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Fun and fans: The charm of Bundesliga 2
The Straits Times
|May 02, 2025
Driven by huge crowds, unpredictable results and some of Germany's biggest clubs including Hamburg and Schalke, the Bundesliga 2 broke through the billion-euro revenue barrier last season to become Europe's wealthiest second division.
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BERLIN -
According to figures from the German Football League (DFL), midway through the 2024-25 season, the second-tier's average attendance of 30,329 was greater than the Spanish and French first divisions.
La Liga games averaged crowds of 29,875 with those in France's Ligue 1 attracting 27,173 spectators per game.
On one match day in February 2024, the Bundesliga 2 averaged more fans than the German top flight for the first time, a feat which has since been repeated on several occasions.
World Cup-winning striker Jurgen Klinsmann had played 61 games in the German second division for Stuttgarter Kickers, scoring 22 times, before moving to first-division rivals VfB Stuttgart.
Now living in California, he still keeps up with the German second division, calling the atmosphere "absolutely insane".
"The second Bundesliga is really fun to watch," he said from his Los Angeles home. "I watch it quite a lot."
This story is from the May 02, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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