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| Welcome to ... |
For a long time I'd wanted to visit Zwickau - but not necessarily to see FSV and their new stadium. No, for years I'd failed to reach Zwickau to see them play at their old (old - they played somewhere else inbetween) stadium, the Westsachsenstadion. This was a stadium when, at Zwickau's peak (as BSG Sachsenring Zwickau), 55,000 attended a European Cup Winners' Cup quarter final with Celtic in 1976 (winning 1-0 and going through 2-1 on aggregate).
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| Look at this beauty...the Westsachsenstadion. |
By the early 2010s though, the terracing was crumbling and capacity was limited to 4,999, on small sets of 'temporary' metal terracing, on scaffolds. Only the entrance tower retained its glory. Then, as local politics took hold, the fans wanted to see the stadium rebuilt. €5m was invested/wasted on an underground reservoir to provide water for the pitch, which was soon given over to plastic rather than grass. A brand new ticket office was never utilised, so, with the stadium considered inadequate, in 2011, FSV departed to an athletics stadium in the suburbs, Sportforum Sojus 31. Think Withdean Stadium Brighton, though it held a paltry 3,000. Far from ideal, FSV stayed here for 5 years.
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| As close as I could get to Sportforum Sojus 31. |
The political squabbles continued, but with FSV having an eye on promotion to the national 3.liga, a new stadium was needed urgently. Thus, rather than renovate the Westsachsenstadion and spend good money after bad, they decided on a brand new site, on top of a hill, about 10 minutes walk from the athletics track (and about 4km from Westsachsenstadion). And how do I know all this? Cos of a chance meeting with a local who, on seeing me staring at an empty athletics pitch after FSV's game, asked if I was a groundhopper. I initially hesitated (due to an earlier experience; see later) but before I knew it, he (Benjamin) was telling me the history, before giving me a lift the few miles to the Westsachsenstadion, which he showed me around. 'The gates are always open' apparently.
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| THIS is an entance. |
This was a true highlight of my trip. That and the blackberries I picked on the far side of the stadium - the sweetest, juiciest, I've ever tasted. Ben also explained the FSV reticence / suspicion with regards groundhoppers: in years previous some fans involved in a fight were identified from a groundhopper's website. Thus at full-time today, while I was taking pics of the murals at the (current) stadium, a couple of ultras accosted me and asked me not to put any photos on the interweb. One left and I discussed it with the other (less intimidating) one. FSV had had their troubles with social media and therefore wanted nought to do with it. I argued fruitlessly about the positive benefits: publicity, which might encourage more spectators (groundhoppers?) to visit. Benjamin later said FSV fans (including himself) weren't really interested in these people. They wanted folk who came REGULARLY to support FSV, not simply come as a one-off. 'But you're nice and polite' he said to me, 'so you're welcome'. Isn't the first time anyone goes to a game a 'one-off' though? You can't be a regular till you've had a 'one-off'. Oh well.
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| A mural at the new stadium commemorating the Celtic game. Note the Scottish accent! |
I was very grateful to Benjamin. We talked of other things too, such as his friends who've moved west for work, why Erzegirbirge Aue are so much more successful than FSV despite coming from a much smaller town, and why he can't relate to the new stadium, so attends irregularly. I'm sure there's many a fan who can identify with that...lack of identity. But without his help (especially the lifts), God knows what time I'd have left Zwickau, cos there were some distances involved, and no guarantees I'd have got my directions right. Though visiting Westsachsenstadion did mean I'd avoid a possibly irate away contingent after an abysmal local derby defeat.
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| Not a good day for the visitors. |
I arrived in Zwickau about half an hour before kick-off, so I knew I wouldn't make it in time to see all the action. Stadion Zwickau (or 'GGZ Arena' under current sponsorship) was going to be a good 3 miles from the railway station. (I'd dropped my bags off at my hostel in Dresden, having come from Jablonec Nad Nisou in the Czech Republic). If I'd known how pushed for time I was, I'd have left my bags in a station locker. At Zwickau I followed directions to Neumarkt for a tram to the stadium, but as I never saw a single tram on my walk, were there any running? It was Sunday. I took no chances and briskly walked, including a long trawl up the hill, all the while following tram tracks. I did see one tram - going the other way.
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| I'm on the right track... |
I saw a sign for home fans and walked through a couple of fields used for carparking before arriving at a ticket booth. Would it still be open? The game had been going for 25 minutes. Yes it would. €14. The stars were further aligning, as the stewards let me in with my bag (with bottle of water). 'Is it cos I'm English?' and therefore no threat? '...errr...no. Because it is a very hot day.' This was something different, a German official not following instructions to the letter.
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| This way. |
I went straight to the terrace. 0-0, ideal. A local derby, so a packed away end, at least on the terrace. Three brave souls went against policy and sat down. The attendance was double the norm - 7,000 odd, in a stadium built for 10,000. It's a very smart stadium too. Although it's simply 4 stands, it has a unique design in that both ends behind the goal don't run the full width of the pitch. This makes each end a little more intimate, while giving easy scope for future expansion should FSV need it. The away end is split in two, with half given over to standing, while the home end is pure terrace. Either side are one-tier stands running the length of the pitch.
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| Match action. |
Meantime, in the match, Jena controlled the rest of the first half, without coming close to scoring. Then, with half-time looming, a FSV corner resulted in a penalty. Being at the far end,no-one had a clue what it was for. No matter, one-nil. And proof to an as-yet pointless Carl Zeiss that poor teams lose even when playing well.
Half-time, I bagged a beer, but I wasn't yet hungry enough for a wurst. I can't believe I've just written that sentence. I did though buy a couple of souvenirs from the ultras' stall, then found a more central perch on the terrace.
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| The away terrace. |
The 2nd half became a procession for FSV. The sun beat down and Carl Zeiss were down to 10 men following a mistimed last-man tackle. The win was FSV's, compounded by a late strike on the break as a forward was put clean through. All I needed now was a slightly menacing interlude before a personal tour and history lesson. Thanks Benjamin - this is to you!
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| The players' lap of honour. |
€14 ent
€1 prog
€2 plastic beaker
€4 badge
€3 beer (400ml, Wernegruner)
= €25
The Tunes:
Home Counties (St. Etienne)
Love Letters (Metronomy)
Loveless (My Bloody Valentine)
Lunatico (Gotan Project)
Maxinquaye (Tricky)
Stayed at:
Hostel Mondpalast, Dresden (£14)
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| Stadion Zwickau panorama |
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| The away end. Note the lack of fans in the seats. |
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| Some Jena fans get a cheeky view. |
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| Match action. |
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| FSV! FSV! |
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| Sitting in the sun. |
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| Paid for seats, but would rather stand. |
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| A Zwickau free kick is saved. |
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| The players celebrate in front of the ultras. |
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| Goodbye to ... |
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| Westsachsenstadion. Home to 55,000, once. |
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