Football fans all over the world would literally die cheering their clubs. Loyalty is the keyword in the sporting world. But no other sport fully understands the undying commitment and covenant underlying the beautiful game. German football clubs boast some of the world’s most loyal supporters, but which clubs are the best supported in the Bundesliga and how big is their fan base?
Supporters from all over the world and from diverse leagues would claim they would go to a boundless limit for their teams; ranging from the Spanish clubs, English and all. But German football clubs boast some of the world’s most loyal supporters, but which clubs are the best supported in the Bundesliga and how big is their fan base?
10. Kaiserslautern
They may be in Bundesliga 2, but Kaiserslautern boasts an unusual statistic when it comes to supporters. The Fritz-Walter Stadion holds almost 50,000 – around half the population of the city alone. Any town that can manage that means their club deserve to sneak onto the list.
9. Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt fans have had to endure some miserable times in recent years with relegation from the Bundesliga, but the Commerzbank-Arena sees more than 48,000 average for home games – a figure that puts the club in the top 20 of best-supported clubs in Europe.
8. Hertha Berlin
One of the oldest and most famous clubs in Germany, the Olympiastadion-based side don’t come close to filling The Old Lady’s 74,000-plus capacity home. But with an average of more than 46,000 at home games, it isn’t really Hertha’s fault their house is bigger than all rivals other than Borussia Dortmund.
7. FC Koln
With the fourth biggest membership of any sports club in Germany, FC Koln – or Cologne – should probably sit higher on the list. The average crowd at the RheinEnergieStadion is staggeringly just 600 under the capacity. That’s probably segregation between home and away fans! Remarkable when you consider Koln have been a yo-yo team in recent years and boast the record for most games without a goal – 11-and-a-half to be precise.
6. Hamburg
No trophies won since 1987, but that doesn’t bother many Hamburg fans. An average attendance of almost 52,000 at Volksparkstadion proves that point. The club have the record for the longest unbroken period in the Bundesliga and they’re one of the world’s top 20 supported clubs as a result.
5. Stuttgart
Think Stuttgart, think Newcastle United. A huge club with a massive fan base, yet both play in the second tier. Despite being former champions, supporters have not deserted their club in Bundesliga 2. You’ll find nigh on 47,000 average crowds inside the 60,000-plus Mercedes-Benz Arena – top flight supporters waiting for a return to where they feel they belong.
4. Borussia Moenchengladbach
For a club that has spent time outside of the top division, the Moenchengladbach faithful is incredibly strong. Crowds over 51,000 – a touch short of the 54,014 capacity – have made Borussia-Park a fortress with its famous Nordkurve.
3. Schalke
Schalke were just denied second spot by rivals Borussia Dortmund, despite their 142,000 strong membership which translates into average crowds in excess of 60,000 at the 62,271 capacity Veltins Arena. They continue to turn up in their droves despite a relative lack of success on the pitch – the last Bundesliga title coming back in the 1950s.
2. Borussia Dortmund
Imagine 81,360 budgerigars lined up and you’ll get the idea of what the sea of yellow is like inside the Westfalenstadion when Borussia play at home. It’s the biggest stadium in Germany, but it is no white elephant. The atmosphere is electric, created largely by the famous “Yellow Wall”, with more than half of the 145,000 membership attending each home game.
FCB are not only Germany’s best-supported club, they’re the world’s best too. Bayern boasts a staggering 277,000 members at the latest count in 2016 and fill out the 75,000 capacity Allianz Arena religiously. That’s a staggering 202,000 who can’t get in each home game if they all wanted to watch the same game! They could almost fill it four times over.
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