Reflections on the Football Match

Saturday afternoon we took the students to SC Freiburg versus VfL Wolfsburg. The most immediate concern we had was the only tickets that were in the budget were those in the terraces. Having not been to a match in Germany I hadn't known what to expect with standing on the terraces for the game, especially with 24 students in tow. One great up-side of the hostel is that the stadium is immediately across the river from us. It meant that we had all of a five minute walk to the match. The atmosphere was becoming electric hours before the match as people were entering the stadium over 2 hours before the game was even scheduled to begin. Our choice was to go over an hour before the game and find spaces to squeeze into the stands. The number of bikes parked outside the stadium was a fantastic site, but most were way more trusting than I think I could be.


Once in we let the students find a spot where they wanted to be at and let them at it. The logic of that decision may not have been the deepest, but I figured we would stand out more as a large group than as smaller groups. It also came down to a decision that there were a great number of people already there and space was beginning to be a premium. In addition to being located in terraces I was not expecting that alcohol could be readily consumed in the stadium and brought back to your location. In the final analysis, the alcohol was not a major issue in the stands and there were not obvious examples of rowdy or aggressive behavior. That was actually refreshing to see as my vision is that the combination of terraces and alcohol drenched fans is not an optimal situation. The terrace opposite us, the north bank, was the much more raucous area to be in, and was vocal and visible throughout the match.


Freiburg were fast out of the gate, scoring within the first few minutes, but did little else productive as Wolfburg took over scoring a couple of beautiful goals and going in at halftime up 3-1. The second half was more evenly matched, but Freiburg could not easily find an opening to bring the score closer until after the 70th minute. In the closing moments with Freiburg pushing Wolfburg put the game fully beyond any grasp at 5-2. It was a great experience and something that the students talked about for the rest of the weekend. I think the biggest complaint came from the fact that many didn't come prepared for rain and it spent a good part of the first half raining down and not being caught by the edge of the roofing so those down lowest got a bit damp.

Looking reflectively back upon the experience, I am glad the students got to experience a match and that they had such a great time. I would never have thought that I would experience a game on the terraces or even be able to enjoy an adult beverage while watching a very entertaining match. It would be something I would see encouraging other students to experience. We even finished up the evening by doing a post-game cookout in the park next to the hostel that evening as the group meal here in Freiburg. The only thing that would have made the day much more enjoyable for them was to have seen Freiburg win, but most walked away with at least having a great time and scarves that they got to wave quite often during the early parts of the match.