Football Travel: 1. FC Magdeburg

Magdeburg: the city won’t tell travellers anything apart from history. It was in 1945 when British and American bombers destroyed the city heavily; it took more than 40 years for the city to recover.

Before 1989, 1. FC Magdeburg was one of the powerhouses of the East German Oberliga: three league titles, seven cup victories (from seven finals) and, above all, the European Cup Winners’ Cup 1974. Magdeburg is the only East German team to win a European trophy. It is the reason why Magdeburg fans suffer a certain degree of megalomania, something that was hard to overcome after the end of the Cold War.

FCM or Der Club as it is known among fans is not the oldest club in the city but by far the biggest and one of the best supported in Germany. In season 2017-18, the average away crowd was in excess of 1,000, the home games regularly saw gate figures of 18,000, creating some intimidating atmospheres for the opposition teams in the MDCC-Arena. That is the official corporate name.

Among fans, the ground is named after the greatest of the club’s managers, Heinz Krügel. It was under his guidance that Magdeburg had a golden decade between 1966 and 1976 when Krügel was dismissed under scandalous circumstances. The city and the club, however, agreed to name the square in front of the ground Heinz-Krügel-Platz and a statue of him has been unveiled a few years ago.

How to get to 1. FC Magdeburg

To get to the ground it is best to take the tram, line 6 and follow the masses towards the ground. It is unmissable. If you prefer to take in some of the sights of the city, you might as well walk from the main station, crossing the Breite Weg, Magdeburg’s prime shopping street, the river Elbe before entering the Eastern parts of the city which are very different in character: small townish, though not in a negative way.

The Club has been promoted to Bundesliga 2, which means an increase in ticket prices from last season. Season ticket prices start at €217 and go up to €518. Day tickets start at €16.50 for the North stand; you’ll be lucky to get one as this is Ultra Area and almost always sold out weeks in advance. The most expensive seats are on the main stand and cost €37.