the first 15 min of the second half, though they create few real chances. In the 63^rd minute a fast cross misses everyone in front of the goal, although a Pauli striker almost gets a foot against it.

 

By now the pace has dropped significantly. There are fewer chances but still the ball goes from side to side. The visitors are a bit better but not very effective in the end phase.

Unfortunately, I have to leave in the 75^th minute, as I have to make an evening flight in Amsterdam. I later find out that SV Meppen win the game 3-1, the fifth consecutive win of the season.

SV Meppen is a nice small town club with a lot of tradition and loyal fans. A team that deserves to be in the 3. Bundesliga, which will undoubtedly be the case next season.

Tennis Borussia Berlin – VFL Wolfsburgh II (24-10-2009)

After the rather disappointing visit to Hertha BSC on Thursday, I was looking forward to the game of Tennis Borussia Berlin on Saturday. When I was young, and Germany was still divided, TeBe played a couple of seasons in the 2. Bundesliga (Second League). Nowadays they hang around in the lower ends of the Regionalliga Nord (Fourth Division North). More than enough reason to take the S-Bahn up to Mommsen Stadion.

My friend C. and I arrive well in time for kick-off, at 14.00, at the small homey Mommsen stadium. Built in 1930, it has undergone precious little upgrades since. Today it is home to both TeBe and SC Charlottenburg, which plays in the Verbandsliga Berlin (highest non-professional league in Berlin). We bought standing tickets for €8.00 and made our way to the sausages and drinks.

It was a nice sunny winter day in Berlin and officially 516 people had made the way to the Mommsen Stadion; the stadium holds 11,500. The home fans were roughly evenly spread over the one stand and the opposite side, where the good-tempered hardcore home fans stand. The crows is fairly diverse, though mostly alternative types who know each other and talk as much about football as about other things.

Despite the fact that TeBe is down 0-1 after 2 minutes, the fans around us remain good spirited, joking around and enjoying their beer and company. As is always the case with second teams of a club, very few supporters travel with the team. In this case, even with the first team of VFL Wolfsburg playing Hertha in Berlin the next day, I could count only six away fans.

We continued to enjoy the company as well as the play, which was pretty low quality, but entertaining. The guests were clearly superior, but didn’t really push. The home team did its best, but simply lacked the quality. Something the home fans seemed to accept without much disappointment.

The second half started fairly similar, with the visitors scoring the 0-2 in the 53^rd minute. After that, the pace went slower and slower, while Wolfsburg seemed content with the now clear victory. TeBe kept struggling, more with itself than the opponent.

C. and I were amazed how good natured the fans remained. True, they increasingly talked about other things than football, but they seemed real fans. Maybe they just had learned to adapt to the level of the club they support. In any case, 0-2 was an acceptable final result for the hosts, who profited from increasing laziness of the visitors.

If you are in Berlin, you have many choices for groundhops: Hertha BSC, Union Berlin, BFC Dynamo, Türkiyemspor, etc. However, do not forget about TeBe in Charlottenburg. It is like a trip to football memory lane, but with modern Alternativos as fans.