Red Bull Salzburg football guide

• Who are yer? Red Bull Salzburg
  
• Where do you come from? Red Bull Arena
  
• We're on our way: Getting to the ground
• Bag a seat: Buying a ticket
  
• Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking
  

Thanks go to Martin Breslin for providing much of the info and pictures from his visit to Salzburg!

Who are yer? Red Bull Salzburg

HjkhjOr SV Austrian Salzburg, as they were known before a big (and some of their fans say bad) sponsorship deal that began in 2005.

The Red Bull company bought the club, renamed it and changed the club colours from violet and white to red and white. Some fans were so annoyed that after all attempts to reach a compromise failed, they went off to form an alternative club using the old name.

For those who stuck with the red and whites though, it's been a successful period in the club's history with the side beating of the challenge of the two Vienna sides at the top of the league.  That's added to three league victories in the 1990s and making the UEFA Cup final in 1994.



Where do you come from? Red Bull Arena


The Red Bull Arena was one of four Austria proudly presented to the world in the Euro 2008 championships.
 

Back then it was known as the EM Stadion but the Red Bull sponsorship deal saw the renaming of the ground - and indeed the club.

 

 

Warm up in the chilly winter: Inside the Red Bull Arena

Built in 2003, it was then expanded to hold 31,000 spectators and the new look ground was opened in the summer of 2007 with a match against Arsenal.

The stadium, based in the Wals-Siezenheim part of town, looks like an industrial unit from the outside but it's quite impressive inside. Behind one goal was a bloke on a stage with a mic getting people to sing which was funny.



We're on our way: Getting to the ground


You may well choose to stay in Salzburg, a picture postcard Austrian town famous as the birthplace of Mozart. It's a firm favourite on the tourist trail and as such it isn't always the cheapest of places to stay.

So if the lure of beer halls is too strong Munich is just a two hour trip away across Bavaria and could be a base for a visit to the Red Bull Stadium.

Buy a Bayern ticket in Munich and  it is good for regional trains in Bavaria (allows travel to Salzburg on German/Austrian border too). It costs €28 from machines at stations in Munich. Bayern ticket allows travel for up to 5 adults so great value if in a small group! Please note it only applies to the regional RE trains, not the speedier ICE trains - where you will encounter a frosty conversation with the ticket inspectors on board.

If you are flying into Salzburg airport, trolley bus 2 runs every ten minutes, with the journey to the main train station and city centre taking 30 minutes.

 

 

View from the outside: The Red Bull Arena in Salzburg

Once in Salzburg, the bus station is outside the main train station.

Bus number 1 goes from the station to the stadium via the Europark shopping centre and takes about 25 minutes from the station.



Grab a seat: Buying a ticket


With a capacity of 31,000 and average attendances under half that, it's not exactly tough to grab a ticket for inside the Red Bull Arena.

Tickets in 2009/10 were €12 behind the goal which was good value included a programme too at your seat. The ticket office is next to the club shop.

If you want to have one in advance you can try the website but it does require registration so pitching up on the day sounds like a better offer.



Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking

You can grab a beer or a red bull inside the Red Bull arena, and it's pretty cheap at €3 for beer!

 

 My round, there's no queue: Inside the stadium

 

The city centre has more than its fair share of restaurants and street cafes although they can be on the pricey side.