Tivoli Stadion in Aachen

Just around the corner from where I live, you can find one of the oldest grounds of Germany. Actually, this ground also could use a serious renovation. It also no longer meets the UEFA rules for playing international football. Alemannia suffered from some serious financial problems the last 30 years

Nevertheless, Alemannia Aachen is attracting big crowds every matchday.

The atmosphere seems to be unique in Germany.

Alemannia Aachen has played quite an important role in German football. In 1960 Alemannia had over 3.000 members and was therefore the biggest club in West-Germany. It was a complete surprise when Alemannia was not one of the starting teams in the new Bundesliga in 1963. How wrong this decision was is the fact that in the first season Aachen played in the Bundesliga (1968-1969), the club finished second. In 1970 the club almost bankrupted and dropped out of the Bundesliga. For 36 years the club played in the 2nd Bundesliga or worse and always had financial problems. In 2004 everything changed. Still in the 2nd Bundesliga, Alemannia played the final of the German cup (3-2 loss against Werder Bremen) and qualified for the UEFA-cup. In 2006 Alemannia finished second in the 2nd division and returned to the Bundesliga. There are also plans to build a new ground. To be continued!