Welcome one and all to this week's TLFG.
After a midweek groundhopping trip to Germany, Non-League Day preparation and various family commitments over the weekend, this week's piece is just maps again - apologies.
My Bundesliga mini-break saw me visit Signal Iduna Park to watch Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen 3-0 on Tuesday and the day after I headed east to see Wolfsburg snatch a late winner to beat St Pauli 2-1.
I also took in the German Football Museum in Dortmund and the Volkswagen AutoMuseum in Wolfsburg.
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| Meeting the locals in Wolfsburg |
It was great to tick off both of these grounds which were impressive in their own ways. The Dortmund fans were really friendly and there was little segregation inside the ground with Werder fans all over the place.
The vibe was a bit different in Wolfsburg but I got to meet their mascot and enjoy a cheese pretzel, chips and kinderpunsch to keep me warm on a freezing night - even the canal by the Volkswagen factory had ice on it!
As a railway man, it was also good to experience the DB ICE train service for the first time. As a railway employee here I qualified for free travel which was a big bonus.
Many thanks to my friend Ashley in Dusseldorf who facilitated the whole thing.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Champions League tops the bill this week but we also have some big games in the Premier League, EFL, Natonal League and Women's Super League.
All in all, there are well over 100 games to choose from within the M25 over the next seven days so there's no reason to get bored.
As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs and development matches. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.
Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.
Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.
It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.
MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin
WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin
If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.
Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!
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