Bielefeld is not Germany's most lively city and Arminia Bielefeld is not the most spectacular club either. However, you can have an excellent Saturday here, if you - just like us - believe in the holy trinity of beer, bratwurst and Bundesliga football.
The German language has many beautiful words for special football phenomenons. 'Fahrstuhlmannschaft', for example, which loosely translates to 'elevator team'. It means teams that a club is constantly promoting and relegating between two divisions, just like Arminia Bielefeld. In 2020 Arminia was promoted for the last time, whereafter they saved themselves from an eight relegation at the last moment. However, a year later their inevitable doom struck again as they were relegated back to Bundesliga 2. But the fact they got to the Bundesliga is impressive in itself, given the fact they still played in Germany's third tier in 2015.
The SchücoArena sounds a lot more modern than the stadium actually is. In 1926, Arminia already played here at the Bielefelder Alm, as the stadium was originally called. If you hear the word 'arena', you mostly think of a modern and monotone construction, but Bielefeld's stadium is anything but that.
The main stand of Arminia Bielefeld is almost in the backyard of the residents on the Melanchtonstraße. The stadium with 27.000 places looks from above like a giant letter C, with three stands connected to each other and the main stand standing more apart from the rest. The three connected stands only have one tier from the pitch to the roof, like you often see in older German stadiums. The offices in the southeast corner of the stadium are remarkable, which offer a view of the pitch, just like the stadium of Belgium's top side Anderlecht.
You can find Arminia Bielefeld's museum in the Westtribune of the SchücoArena next to the entrance of Block G and H. A small, but lovely exhibition of the history of the club, with several original pieces that relate to the club and the stadium.
In the heart of Bielefeld lies the Kesselbrink, the biggest square of the city. It's not your typical cosy square as it looks more like a giant parking lot, but for Arminia Bielefeld it's an important place. On the Kesselbrink they placed their first match ever back in 1905, against a team from nearby Osnabrück.
In the east of the city lies Stadion Rußheide, on the Mühlenstraße. This athletics stadium was used by Arminia Bielefeld at the beginning of the 1980s when their own Bielefelder Alm was being renovated thoroughly.
The biggest advantage of Arminia Bielefeld is the fact that ticket prices are relatively low. For just 20 euros you can visit a league game at the SchücoArena. The tickets can be bought through the club's official website.
Take exit Bielefeld-Zentrum on the A33 motorway, after 6 km the SchücoArena appears on the signs. Follow the signs and you'll be at the stadium within a couple of minutes.
Train station Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof has good connections with the Ruhr and with Hannover, Berlin and East Germany. From the main station, tram 4 brings you to the tram station Rudolf-Oetker Halle within a few minutes, which is near the stadium. From the back exit of the station, you can also reach the stadium on foot within 15 minutes.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency, SANTOS
