A Football Break in Berlin is a 4 Part Series written by Jack Gillies exclusively for Covert Football Trips following his latest experience in the German Capital City.
A Football Break in Berlin – Part 3
I might be a tad biased as a Hertha fan but a visit to see Die Alte Dame’s second team comes highly recommended and that is precisely what I did on the Saturday as Hertha II took on Carl Zeiss Jena in the glorious Berlin sunshine, I even caught a bonus game for free (but more on that later)
Hertha II came into the game with a good start to the season under the belts which had somewhat upset the odds while Carl Zeiss Jena who had been hotly tipped for the league title had been trying to recover from a slow start and clamber out of the relegation zone.
The day started at Alexanderplatz where I met up with two Irish lads over on a family holiday who wanted to do some ground hopping. After getting the S-Bahn up to the Olympiapark I also met up with my friends the Hertha Inters who are a group of international Hertha fans who regularly meet up at Hertha matches off all kinds and offer a warm welcome to anyone looking to come along to see Hertha play!
The Amateurstadion
An absolute must when going to see Hertha II play is a stop at Olympiacurry the food and drink stand at the Olympiastadion S-Bahn station is a massive hit with both home and away fans and is a nice place to sit and have a pre-match drink and laughs before heading along to the Amateurstadion. There was a group of really nice Carl Zeiss Jena fans who I had an excellent chat with both before and after the game and shared some laughs with it is moments like this that make football really great and when you are in Berlin for football you will always come across friendly fans no matter who is playing.
Some familiar faces! @TJMPodcast
The Amateurstadion is in the sprawling Olympiapark and is part of Hertha’s huge training complex my main piece of advice is arrive in plenty of time to allow for getting lost however, the ground is pretty easy to find from both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations. The stadium it’s self is very nice with a large stand and terracing (most of which is used for away fans) at the moment tickets are a digital pre purchase affair so make sure you buy your tickets in plenty of time before arriving. For games against the larger DDR clubs like Jena the stadium can get crowded, and seating is a free for all so again I recommend getting in nice and early. Beer and food stands are on site, but Olympiacurry is nicer and cheaper, so I recommend stocking up there first although I did partake in Beer and Wurst at the ground as well.
Always test out the stadium food!
Carl Zeiss Jena certainly brought the noise, and they even had a stunning tifo as well and that noise was rewarded as Jena took a deserves lead in the first half after that Jena goal the game was an even contest and was largely uneventful, so time was spent catching up with friends, chatting to my fellow Hertha fans are generally enjoying the nice weather. However, the game came to life again in the closing stages as Maolida found a dramatic late equaliser for Hertha II and send Jena fans home disappointed (not that it killed the spirits of our Jena supporting friends at Olympiacurry after the game)
Carl Zeiss Jena provided good away support
After leaving the Amateurstadion the plan was to head straight home but that didn’t last long as we spotted Hertha’s U19s playing St Pauli in the youth Bundesliga. While I had no idea of the score nor did I stay for any length of time it was nice catch a bonus game and tick yet another Hertha team off my list I just need to see Hertha Frauen play to have a full set of the top teams!
Hertha U19s v St Pauli
There was one last added treat heading back down to the S-Bahn station as I got to meet Hertha star Derry Scherhant who very kindly stopped for a photo and a chat! Really nice young player with a huge future ahead of him.
Jack meets Derry Scherhant
Again my Hertha bias might be shining through but Hertha II are well worth a watch with a lot of big former DDR clubs coming to town it is a huge chance to see a proper game of football and you might catch one of Hertha’s youth teams in action as well where you are at it! Olympiacurry is well worth the visit alone!
Cost:
A match ticket for Hertha II costs 10 EUR at the moment Hertha II do not offer a pay at the gate option and the digital ticket isn’t the easiest if you don’t already have a Hertha account so consider factoring this into your planning!
Getting to the stadium:
I took the S9 S-Bahn to Olympiastadion S-Bahn station from there the Amateurstadion is not a far walk depending on the fixture. For certain games the Police will enforce segregation between supporters so if you are wanting in the home end you will have to walk around the Olympiapark and in a different entrance. This came as a surprise to me but when I tried to go my usual route, I was very politely told by a Police officer that Hertha fans were to use an alternative route so you should allow plenty of time for that. The Amateurstadion can also be reached by S-Bahn line S3 and the U2 U-Bahn line.
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