Who are yer? The club

 

Hamburg are known as the dinosaur of the Bundesliga - one of the old giants of the german game. Though luckily not extinct.

 

For everyone in england they're known as 'that team Keegan played for' and it was during the permed player's time there that the club enjoyed their most successful period.

 

Hamburg's roots go all the way back to 1887 - but in modern history they were one of the original 16 in the Bundesliga in 1963.

 

However, it wasn't until the late 70s that they captured their first title. In a glory period they also lifted the European Cup Winners Cup, and in 1983 landed the European Cup by toppling Juventus 1-0 in the final - Felix Magath the local hero.

 

That tied in with back to back league titles - but amazingly Hamburg haven't managed to secure a fourth title for a quarter of a century, making do with a couple of domestic cup successes.

 

The past few years have seen top half or middling finishes but under Martin Jol the 2008-9 season has gone better, with the side jostling at the top of the league.

 

Where do you come from? The Imtech Arena

 

The Imtech Arena was among the dozen used for the World Cup and is one of the biggest stadiums in the land.

 

In fact it's such a landmark that if you visit the habourside's miniature world the stadium is one of the focal points of the city.

 

 

We are HSV: The arena, looking towards the away corner.

 

It's based in parkland right next to the Colorline Arena. So if you're boarding the shuttle bus from the nearby station and its' a full of schoolkids, don't panic.. you've not turned up to the North West Germany Schoolboy Tournament, they are probably going to Disney On Ice in the arena.

 

The old Volksparkstadion that hosted HSV since the sixties was demolished in the late 90s and the new stadium was rebuilt in time for the World Cup. And perched on a slight hill, the ground is an impressive sight from the outside.

 

Inside though you'll be surprised by how small  and enclosed it appears. It may hold almost as manty as the Emirates Stadium in London - circa 57,000 - but because a huge swathe at one end is terracing, it feels substantially smaller and everybody is much closer to the pitch.

The stadium is on two tiers, with the home fans congregating on the lower North Bank terrace  and the visitors in the far corner. The tiers are separated by a ring of executive suites and boxes.

 

 

The posh bit: The main stand at the arena.

 

 

It also features a clock - counting the seconds Hamburg have played in the Bundesliga. They joined the fledgling league in 1963 and haven't been relegated - the only team never to have gone down.

 

 

We're on our way: getting to the ground

The arena is a healthy distance out of the centre of town so I wouldn't walk it, although it's not a million miles from Altona district if that's where you're staying. The most straightforward way is via the S-Bahn to Stellingen, pictured here.

 

You can take the S3, which travels via the Hauptbahnhof, Reeperbahn and Altona stops, or the S21 which also goes via the Hauptbahnhof - from the main station to Stellingen it's around 20 minutes.

 

Heading out of the station, grab one of the shuttle buses that whisk you round to the stadium.

 

The journey takes all of ten minutes even if you hit all the traffic lights on red, although again it's further than you'd wish to walk.

 

The buses pull up (and leave later on) in between the arena and the stadium.

 

 

Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking

The ground's right in the middle of a park so frankly there's no parade of bars of food outlets on your way there. You're probably better off grabbing a drink in town, possibly along the Reeperbahn, before heading to the ground.

 

There is a small bar at Stellingen station - other than that it's your regulation kiosk options inside and immediately outside the stadium.

 

Bag a seat: Buying a ticket

With Hamburg enjoying some of their best football of late the arena sells out regularly, so pitching up on the day without a ticket isn't always a great idea.

 

Tickets are available online - click here to take you straight to the site -  but you can also give the ticket office a call. Don't be put off by the recorded message when you get through. Even with my dodgy german I just prompted for option one and it got me through to an english speaking operator. Call (from england) 00 49 1805 478 478.

 

They can post tickets abroad but you may prefer to collect.

 

 

On tour, grab a souvenir: tours and stores

The store and museum are found in the corner nearest the road and buses as you arrive. The store is a fairly extensive affair with the added bonus of a glorious view of the inside of the stadium.

 

Head upstairs and to your right for the museum and tours. Tours run every afternoon but in german so frankly unless you have a passion for the inside of away dressing rooms and more you may decide to settle for the museum.

 

 

Get your chequebook out: The club store, with great pitch views on non-matchdays

 

It's an impressive and detailed record of Hamburg's history and success. As you walk in the trophy cabinet stands proudly in the centre and alongside the various Cyprus summer tournament cups, there's the big daddy of football, the European Cup, won in 1983 - without doubt the club's finest hour.

 

You're taken back through the decades with shirts, programmes, pictures and posters.

 

There's a nod to Hamburger SV's other teams, including handball,  you can see Hamburg's ground before its modern transformation, and in the legends section Mighty Mouse himself, Kevin Keegan, takes centre stage.

 

There's a handful of videos to add to the static exhibits. The displays are all in german but you can opt for an english audio guide.

 

All in all there's enough to detain you for half an hour to an hour, although if I had one complaint it would be that the displays seem to jump about a lot - there's no timeline which could help those of us new to the club get a handle on their glory days and darker decades.

 

Museum opening: Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 7pm, except matchdays. Entry 6 euros, concession with Hamburg card, 4 euros concessions. Combined with tours, 9 euros. www.hsv-museum.de 040 551550.
Tour times: Monday to Friday 1pm, 3pm, 5pm. Saturdays noon, 2pm and 5pm, Sunday and bank holidays 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, although weekend kick offs disrupt this.