Eintracht Frankfurt Fanzone: Getting to know the Bundesliga’s soaring Eagles
Planning a trip to Germany's financial capital to see the Eagles of Eintracht Frankfurt soar higher than the city's famous skyscrapers? bundesliga.com is on hand to make sure your stay is one to remember...
History
Founded on 8 March 1899 as Frankfurter Fußball-Club Viktoria, a merger with Frankfurter Turngemeinde (a gymnastics club) in 1920 first introduced the word 'Eintracht' (united) into the official name.
Frankfurt Frankfurt's biggest success to date was winning the German championship in 1959 – a triumph made all the sweeter due to the fact they beat local rivals Kickers Offenbach 5-3 in the final – and they were also a founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963. They picked up silverware at regular intervals in the 1970s and 80s (see below), which was around the same time that an eagle was incorporated into the club's crest, giving the team their eponymous nickname.
More recently, Eintracht had bounced between Germany's top two divisions, although their last relegation was at the end of the 2010/11 campaign, and they have been in the Bundesliga continuously since 2012/13, enjoying DFB Cup success in 2018 and a UEFA Europa League campaign to remember in 2018/19 that saw them reach the semi-finals.
Honours
German champions (1959)
DFB Cup (1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 2018)
UEFA Cup (1980)
Intertoto Cup (1967)
Bundesliga 2 champions (1998)
European Cup runners-up (1960)
Coach
After three successful seasons under Adi Hütter, which included two great runs in the Europa League and almost securing the club’s first UEFA Champions League qualification, the Austrian has left for Borussia Mönchengladbach and been replaced by compatriot Oliver Glasner from Wolfsburg. The 46-year-old joins on a three-year deal to herald in a new era at Frankfurt.
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Star man
Andre Silva broke the club's single-season scoring record last season with 28 Bundesliga goals - but as has often been the case at Frankfurt in recent years, such exploits attract external attention and he's now joined Leipzig. The title of star man therefore falls on the head of Filip Kostic. The Serbian left winger was back at his destructive best last season with 14 assists - the second most in the league - and also came second in the division for chances created as Frankfurt came within a whisker of a maiden UEFA Champions League qualification.
Watch: All of Kostic's goals and assists in 2020/21
Last season
2020/21 was the first season under Hütter that Frankfurt weren’t competing in Europe, which looked to reinvigorate them after two long and arduous campaigns. They went the entire league season unbeaten at home for only the third time in their Bundesliga history and first since 1973/74. Eight draws in the opening 12 games didn’t appear too promising, but they clicked into gear by the new year and were in the top four by February. They remained there until a Matchday 32 derby draw to Mainz saw them overtaken by Borussia Dortmund and a first-ever Champions League qualification slipped from their grasp at the very end.
The stadium
Deutsche Bank Park – as it’s been known since 2020 – was built at on the site of Frankfurt's previous stadium – the Waldstadion, which had stood since in 1925 – at a cost of €126 million between 2002 and 2005 with a capacity of 51,500 (9,300 standing). As you might expect by now from a stadium in Germany, no detail was too minute and it is kitted out with (among others): a retractable roof, a 30-ton video cube that hangs over the centre circle, and a rain-water recycling system that covers almost 100 per cent of water usage in the stadium's toilets and restrooms.
In addition to hosting football matches - including men's and women's internationals - Frankfurt's home also regularly stages other major sporting and musical events. U2, The Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode and Bruce Springsteen have all played here, while heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko successfully defended his world title in 2010.
The city
Frankfurt is the fifth largest city in Germany, with a population of almost 2.5 million people in its urban area. Famed as the country's beating financial heart and the seat of the German FA (DFB), there is plenty more to see and do once you've finished marvelling at the skyscrapers in the banking district.
For literary fiends, a visit to the Goethe House Museum – the former home of Frankfurt native and a heavyweight German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – is a must, while the city centre and Römberberg square, which hosts the city's annual Christmas market, are another essential stop on any tour of the Hessian capital. Round your day off with a visit to the Palmengarten botanical gardens or a stroll along the banks of the River Main, taking in the historic monuments and buildings.
Getting there
Frankfurt is one of the most well-connected cities in Germany, a veritable transport hub of planes, trains, busses and trams that weave a web across every corner of the continent.
Frankfurt am Main Airport is Germany’s busiest, serving over 300 destinations across five continents, so is easy to reach from wherever you are. And remember: this is Germany, so once you arrive, there will be no shortage of reliable public transport to take you wherever you need to go, with Munich and Cologne both within two hours on high-speed train.
Getting to Deutsche Bank Park
In most cases, tickets for Frankfurt's home games double up as your ticket for local trains, trams and buses. If you're arriving on public transport, leave Frankfurt central station (Hauptbahnhof) on the overland trains S7 (to Goddelau-Erfelden), S8 and S9 (to Flughafen/airport or Wiesbaden) and head towards to 'Stadion'/stadium. Alternatively, you can take tram 21.
If coming from the south (Südbahnhof), take bus 61 (towards Flughafen/airport) to the stop Stadion Osttribüne (Stadium east stand). For those coming directly from Frankfurt airport, use the overland trains S8 or S9 (to Frankfurt, Offenbach, Hanau) connect to Stadion/stadium.
If coming by car, take the A3 or A5 towards Frankfurt and then simply follow the road signs with a football symbol. From the city centre, take the river Main bridges towards the south, then take 'Kennedy Allee' until 'Oberforsthaus', where you can find stadium parking.
Buying tickets
Tickets can still be bought via the official club website HERE.
Can’t make it? Watch here:
If you can’t make it to the stadium, Bundesliga matches are broadcast around the world. ESPN provides coverage in the United States, while BT Sports are the exclusive broadcaster in the United Kingdom. In Germany, Sky Sports show the majority of matches, with DAZN hosting one match per week.
Buy the kit
You can get your own Frankfurt jersey from the official club shop.
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