1.FC MAGDEBURG (Stadion Magdeburg)

3.LIGA, 1.FC MAGDEBURG 2-1 ROT WEISS ERFURT, ATTENDANCE: 21,079

Welcome back to my humble little blog. Hope you are all rested and recuperated and ready to go again!

Season 2015/16 got under way with a Friday night game at Magdeburg's MDCC Arena. This stadium has been open less than a decade, having been opened in December 2006. It replaced the old Ernst Grube Stadium. 

Magdeburg is the capital of the state Saxony-Anhalt and from 1949 until German reunification in 1990, Magdeburg was part of East Germany. 1.FC Magdeburg came into existence in December 1965 (so they will be celebrating their 50th anniversary later this year) when the football division was separated from Sports Club Aufbau Magdeburg, but that particular season ended with relegation. This ironically led to the start of the most successful period in the clubs history. 

Heinz Krügel was appointed manager and led the club to an immediate return to the top flight and also won the East German Cup in 1969. The club were East German champions in 1972, 1974 and 1975 and also won the cup again in 1973. This meant entry into the UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup, which they went on to win, where the beat AC Milan 2-0 in the final in Rotterdam. Magdeburg would be the only East German club to win a European competition.

 After the highs of the 1970's came the lows of the 1980's and, after reunification, the 1990's found the club in the lower divisions of German football. The 2000's saw the club consolidate in the Regionalliga before winning the Nordost title in 2015. This meant a play-off with Sudwest champions Kickers Offenbach, which they won 4-1 on aggregate. 

A banner on display from the FCM U-block ultras
highlighting the lowest point in the clubs recent history,
to remind people how far they have come

Magdeburg therefore find themselves back in a professional league for the first time in a quarter of a century. Naturally on such an historic occasion, plenty of people want to bear witness ensuring a near capacity crowd at the stadium this evening. Even in the town square before the game, as fans congregated for a beer or three, you could feel the excitement in the air.

There was a superb atmosphere in the ground, there is something different about watching games under floodlights, and the Magdeburg fans really got behind their team. The noise inside the stadium was up there with some of the best I have heard in Germany. For a new build, the place was bouncing!


Magdeburg were taking on old East German rivals Rot Weiss Erfurt and they, and the fans, were rewarded with a victory as Lars Fuchs scored a 89th minute winner. This was after Magdeburg had fell behind to a Mario Erb (31) strike in the first half.

Christian Beck (60) headed home the equaliser for the home side before Fuchs made the decisive intervention late on. A great way to kick off the weekends proceedings....

Not to be outdone, the RWE fans put on a show of
their support