Stadion An der Alten Försterei

Stadion An der Alten Försterei was opened in 1920. The first match at the stadium was contested between SC Union Oberschöneweide and Viktoria 89 Berlin in a friendly.

Since then, there have been various renovation and expansion works to the stadium, including a two-phase redevelopment programme that began in the late 1990s and was finished in 2013.

Away fans are located in the corner of the stand called Wuhleseite. It can be accessed on the riverside of the stadium and is 200 metres away on foot from the street ‘An der Wuhlheide.’

The stadium is hugely popular with football tourists due to the fact that 80% of the stadium is standing room only, making it a bit of a throwback to a bygone era.

Public transport is advised for away fans due to the limited availability of parking on matchdays. More on this shortly.

Detailed information for away supporters can be found here.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei is made up of standing terraces. If you want to enjoy a seat, then you are going to need to buy tickets in Sektor 1, as this is the only part of the stadium with fitted seats.

Incidentally, this is also the best part of the stadium in terms of view of the pitch. Aim to try and get tickets towards the top of this stand to get the best vantage point possible.

In terms of atmosphere, the entire stadium generates super noise. The Union Berlin Ultras can be found in Sektor 2 behind one of the goals.

Seating plan

As the capital of Germany, you are not going to be short of options for pubs in Berlin. Some of the best places for a drink near the stadium include:

• Kilkenny Irish Pub – Am Zwirngraben 17-20, 10178 Berlin, Germany
• The Pub – Rochstraße 14, 10178 Berlin, Germany
• Murphy’s – Zimmerstraße 19, 10969 Berlin, Germany

By car

Union Berlin advise on their website that from either Autobahn A10 (Berliner Ring) or A100 (Stadtautobahn), you should travel on A113 until Abfahrt Berlin-Adlerschof. From here, they advise travelling towards Ernst-Ruska-Ufer and later, Köpenicker Str. and Glienicker Weg. Finally, fans should follow the street and take a left from Spindlersfelder Str, before taking on to An der Wuhlheide.

Parking is limited around the stadium, so fans are advised to take public transport. However, fans can try Forum Köpenick (Bahnhofstraße 33 – 38, 12555 Berlin), which is open until 9pm.

Fans can also try the multi-storey car park located at the Forum Köpenick shopping centre.

By public transport

Union Berlin offer advice from three different locations for fans travelling by public transport.

From Berlin Central Station, take the S3 in the direction of Erkner and exit at Berlin-Köpenick station. From here, the stadium is a 15-minute walk.

From Lichtenberg, fans can take S5, S7, or S75 before stopping at Ostkreuz. From here, take the S3 towards Erkner, and depart the S-Bahn at Köpenick.

If you arrive at Schönefeld Airport on the day of the game, take the S45 or S49 towards Sudkreuz or Spandau until you reach Berlin-Schöneweide. Union advise fans to avoid getting off at Betriebsbahnhof Schöneweide, which is the stop immediately before Berlin-Schöneweide. Finally, take tram 6o or 67 until you reach Alte Försterei station.

With a capacity of 22,012 for 1. FC Union Berlin home matches, Stadion An der Alten Försterei is the 38^th biggest stadium in Germany.

Schön, dass ihr da seid ❤️? pic.twitter.com/dryj1mLYg4

— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) March 21, 2024

It is worth noting that for music concerts, the stadium can hold up to 35,000 people, which was the case on September 3, 2015, when the American rock band Linkin Park played at a football stadium for the first time.

Stadium tours are available at Stadion An der Alten Försterei. Typically, the tours run at weekends and begin at 1:00pm. Tickets cost €9 for adults, €7 for concessions, and children who are six and under can go on stadium tours for free.

Included in the tours is a look at behind-the-scenes areas such as the dressing and press rooms, as well as exclusive VIP areas. At the end of the tour, fans can walk through the tunnel and stand pitchside with the lead tour guide.

Union Berlin are extremely well supported, and with the club’s on-field success in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, tickets are hard to come by for non Die Eisernen fans.

Tickets for matches are put on sale approximately three to four weeks before the game. The first 11,000 seats are sold to season ticket holders, as well as 2,500 tickets for sponsors, friends, families, and the press. Away fans are given an allocation of 2,200.

Just over 5,000 tickets are then left for the rest of the stadium, which originally go on sale to Union Berlin members in a lottery system. There is a secondary ticket market where season ticket holders can put their seats up for sale before the game, but these also go on sale to members first. To become a member of the club costs around €120.

When tickets become available, fans can buy them at the club shop located in the centre of Köpenick near the stadium or at the stadium itself. The most efficient way to look for tickets is on the club website, though. You can use the link here to check for ticket availability and change the language to English at the top right of the page, if needed.

Union Berlin’s main rivals are Hertha Berlin. Union Berlin were officially founded in 1966, and perhaps the most memorable game against their city rivals was on January 27, 1990, two months after the Berlin wall was brought down.

Union Berlin won the game 2-1 in front of 51,270 at the Olympiastadion, but players and supporters at the time described the match as an emotional event. Hertha Berlin forward Sven Kretschmer said, “Spectators were basically holding each other in their arms and celebrating.”

The first top-flight meeting between the two teams was in November 2019, which Union Berlin won 1-0. From November 2019 to January 2023, the city rivals played nine Bundesliga matches against each other. Union Berlin won six of these head-to-heads, while Hertha won two, and the other match was a draw. Hertha Berlin’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga in the 2022/23 season means the two teams will not play each other this campaign.

Record attendance: 22,012, Union Berlin 3-3 FC St. Pauli (October 17, 2015), 2. Bundesliga

Parking:

• 20 disabled spaces on stadium grounds – Can be reached via access road P1
• 30 disabled spaces inside stadium for wheelchair users/companions. Located in front of Sector 2 and 4. Can be accessed through passageways between Sector 2 and 1 and between Sector 1 and 4. Union Berlin tell fans to “not forget rainwear” as spaces are only partially covered.

Tickets:

Union Berlin provide the following guidance on ticketing for disabled supporters: “The allocation of day tickets for severely disabled persons and their accompanying persons is carried out via a lottery procedure among the members. The disabled fans’ representative Yvonne Kalisch-Vonhoff will take the order within the times of the lottery procedure via [email protected].

“To register for the lottery, a copy of the disabled person’s ID card and the membership number are required. The invoice and the tickets will be sent via print@home by e-mail or the tickets are also stored in the Zeughaus account.”

Union Berlin also provide a detailed guide for disabled fans travelling to the game by public transport, car or from the airport. Take a look here.