Post by QPR Report on Nov 30, 2008 21:55:18 GMT
Way to go Germany
Jamie Jackson/Guardian
Up close and personal: English clubs could learn a thing or two from the Bundesliga about fan worshipThe easier access to German clubs for journalists and fans alike makes a refreshing change from the secrecy surrounding teams in England
1899 Hoffenheim are currently top of the Bundesliga. Earlier this week I was in south-west Germany to interview their coach, Ralf Rangnick, and some of their players. They have, as a club from a village of only 3,500 souls, quite a story.
But there was another striking element to the trip — a quality true of the entire Bundesliga and which has been evident during previous trips to Germany — the free access to clubs, and not only for journalists.
On a visit before the country hosted the last World Cup, I was able to walk on to Hamburg's training ground unannounced, watch the players, observe various formations and then later grab Rafael van der Vaart for a chat.
On Tuesday, Hoffenheim trained in their tiny 6,500-seater stadium up the hill from a village that was frosted in snow. The place is disused now on match days but when the cold starts biting the stadium's undersoil heating has a purpose again.
I joined other journalists and locals who were free to wander in and observe Rangnick orchestrate his very young team — virtually all the current first choice side are no older than 23, he told me — throughout the training session. The players smiled, shook hands and were happy to be approached. It is the same throughout the Bundesliga. Even at Bayern Munich where the head coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, has "pulled down the curtains a little" as a club correspondent put it, nearly all training sessions are still open.
Can you imagine being able to stroll into an Arsenal practice to observe Arsène Wenger's mood on a gloomy Monday? Or take your children to watch Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes form a competitive five-a-side team at Carrington? Never mind having the opportunity to hear John Terry's bark up close or see Fernando Torres skin Steven Gerrard at Melwood, have a go at getting anywhere near clubs not even in the Premier League.
Last Friday I was in New Beckenham to try to doorstep a Crystal Palace player. The closest I got to the training ground was the eight-foot gate and a view of the players keying in the security code before driving through. I considered trying something a little old fashioned — calling the training ground to ask if I could be allowed to watch, but knew that no pre-arranged appointment probably meant I'd be laughed at.
In the Bundesliga this sealed-off distance would be seen as comical. There are all kinds of excuses for why access is basically non-existent, but the bottom line is that there is a heck of a lot untapped goodwill out there possessed by fans who would jump at a more direct relationship with the teams they love.
The Bundesliga has its own challenges of course — a lack of competitiveness in the Champions League is one — but in a competition that has more goals and higher attendances than the Premier League, surely the clubs here are missing a trick. Even a training session season ticket, priced at around £50 a pop — children free — would have great value and benefits for supporters and their clubs. Could it ever happen?
www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2008/nov/27/bundesliga-premier-league-access
