FC INGOLSTADT 04
JULY 2023
Founded: Feb 5, 2004
Club Members: 2,181
Nickname: Die Schanzer
Coach: Michael Köllner
Captain: Lukas Fröde
Bundesliga.2 Champions: 1
Website: www.fcingolstadt.de
A hundred years after many of their fellow German clubs were formed as a result of mergers, FC Ingolstadt 04 came into being when ESV Ingolstadt and MTV Ingolstadt joined forces in 2004. Unlike their peers however, many of whom spent decades as uncompetitive sides competing in local and regional championships before making their mark, the new club didn't waste any time getting on with the business of achieving success. Straight into the fourth-tier Oberliga Bayern, they finished second in their first ever season before going one better and winning the title a year later. Following another strong performance, this time in the third-tier Regionalliga Süd, their rapid progress was such that following a league restructure to create the 3.Liga in 2008, they exceeded the qualifying criteria required for admission to the new league and were instead put into Bundesliga.2.
After a solid start, a disastrous second half to the season in which they only won once in eighteen matches, saw them drop into the 3.Liga. Recovery was swift however and promotion via a play-off victory over Hansa Rostock the following season gave Die Schanzer their place back in the second-tier. By this time the club had moved into their new Audi Sportpark home and incredibly, only 11 years after they were formed, FC Ingolstadt 04 were a Bundesliga club after the Bundesliga.2 title was clinched in 2015.
After a couple of years spent battling it out with the heavyweights of German football, Ingolstadt tumbled down to the 3.Liga before a play-off victory last season against VfL Osnabrück secured a return to Bundesliga.2 as the club look to create the next chapter of their short but eventful history.
GROUND DETAILS
Ground Name: Audi Sportpark
Architect: arteplan GmbH
Built: 2009 - 2010
Year Opened: 2010
Capacity: 15,200 (6,000 standing)
Executive Boxes: 18
Business Seats: 1,350
Wheelchair Spaces: 24
Construction Costs: €26.5m
Undersoil Heating: Yes
Running Track: No
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Pitch Size: 105m x 68m
Website: www.audisportpark.de
Grounds:
Bezirkssportanlage Mitte (2004 - 2008)
Tuja Stadion (2008 - 2010)
Audi Sportpark (2010 - )
When ESV Ingolstadt and MTV Ingolstadt merged in 2004 to form FC Ingolstadt 04, one of the first questions was where would the new club play? They kicked off life playing at MTV's Bezirkssportanlage Mitte but success came quickly for Ingolstadt and promotion to Bundesliga.2 meant that ESV's former Tuja Stadion was more suitable. Although not quite up to the standard required, the German FA were sympathetic and allowed Ingolstadt a two year grace period during which they either had to renovate the Tuja or move into a purpose built new arena. After weighing up all the options, the plan to build a new stadium won out and, after a minor dispute between the site's former owners Bayernoil and the council about levels of land contamination, construction of the Audi Sportpark began on 22nd May 2009.
Built at a cost of €26.5 million, the new stadium opened on 24th July 2010 with a mini tournament featuring the home side, VfL Wolfsburg and near neighbours FC Augsburg, and it's rectangular layout is inspired by classic English grounds. A pure football venue with a capacity of 15,220 it has four covered stands (imaginatively named North, South, East and West) of identical height running continuously around the whole stadium. The most vocal home support gather in the part terraced South Stand, whilst away followings are welcomed into the opposite North Stand (Blocks H and I). The West Stand (main stand) has a row of executive boxes along the back and, as with the opposite East Stand, is an all seater affair running the full length of the pitch with 'FC 04' spelt out in black against the otherwise red bank of seating.
To keep the corners of the ground clear for potential stadium expansion in the future, the floodlights have been mounted on 12 distinctive masts on the East and West stands, and a couple of video screens in the south-east and north-west corners complete the look of the stadium.
BUYING TICKETS
Ticket Office:
Website: www.fcingolstadt.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 841 88557155
Email: ticketing@fcingolstadt.de
Average Attendance:
2022-2023: 4,962 (3.Liga)
2021-2022: 4,346 (Bundesliga.2) *
2020-2021: N/A *
2019-2020: 5,027 (3.Liga) *
2018-2019: 9,028 (Bundesliga.2)
* Season affected by COVID pandemic
Expected Ticket Availability
The online ticket shop offers both German and English language options so getting hold of tickets is a nice and straightforward process. Tickets for the home end can also be bought from 90 minutes before kick-off from either the main box office outside Block A in the south-west corner of the ground, or from the one at the back of the East Stand. Away followings are given their own Kasse (box office) outside entrances 3 and 4 in the North Stand.
For orders made within five days of a match, Ingolstadt won't post tickets but they can be picked up at the main ticket office from two hours before kick-off (and up to 30 minutes after) on production of your invoice number and photo ID. Foreign orders in general can be ordered for home and away matches but postage and processing costs an additional €12.50 per shipment.
Tickets are also available from the fan shops either at the ground (10am-5pm, Mon and Wed; 10am-2pm, Fri) or the branch on Mauthstraße in the centre of Ingolstadt (Mauthstraße 3, 85049 Ingolstadt; 10am-6pm, Tue-Fri; 10am-2pm, Sat).
Die Schanzer very rarely sell out and so apart from possible plum ties against Bundesliga opposition in the DFB-Pokal, getting hold of a ticket for any match generally isn't an issue.
Roughly speaking, for adults, tickets range from €22-€34 for seats, and it's €12.00 for a place on the terraces. For those wanting keep things traditional and buy their ticket on a matchday, Ingolstadt will add €2-4 depending on where you want to watch the action from.
Information about visiting the Audi Sportpark for fans with disabilities can be found at:
www.bundesliga-reisefuehrer.de
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Stadium Address:
Am Sportpark 1
85053 Ingolstadt
BY CAR:
Heading along the A9 from the direction of Nurembrg, exit at the Ingolstadt-Süd junction and follow Manchinger Straße in the direction of Ingolstadt-Süd/Gewerbegebiet before picking up the signs for the ground. From Munich, come off the A9 at Manching and follow the B16 in the direction of Regensburg. After a mile, turn left into Manchinger Straße and follow the signs to the stadium. There's plenty of parking spaces available either directly at the stadium itself (P1 and P2) or back along Manchinger Straße a couple of minutes walk away.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
There's no direct public transport connection from Ingolstadt’s Hauptbahnhof. So, if you're arriving in Ingolstadt by train and going straight to the match, then jump out at Ingolstadt Nord which puts you a short walk from the central bus station (ZOB) and from where you can catch bus 51 (Direction: Audi-Sportpark) to the stadium.
From the centre of Ingolstadt itself, you can catch bus 21 (Direction: Audi-Sportpark) and stay on until the final stop. Bus 202 is a 'football special' that runs from the ZOB every 30 minutes via Technische Hochschule, Stadttheater, Rathausplatz and Brückekopf; and makes the return journey up to 90 minutes after full-time. From the Hauptbahnhof, Bus 201 runs via the Pioneer Kaserne stop every 40 minutes. Your match ticket also includes the cost of your public transport in the Ingolstädter Verkehrsgesellschaft GmbH (INVG) for four hours either side of the match.
WALKING DIRECTIONS:
The Audi Sportpark is about four miles away from the centre of Ingolstadt, so using public transport is the best option. However, Google Maps is your friend when it comes to planning a route if you do decide to walk.
FAN SHOP, MUSEUM & STADIUM TOURS
FAN SHOP:
The main fan shop for all your Die Schanzer fanartikels and match tickets is at the Audi Sportspark itself (Am Sportpark 1, 85053 Ingolstadt; 10am-2pm, Mon and Fri; 2-6pm, Wed; two hours before kick-off and one hour after full-time on matchdays).
There's also a conveniently located FCI branch on Mauthstraße in the centre of Ingolstadt (Mauthstraße 3, 85049 Ingolstadt; 10am-6pm, Tue-Fri; 10am-2pm, Sat).
STADIUM TOURS:
A number of different tours are conducted including one that takes you behind the scenes to see all the build-up as the stadium gears up to kick-off on matchday. Information about them all and how to book can be found here.
FOOD & DRINK OPTIONS
The ground is built on a business park south east of the city, and so many fans prefer to have their fill of food and drink in the centre of Ingolstadt before making their way out to the ground.
At the stadium itself, the pre-match party gets going about 90 minutes before kick-off at the 'Fan Container' immediately behind the south stand.
The usual fast food options (chips, bratwurst etc) are sold inside the arena but the Audi Sportpark is a completely cashless venue and payment can only be made using credit and debit cards or via Apple Pay, Google Pay etc on smartphones.
OTHER CLUBS IN THE AREA
BUNDESLIGA: FC Augsburg, FC Bayern München
BUNDESLIGA 2: 1.FC Nürnberg, SpVgg Greuther Fürth
3.LIGA: SpVgg Unterhaching, SSV Jahn Regensburg, TSV 1860 München
