Watching Football - Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich: I’m going to start with Bayern Munich because that’s the team that we support, they are also the team that we have watched on multiple occasions so I feel like we have a pretty good understanding of how they go about their football.
First thing; it is bloody difficult to get tickets. To get tickets I became a member and each year I put my name into the ballot for seats. I have been lucky that twice I got seats but probably to one of the low demand games that takes place in January post the winter break. The challenge is that the ballot doesn’t until 6-8 weeks before the game so you are a little stuck in limbo. There is a resale market but they can be hard to come by.
The stadium itself is amazing, probably my favourite stadium to watch any form of football from in terms of getting into and around the arena, the seating plan is excellent with all seats having a good view and one of the things makes the experience more enjoyable it that the food stands are easy to access, its all very clear about which ones sell what type of food or drink, my favourite is the massive bratwurst. There is one interesting thing and that is that you purchase a cup for your drink and then get a refund after the match when you return it.
Getting to and from the stadium is also extremely simple and out of all of the different matches we have been to I think the crowd clears easier than anywhere else. There is a very straightforward walk from the stadium to the station and they do a good job post match getting everyone packed in and on their way back into the city.
Atmosphere: Germany is a great place to watch football, what I like is that I have always felt safe at the matches and the crowd is actually a really good mix of different type of people. Bayern always has 75,000 people for the crowd however its really only the portion behind the goal that get heavily into it. Comparatively to other teams we watched I can’t say they are the most vocal and I’m not sure why that is because other German games we been to have been a bit different.
Overall I would strongly recommend Bayern Munich and the Allianz Arena as a must do to watch football, you know you are going to see some of the best players in the world, the football is generally high quality, the place is packed, the fans are great to be around and the stadium is world class, and the price is great if you can land a ticket.