Planning a Football Trip April 2018 - Football Trip ...

Planning a                  Football               Trip
April 2018
Following on from Planning a Football Trip in January
2018, February 2018 and March 2018 here a key dates to help
plan a football trip in April 2018. Not many of the games
have TV times announced so be careful when booking flights,
I’ll update this post in a months time when the times are
known.

     Weekend of 1st April – Eibar v Real Sociadad, Sevilla v
     Barcelona,
     Weekend of 7th & 8th April – St Etienne V PSG, Ausburg v
     Bayern Munich, Sampdoria v Genoa, Utrecht v ADO Den Haag
     Weekend of 14th & 15th April – Shalke 04 v Borussia
     Dortmund. PSG v Monaco, Milan v Napoli, Roma v Lazio,
     Atalanta v Inter, PSV v Ajax
     17th/18th/19th April – Torino v Milan, Inter v Juventus,
     Feyenoord v Sparta Rotterdam, Fiorentina v Napoli, ADO
     Den Haag v PSV, Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao, Willem II
     v Feyernoord
     Weekend of 21st and 22nd April – Bordeaux v PSG, Koln v
     Shalke 04, Eintracht Frankfurth v Hertha Berlin,
     Hannover 96 v Bayern Munich. Juventus v Napoli, Sevilla
     v Real Madrid
     Weekend of 28th and 29th April – Shalke 04 v Borussia
     Mönchengladbach Inter v Juventus, Torino v Lazio,
     Bologna v Milan, Fiorentina v Napoli, ADO Den Haag v
     PSV, Feyernoord v Sparta Rotterdam, Real Sociedad v
     Athletic Club

Planning a Football Trip to
France – Coupe de France draw
If you want to plan a last minute Football Trip to France then
you could see a few games by combining a weekend of league
fixtures with a Coupe de France game.

The next round takes place on the 22nd and 23rd January.

If you fancied a trip to Nantes you could combine their home
games v Bordeaux on Saturday 20th and the cup game v Auxerre
on Tuesday 23rd. Or you could head to Montpellier for their
games v Toulouse (20th) and Lorient (23rd). Strasburg is
another option with two home games to see with games against
Dijon (20th) and Lille (23rd). Finally, Monaco’s cup game,
which is a tasty match and tie of the round v Olympique Lyon
can be combined with either Nice v St Etienne or Monaco v Metz
on Sunday 21st Jan. You could even make both if you make use
of the helicopter taxi.

Bratislava: Slovakia’s new
national stadium in 2018
With capacity planned in excess of 22,000 seats, the new
national stadium will meet all UEFA Category 4 criteria,
allowing international games and possibly hosting rights for
the Supercup.

The previous ground at Tehelne Pole was closed in 2009
and     demolished      entirely     in    2013.     Despite
attempted groundbreaking in 2014 and some works in 2015, the
project never really took off. Now, with public support, it’s
most likely to succeed in delivering Slovakia’s largest and
most modern football venue.

Novo Balaídos – Celta Vigo
new stadium
The phased project was divided into several phases, in order
not to interrupt Celta’s use of the stadium. In early 2015 the
north stand’s lower tier was demolished and replaced with new
sections, much closer to the field. Following the 2015/16
season concrete roof over that same stand was removed and
replaced by segments of new one, much higher than its

predecessor. Aside from new seating and cover, the north side
will also get a strip of private boxes and additional
facilities under the lower tier.

Further works will include almost entirely reconstructed east
and west ends, both moved much closer to the field. South side
is expected to be the last one awaiting reconstruction.
Initial budget of the project was estimated to be under €30
million, but with delays and cost increase it seems unlikely
for the project to stay within the estimate.

Designs announced for new SC
Freiburg stadium
SC Freiburg fans finally saw how their new home will look in
mid-2020. With 36% of capacity dedicated to standing
supporters.

As selected by voters in the 2015 referendum, the city of
Freiburg decided to build a brand new football stadium in

Wolfswinkel area, beside a local airport. It’s part of a much
larger urban scheme that will see residential estates added
around.

Capacity of roughly 34,700 people is more than you might
expect from a stadium rising 25 meters above ground, though it
should be noted a very high percentage (36%) will be dedicated
to standing areas, particularly at the single-tiered south
stand holding 10,800 people. Should SC Freiburg remain in
Bundesliga, this could become one of the German top tier’s
most atmospheric stadia.

Remaining stands will have two tiers each, with a rather low
number of VIP/premium seats (2,000, of which 200 in boxes).
There are also 130 wheelchair spaces planned around the
stadium, while visiting supporters will get 1,800 tickets per
game, largely for standing room.

Early enabling works were announced to       begin in autumn of
2017, though the final approval won’t        come from the city
council until early 2018. The first game     should be played in
mid-2020, which means opening in either       final games of the
2019/20 campaign or early into the 2020/21   season.

Construction  Begins                                   for
‘Aghia Sophia’ AEK FC                                  New
Stadium
After many years of waiting, supporters of one of the biggest
football clubs in Greece, AEK, are witnessing the realization
of their dream, a new stadium.

In July the construction of the new state of the art stadium
began at the site of the old stadium which had been previously
demolished in Nea Philadelpia, western Athens.

The new stadium is planned to hold between 32-34,000
spectators, and works are scheduled to be completed by 2018.

AEK was established in 1924 as the club of Greek refugees that
were evicted from their homes in Istanbul and Asia Minor after
the Greece-Turkey war and the ‘Big Fire’ of Smyrna in 1922.

Stadium News – Ferenc Puskás
Stadium (2019)
The Ferenc Puskás Stadium is a football stadium under
construction in the 14th district (Zugló) of Budapest,
Hungary. The stadium’s construction started in 2017 and is
projected to be finished in 2019. It is planned to be an all-
seater with a capacity of 67,889. The Hungarian Football

Federation will meet all UEFA and FIFA stadium requirements
and expects to be awarded the 5-star rating when construction
is finished. The stadium is built in the place of the old
Ferenc Puskás Stadium.

On 19 September 2014, the UEFA appointed Budapest to host
three group games and one round of 16 game at the UEFA Euro
2020.

Demolition is well underway and contracts have been signed.
It’s now a race against time to get the stadium completed
before UEFA’s deadline.

Stadium   News                      –      HERTHA’S
FUSSBALLARENA
Hertha BSC would like to build a footballing arena with 55,000
capacity in the Olympiapark by 2025. “Privately financed, and
without impacting a listed landmark,” explains club president
Werner Gegenbauer

After being commissioned by the club, the architecture and
planning office Albert Speer + Partner reviewed over 50
potential sites for a new stadium both inside and outside of
the Berlin city boundary. The most important factors
considered in this review were area, connections to public
transport, local environment, public image, availability,
development opportunities and risk of conflict. In the end
they selected a site in the Olympiapark overlooked by their
current Olympiastadion.

Hertha is the last remaining club in the Bundesliga without

their own football stadium.           Whilst their current
Olympiastadion is certainly historic it is rarely full and is
difficult to upgrade as it is a listed historic building. The
current rental agreement with the Olympiastadion runs out in
2025, and will remain Hertha’s home ground until then.

Whilst the new stadium is still only at the planning
stage, Sporting director Michael Preetz said: “Hertha BSC is
going to offer an incredibly intensive stadium experience from
2025, just like every other Bundesliga clubs – Perhaps even
more so. The fans will be very close to the pitch, high rising
and loud. There will be atmospheric standing areas and all the
attributes of a modern stadium.”

Planning a Football Trip to

Basel
Planning a Football Trip to Basel? Free guide – where to stay,
eat, drink and how to get tickets & to the stadium.

Football Trip to Basel – How to get
to Basel & How to get around
Football Trip to Basel – Fly to Basel
The closest airport to Basel is EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse
Freiburg. It’s about 20k away. The airport is a major base for
Easyjet who fly offer UK flights from Bristol, Edinburgh,
London, Manchester and Luton.

Start your holiday in style and enjoy the experience of VIP
travel – book an airport lounge with Lounge Pass from as
little as £13.50. With 200 airport VIP lounges worldwide,
including 35 UK airports you can add an extra touch of luxury
to your next trip and make the travel experience a whole lot
better.

Directions from the Airport
On the Swiss exit Basel’s BVB bus No. 50 connects the airport
to Bahnhof SBB, which is the main Swiss and French railway
station in Basel. During weekdays, there is a service every
7–8 minutes and on weekends, every 10 minutes during daytime.
The duration of the trip is about 20 minutes.

Taxis from the Airport
Approximate prices from the city center to EuroAirport: BASEL:
50 CHF

Football Trip to Basel – Travel By Train
Getting a train to Basel is easy, it is just over 1 hour train
ride away from Zurich and under from 5 h from Munich and Lyon
and Chambèry, plus you can get a train to Basel from Milan
which costs just £17.50 if you book in advance and it takes
just 4h. A rail ticket from London St Pancras to Basel costs
as little as £74.50 if you book in advance and takes just over
7h.

Football Trip to Basel – Travel By Coach
There’s many buses available on the route from Basel to
London, which is why it’s of benefit to compare and contrast.
You’re likely to get a cheap ticket for £38.83 but when demand
is high, tickets tend to be a little bit more expensive.

There’s differences in travel time, depending on whether you
select a bus from FlixBus, Eurolines UK or Movelia: The
fastest coach from London to Basel takes as little time as 21
hr 45 min.

Football Trip to Basel – Travel By Ferry
It takes between 7 and 8 hours to drive to Basel from Calais.
Book tickets via DFDS Seaways.

Football Trip to Basel – Travel Around
Basel
Basel is compact and easy to explore on foot there is also an
extensive network of trams, local trains and buses connects
Basel with neighbouring regions and countries. The left-bank
of the river (Grossbasel) and right-bank (Kleinbasel) are
connected by a railway bridge, four road bridges and four
passenger ferries. Night buses (DE) run from Basel on Friday
and Saturday nights between 1 and 4am. A separate ticket must
be purchased for these rides. Check schedules and map your

route online.

Football Trip to Basel – How to Get
to the Match
Football Trip to Basel – The Stadium
St. Jakob Park is the largest football venue in Switzerland
and home to FC Basel. “Joggeli”, as the venue is nicknamed by
the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433
seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008 then
reduced to 38,512 for Swiss Super League matches.

The stadium is named after the village of St. Jakob an der
Birs, which stood on the site. The name “Joggeli” is the
diminutive of “Jakob” in the local dialect, making it the
equivalent of “Jake”.

Football Trip to Basel – Getting to the
Stadium
St. Jakob-Park is located in the south-east of the city of
Basel, about 3 kilometres from Basel’s city centre and
slightly less from the central railway station (Bahnhoff SBB).
Part of the St. Jakob-Park complex are a shopping mall and a
70-metre tall residential tower.

St. Jakob-Park has its own train station with the same name
(St. Jakob). Regular trains depart from Basel’s central
station for the 8-minute journey.

Tram line 14 connects the stadium with Basel’s old city
centre. Get off at stop St. Jakob. Bus 37 also connects with
the centre, and bus 36 with the north bank of the city.

Football Trip to Basel – Getting Tickets

You can buy tickets online via the club website
(https://ticketing.fcb.ch/Startpage.aspx?msg=0&ret=64)

https://www.fcb.ch/en-US/Stadion/Stadionplan-Preise#Prices

Tickets can also be bought by re-sellers such as Ticket Bis
and Viagogo.

HotFootballTickets.com – was created to provide Football fans
in Europe as well as fans from all over the world an easy and
simple way to purchase online from the convenience of their
home or Offices, football Tickets at excellent prices with
delivery directly to their Home or Hotel.

Buy your football tickets on the official site of
LiveFootballTickets.com. We offer tickets for the best matches
in     England     and     European      leagues      online.

Football Trip to Basel – Fixtures
When planning your football trip please note that the dates
shown represent the weekend that the game is scheduled to take
place and games are likely to change through the season and be
moved for TV scheduling.

Plan your Football Trip to Basel with our full list of
fixtures or Check the Swiss Superleague website when planning
your football trip to Switzerlandd for latest fixture
information.

The schedule for kick-off times in Switzerland can be found
our Planning a Football Trip to Switzerland page (COMING SOON)

Football Trip to Basel – Where to
stay. What to See. Where to Eat.
Where to Drink

Booking.com

Football Trip to Basel – Where to stay
Most of the things you will want to see are in or near the
Altstadt, between the main station and the river, so stick to
that area. There are several hotels on Centralbahnhofplatz,
next to the station, which is convenient for all forms of
public transport.

Football Trip to Basel – What else to see
& do
When planning a football trip to Basel it is always good to
know what else there is to see and do in the city. Here are a
selection of the best things which I found using our sponsor
Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet also has maps of the city,
details of all the best pubs, bars and restaurants and travel
information from the city.

4-hour Basel Card (www.basel.com/en/baselcard, $27). This
gives you freebies such as entry to Basel Zoo and reduced
entry fees to Basel’s 40-odd museums.

In summer, swimming in the Rhine is a popular (free) activity.

After you’ve had a visit to the Old Town, make your way to the
Cathedral. The Roman-Gothic Cathedral dates back to the 11th
century. It is situated on Müsterhügel (Cathedral Hill).
Behind the cathedral, high above the Rhine, you will find the
Pfalz platform. From this point, you have an amazing view of
the city.

Fondation Beyeler – This museum was designed by Renzo Piano.
It contains a collection of 200 odd works of classic modernism
that reflect 20th century art. The Fondation Beyeler is one of
the most visited art museums in all of Switzerland and
contains the works of Cézanne, Van Gogh, Klee, Matisse, Monet,
Picasso and more. This museum is definitely a must see!

The Kunstmuseum – You’ll find in this museum the oldest public
art collection in the world. The Kunstmuseum of Fine Arts
displays works from Holbein to Picasso along with special
world-class exhibitions.
Basel has the largest zoo in all of Switzerland.

Football Trip to Basel – Where to Drink
Brauner Mutz, a classic beer hall situated at Barfüsserplatz.
A good place to get in contact with locals and have a beer or
two. Never mind sitting at a table that still has a stool
that’s not taken.

Fischerstube, Rheingasse 45. +41 61 692 66 35. The oldest
brewpub in Switzerland

Restaurant Union (Altstadt Kleinbasel) There’s something of a
beer hall about Restaurant Union, but for a younger and edgier
crowd. The menu is suitably straightforward with no frills.

Kleinbasel has enough edgy bars for a lengthy crawl. Start out
at the year-old Ladybar, a former erotic club — though the
dancing poles are still in place, the current performances are
by artists, writers and indie-rock bands. Half a block up, the
quiet, introspective Agora draws in a conversational crowd,
thanks to a no-live-music policy. Closer to the Mittlere
Brücke bridge, the tiny Concierge Bar boasts just a half-dozen
tables, bottles of obscure grappa and schnapps, and its own
online arts magazine. Stop for a rest on the comfy couches at
the hunting-themed Jägerhalle, staring at the framed paintings
on the ceiling or entering one of the bar’s occasional table
tennis tournaments. Finally, finish things off right where you
started: the upstairs “Sääli” hall at Zum Goldenen Fass, one
of Kleinbasel’s coolest places for experimental live music,
bring-your-own-vinyl      dance   parties    and  theatrical
performances.

Football Trip to Basel – Where to Eat
Traditional Swiss dishes are on the menu at the charming
Gifthuettli restaurant (gifthuettli.ch/en, mains from $34).

The streets of the old town are lined with outdoor seating in
the summer.

Brötli-Bar at the Stadthof Hotel, Barfüsserplatz, has a large
selection of open sandwiches (“Brötli” to the Swiss).

Restaurant Zum Braunen Mutz, Barfüsserplatz 10, +41 61 261 33
69, city center. Great local food such as bratwurst with rosti
(around 20CHF) served in a traditional beer hall setting

Alter Zoll, Elsässerstrasse 127, tram no. 11 to
Hüningerstrasse, Serves excellent, homemade food for moderate
prices (lunch CHF 17.50, dinner CHF 20-30).

Football trip to Basel – Useful links
http://www.traveller.com.au/things-to-do-in-basel-switzerland-
one-day-three-ways-1mol6p

https://www.aswesawit.com/basel/

https://www.raileurope.com/blog/14134-things-to-do-in-basel

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/basel-basle-bal
e-ch-bs-bas.htm

https://wikitravel.org/en/Basel

http://www.express.co.uk/travel/shortbreaks/572202/Top-10-free
-things-to-do-Basel

https://www.myswissalps.com/basel

 The 10 Best Bars In Basel, Switzerland

http://www.helloswitzerland.ch/-/getting-around-basel

https://www.euroairport.com/en/

 The 10 Best Bars In Basel, Switzerland

https://www.timeout.com/switzerland/basel

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/travel/36-hours-in-basel
-switzerland.html?_r=0

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-deng/a-basel-brewery-and
-its-b_b_8974626.html

 Basel Travel Guide

http://beta.latimes.com/travel/europe/la-trb-tips-switzerland-
budget-20150724-story.html

http://theroamingrenegades.com/2015/07/a-long-weekend-in-basel
-switzerland-on.html

Stadium News – Club Brugge
get approval to build Stadion
Brugge
Last month the Flemish Government gave approval for Club
Brugge to build their new Stadion Brugge.

The 40,000-capacity arena is planned along major route leading
north from the city, Blankenbergse Steenweg.