1.FC HEIDENHEIM (Voith Arena)

2.BUNDESLIGA, 1.FC HEIDENHEIM 0-2 SpVGG GREUTHER FURTH,
ATTENDANCE: 12,000

For the final game of this particular weekend I headed, from Stuttgart, to the town of Heidenheim an der Brenz, for another 2.Bundesliga game as 1.FC Heidenheim welcomed SpVgg Greuther Furth to the Voith Arena.

The town of Heidenheim is famous as the headquarters of Voith industries and it is they who sponsor the football ground. The ground is a fair distance from the train station but, adjacent to the train station, there is also a bus station. There are several buses running to the ground before (and after) the match, so I was quite happy to jump on and save my legs!

The ground is a purpose built football ground, meaning the fans are right on top of the pitch, and now has a capacity of 15,000. It was opened in 2010 and is built on the site of the old  Albstadion. The ground is another fine modern stadium, it also put me in mind of my visit to NEC Nijmegen a few years ago.

If you look at the club badge, you would think 1.FC Heidenheim were formed in 1846, many years before football as we know it today was actually created, which we all know was 1992.

However, like most German clubs, the date refers to the formation of the sports associations of which football was one of the departments. Heidenheim's history can be therefore (tenuously) be traced back to the mid 19th century but the football department wasn't actually founded until 1911.

The football department went its separate way from the association in 1922 with the formation of TV Heidenheim before renaming itself VfL Heidenheim in 1936. After the war, football in the city was played by both VfL Heidenheim and the original parent association, who had been joined by various other clubs in the 1930's, and went under the banner of TSB Heidenheim.

A merger in 1972 brought both clubs together under the original association name, from 1846, of Heidenheimer Sportbund. The football club once again went it's own way in 2007 under the name 1.FC Heidenheim 1846.

After years in the the lower reaches of German football the club won the Regionalliga Sud in 2009 and promotion to 3.Liga. The club had consistent top ten finishes before winning the title in 2014 to reach the second tier for the first time in their history. They have had comfortable mid-table finishes since and look on course to continue that trend once again this season.

Unfortunately for Heidenheim today wasn't their day as Greuther Furth produced a text book away performance. Despite Heidenheim making most of the running and creating most of the chances, the visitors were happy to sit back and play on the counter attack. It worked an absolute treat.

Two well worked breakaway moves were finished off by Robert Zulj (21 & 68) to ensure the points went back to northern Bavaria.

Post match the buses were plentiful and I was back at the train station very quickly after the game finished. There was lots of time for a beer before beginning the journey home, another excellent German adventure over. Until next time.... 

Until next time, Danke!