Who are yer? FC Basel

One of the biggest clubs in Switzerland right now - certainly if you go on gates, which are the highest in the land, in the biggest ground in the land.

The club has romped to 13 Swiss league titles, many in a halcyon period of the seventies. The eighties were less kind, seeing the side relegated. But they bounced back to the top division, won their first title for 22 years in 2002 and followed it up with three more top placed finishes since.

 

 

Whoa, whoa, we are the Basel boys: The home end inside the stadium.

European competition has followed and in 1974 they reached the European Cup quarter finals, going out to Celtic. They made the Intertoto Cup Final in 2001, losing to Aston Villa, and qualified for the second group stage of the Champions League back in 2003.

The club colours are the same as Barcelona - and legend goes that the Nou Camp club took their colours from Basel. Indeed in 2008-9 the clubs changed their shirts to more resemble each other. The logos, likewise, are incredibly similar.

 

 

Where do you come from? St Jakob-Park

 

 

St Jakob-Park is the largest football ground in Switzerland and was the main venue in the Swiss half of Euro 2008.

Built in 2001, it originally had 38,500 seats but this was extended to 42,500 via an upper balcony for the championships.

On arrival by tram it's hard to even spot the ground as it bears an uncanny resemblance to a shop and leisure park. That's because down the main stand side there are 30+ shops  and two restaurants spread across three floors.

 

 

It's hidden in their somewhere: The exterior of St Jakok Park

 

It

 

Inside St Jakob-Park - or Joggeli as it's better known to the locals - it is smart and modern, sandwiched between a main road on one side and a railway line right behind the other.

It is uniform around three sides with two tiers  whilst the main stand has a balcony and hospitality. The lively and vocal home contingent gather in the lower tier behind the goal to the right of the main stand - visitors are housed in the left hand corner.

 

Stuck in the corner: The away end, next to the main stand

 

 

Although Basel are the best supported Swiss club this still means the ground is barely more than half full for league games.

 

Despite this police presence was high and pretty overbearing on my visit to a run of the mill league clash - there's no widespread trouble at Swiss games but trouble at a title decider here in 2006 has put the authorities on their guard. Expect riot officers and horses, with major cordons around the away entrance.

Overall the ground ticks all the boxes with concourses lined with food and drink outlets, but like many modern stadiums it does lack some character and atmosphere.

It's one plus point is that it has a translucent outer layout, much like Bayern Munich's arena, which can be illuminated in different colours.

 

We're on our way: Getting to the ground

 

It's a long walk from Basel city centre to St Jakob-Park and frankly a bit daft as there are trams and trains that do the journey in about 15 minutes.

By tram, take Line 14 from the centre, either Marktplatz or Barfusserplatz, to St Jakob - the tram halt is at the corner of the stadium nearest to the away end.

Alternatively grab a suburban train from Basel SBB station to St Jakob. Easy, you see.

One bonus is that your match ticket entitles you to free transport  in Basel to and from the stadium around three hours before kick off, and two hours after.

Click here for a map of the stadium area

When you head out after the game, you need to grab a tram on the side of the main road nearest the ground - it's a bit of a free for all.

A word of warning too - I got the impression a few trams are laid on for match days with slightly different routes. The one I was on suddenly changed route at Viertel, shortly before the main centre, and I ended up being taken across the river at the dead of night and making my own way back. If you're not sure I'd hop off at the main junction of Barfusserplatz.

 

 

Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking

 

There is a sports bar in the shopping/ leisure complex that backs on to the main stand but i've not tried it so can't comment.

In sharp contrast to the middle of Basel, the area around the stadium isn't particularly enticing. With the tram route taking all of 15 minutes you may well prefer to grab a drink at one of the many pavement cafes in town. There's a good selection of these up the hill from Marktplatz.

TV options include the Irish bars - Paddy Reilly's offers sport, and is found in Heuwage, between the railway station and the old town.

Inside there's the usual beer and snack options at numerous kiosks - and on my visit trays heaving with beers for sale  were heading round the stand every couple of minutes for the first hour of the game.

 

Bag a seat: Buying a ticket

 

As mentioned, the ground is rarely more than half full so you can buy a ticket on the day without too much hassle.

However, if you want them in advance it's worth booking through the excellent online ticket system. It's relatively easy to follow, even if it is in German, and you get to pick your seats.

Expect to pay £25 to £50 for your seat. Go to https://ticketing.fcb.ch/

 

 

Grab a souvenir: Club store


If you need a souvenir check out the store at the end of the stadium nearest the tram stop - not overly busy when I went, but full of a lot of gear that looks very much like the Barcelona club shop. So if you like the colours and the look but don't much like Barca, it's fine for you.