Hertha Berlin football guide

• Who are yer? Hertha Berlin
  
• Where do you come from? Olympic Stadion
  
• We're on our way: Getting to the ground
• Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking
  
• Bag a seat: Buying a ticket
• Grab a souvenir: Tours

Thanks go to Martin Breslin for providing the info and pictures from his visit to Hertha Berlin. Can't wait to go meself now!

 

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Who are yer? Hertha Berlin

Hertha are the biggest team in Germany's capital (Union Berlin being the other team of note). During the years of the Berlin Wall the club fell in the western half and therefore played in the Bundesliga.

They have never quite landed the country's big silverware in modern times but highlights include a second placed finish in the league in the 70s and cup final appearances.

Years in the wilderness of the second - and even third - division followed during the 80s and 90s, with Germany alone among major leagues in not having a top flight team in its capital city.

But they bounced back and in a more recent spell of success in the 21st Century Hertha has competed in the UEFA Cup and the Champions League.

Where do you come from: Olympic Stadium


This grand venue is steeped in history. It hosted the 1936 Olympics made famous by black athlete Jesse Owens and 70 years later, fully refurbished, it hosted the 2006 World Cup final.

It has 76,000 seats, the most of any German stadium (Dortmund has a bigger capacity but includes standing). Hertha Berlin average about 35000-40000 crowds for each home game so tickets are not difficult to obtain.

It's also the host venue for the German Pokal Cup Final every May.

 

 

That's pretty grand: The Olympic Stadion

We're on our way: Getting to the ground


The stadium can be reached either by S-Bahn Lines S75 or S9 which head towards Spandau (Could not find a ballet there). U-Bahn line U2, serves the Olympic Stadium towards Ruhleben which takes a long time compared to the S-Bahn.

On Matchdays, extra S-Bahn trains are laid on to get to/from the stadium. Signs at train station will indicate that the train is going to the stadium. You can catch the train from Alexanderplatz, Haputbahnhof, Zoo Station, these being the major stations in the centre of Berlin.

 

A swift one on the way there: The station.

 

Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking


On matchday, do what the locals do and grab a few bottles of beer and drink on the train or outside the ground (perfectly legal in Berlin).

On my visit, I went to watch Berlin v Frankfurt and both sets of fans were mixing freely and saw no trouble. I was wearing my Wolves shirt and many people were asking about who they are, talking to me about English football. Really relaxing atmosphere.

 

Bag a seat: Buying a ticket


They're very cheap. In 2008 I obtained tickets from one of the various fan stores in the centre of Berlin. The club have stores at the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and the Europa Centre near Zoo. Station.

As mentioned earlier, Hertha never fill the vast arena so there should be no issues at all buying a ticket on the day.

 

 

 

 Here we are: Martin outside the ground.

 

I obtained a ticket for €9.50 which includes travel to and from the stadium, top flight football for less than you would pay for a League 2 game in England.

 

On tour, grab a souvenir: Tours

Your can do various tours of the stadium, either guided or self guided. I paid €4 for a self guided tour on a different trip to Berlin which lets you walk around the stadium at your own leisure and the rest of the Olympic grounds.