1.FC LOKOMOTIVE LEIPZIG (Bruno Plache Stadion)

REGIONALLIGA NORDOST, LOKOMOTIVE LEIPZIG 1-1 ENERGIE COTTBUS, ATTENDANCE: 6,299

For the final game of my latest weekend in Germany, I headed back east to Leipzig. The seeds for this visit were planted last year when I visited the city and took a tram (number 15 in the direction of Meusdorf) out of the centre to visit the Brauhaus Napoleon.

I noticed the Lokomotive Leipzig fanshop (which was no longer there but there is a stall inside the stadium) so I figured the ground must be nearby. It was. I went and had a little peek before resolving to come back and watch a game. I didn't think it would be this soon!

Lokomotive Leipzig play at the fabulous Bruno Plache Stadion. The ground has been home since the club was reformed in 2004. The ground was first opened in 1922 and the wooden stand, which was packed to the rafters today, was built in 1932. It is a truly fantastic sight. The rest of the ground is terracing and has a capacity 15,000 but for safety reasons the capacity is reduced to just under 7,000.

Lokomotive Leipzig are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year having been founded in 1966 when the club adopted the name. In 1963 a merger of two of Leipzig's most important clubs, SC Rotation and SC Lokomotive Leipzig, lead to two new sides being founded, SC Leipzig and BSG Chemie Leipzig. In 1966 SC Leipzig became 1.FC Lokomotive Leipzig.

However the origins of the club can be traced back to VfB Leipzig, who were founder members of the German Football Association in 1900 and the very first national champions in 1903. The club also won the title in 1906 and 1913 before the club was dissolved in the aftermath of the second world war.

After German reunification in 1990 Lokomotive Leipzig were placed in the 2.Bundesliga and changed their name back to VfB Leipzig. The club reached the Bundesliga in 1993 but they finished bottom and began a slide back down the leagues.

VfB Leipzig went as low as the Oberliga Sud before they went bust in 2004 and were reformed as a fan owned club under the name Lokomotive Leipzig. They had to begin again in the lowest level (11) of German football, the Kreisklasse.

After a series of promotions, the club are now back in the Regionalliga (level 4) for this season and today were hosting Energie Cottbus, who are currently experiencing their own slide down the leagues, having suffered two successive relegation's from 2.Bundesliga and Liga 3, having been in the top flight Bundesliga as recently as 2009.

It was Cottbus that had the better of the opening exchanges and it was no surprise when they took the lead after 12 minutes, though there was an element of fortune to the goal when a deflected cross was diverted into the path of Marc Stein, who headed home from close range.

Lokomotive were level after 39 minutes when a cross from the right was slotted home by Djamal Ziane to send the home crowd wild.


The second half was pretty even with both teams having chances but unable to find the winning goal. Cottbus finished the game with 10 men Benjamin Förster was shown a second yellow cards in the final minute.

   

A visit to this ground was my highlight of the weekend and if you have not visited the Bruno Plache Stadion I urge you to do so, I promise you will not be disappointed!