After having a season ticket for three years and having seen many other games before and after this period, finally the tour of the soccer stadium in Frankfurt followed. I had given it to my father as a Christmas present and it was about time we went there and did the tour.

The meeting point was at the east side. There a group of about 20 people gathered. Some were dressed in an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey, others really were asking for it: one arrived in a Dortmund jersey, a young boy even in a Bayern Munich jersey. And if that was not bad enough, it was one with Ribéry’s name on the back. Comment of the tour guide: “My boy”, and points and his jersey “you are at the totally wrong place here with that thing on.” Lovely start!

From there we first went to the fifth floor, directly inside the stadium to the press area. For me personally this was probably the highlight of the tour, because I sat down on the chair, where the reporters from the big newspapers sit. Sitting there I thought about that maybe one day I will be lucky enough to sit there myself. Standing there, we were informed about the architectual backround of the stadium, especially the roof which opens (or closes) completely within 15 minutes. It is unique in its size and therefore the “world’s largest convertible”.

Then we went two floors down, into the business and VIP area. Lots of wood work, bars on each side of the room and many little doors, which led to the individual lounges. We entered the smallest one – it is for up to six people, has an own bar (of course including personell) and costs 150.000€ per season. But: you have to book it for at least two seasons. On the other side of the lounge everything was just glass, so that you could look directly into the stadium. From there a door led right into the business seat area with leather chairs, where you can sit really comfortable and watch the match.

Luckily, afterwards we headed all the way down into the celler, because it was really hot inside the stadium. There we went into the press room, where coaches and players sit prior and after the match. At this point, the tour guide again mocked the little boy with the Bayern Munich jersey: “Exactly here Munich’s coach van Gaal was really upset the last time he was here.” (note: Frankfurt had won against Munich) I am happy that the boy interpreted this mocking as they were intended: with humor.

Directly next to this room we entered the mixed zone, where players walk passed journalists prior and after the match. Again, I felt some kind of magic here and I hope that it was not my last time there. After a short visit in the dressing room (which has a tv for the players who have to leave the field earlier due to bookings, so they can at least watch the rest of the match) we walked directly onto the field. It really is an impressive site and you get a great feeling, since it is simply fascinating. The grass was not pretty, since many public viewing parties had taken place there during the world cup, but that was only a side effect.

The last stop was the church, in which many have said their “I Do’s”, were baptised and Eintracht Frankfurt player Caio has prayed after a match. 90 minutes then were over and the tour ended with a voucher for the museum, which is only a few steps away.

After a short refreshment break, we walked through the museum and looked at the very detailed decorations and displays, read about Eintracht Frankfurt’s history and watched the most important moments of the team on small screens, which were spread out throughout the museum. My highlights, since I also was in the stadium: the 5-1 against Kaiserslautern with Jan-Aage Fjoertoft and the match against Reutlingen. One of Fjoertoft’s shoes, which he wore in the game, was goldened and can be seen on the photo above.

All together the tour of the stadium in Frankfurt is amazing. You are brought into all the important areas, many things are explained in detail and questions are answered honestly. I can only recommend the tour, even if you are not a soccer fan. The stadium itself has many surprises to offer. For just 9€ it is really a good price, since the museum admission alone would cost 5€. So: everybody to the stadium! And maybe not only for a tour, but also for a Bundesliga match.