Five things the English Premier League can learn from the German Bundesliga

Nov 18, 2008

By Jeremy Wilson

Winter break

Germany has a smaller league and one less cup competition, allowing the players a winter break of around six weeks. It means they are fresher and less likely to be injured for summer tournaments. The international team, who have reached the semi-finals or better in 15 out of 22 major tournaments since 1966, appear to have been reaping the benefit.

Pricing

Borussia Monchengladbach is typical of the ticket pricing system across Germany, where no ticket costs more than €40 (£34) and the lowest priced tickets are €8.50 (£7.00) for adults. Under-16s can also buy tickets for as little as €5 (£4). Adult season tickets start at €120 (£95), while the cost of a programme for Saturday's match against Bayern Munich was €1(0.80p).

Financial prudence

Bundesliga clubs have much lower revenues but still recorded a combined operating profit of £210million almost twice the level for Premier League clubs in 2006-7. This was largely because clubs spend an average of 45 per cent of their turnovers on wages compared with 63 per cent in the Premier League. To many analysts, it is a more sustainable ratio, although the difficulty of attracting the world's best players is obvious.

Firm broadcast restrictions

At present, one Bundesliga match is played on a Friday night and two on a Sunday with the other 12 teams kicking off at 3.30pm on a Saturday. The German competition commission recently ruled out a proposed TV deal because it threatened Sportschau, the Saturday free-to-air highlights show.

Of England, Bernhard Heitzer, president of the commission, said. "The results of their national team in the big competitions don't seem to have been helped by the blessings of high pay-TV income."

Safe standing

There have been various campaigns in England for the return of terraces after all-seater stadiums became compulsory in the top two divisions in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy, with surveys suggesting that as many as 90 per cent of fans would like the option to stand. The 'safe standing' areas in the Bundesliga are regarded as the main reason for what are arguably the best football atmospheres across Europe.

Source: Telegraph

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