For my next Swiss football groundhop, I would be doing my usual bar crawl thing but this time taking in not the one, but two football games. FC Breitenrain the first game, and the famous Young Boys of Bern (German), or Berne (French), the second. Football, beer, and fun, all in Switzerland’s capital city.
Bern, a German speaking city and capital of the canton of Bern, with a population of about 140,000, is the de facto capital of Switzerland. Technically the Swiss Confederation, with its many Canton’s, has no capital but since Bern has so many governmental institutions within its walls, such as the Swiss parliament and the Supreme court to name but two, it is referred to by the Swiss as their “federal city“. It is the political HQ of the country.
The name Bern came from the time, according to local legend and folktales, of Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, the founder of the city, who vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear. Thus the bear is the heraldic animal of the seal and coat of arms of the city from at least the 1220s. Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, the Bärengraben, to house its heraldic animals. Currently there are four bears, now kept in an open-air enclosure nearby, and two other young bears, a present by the Russian president, are kept in Dählhölzli zoo.
The city has some early Celtic history, having had a fortified town in the north of Bern early second century BC. Then Romans came along, some Burgundy rulers, the Romans again but this time under the Holy Roman Empire, after that in 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the formative period from 1353 to 1481. It was also occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars but the local citizens regained control of their city again in 1802.
Enough with the history, let’s look at a bit of geography! Bern lies on the Swiss plateau in the canton of Bern, slightly west of the centre of Switzerland and just north of the Bernese Alps. The city was originally built on a hilly peninsula surrounded by the river Aare, but over time, grew out towards the west of the boundaries and, due to immigration, expanded. From the hills you can get great views of the Old Town and the Aare river which loops around the city.
It is definitely a city rich in ancient architecture and lots of lovely sights to see. A very pleasurable experience walking round the streets, while looking for some bars to pop into, cough! The historic old medieval town (“Altstadt“) in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and includes an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets and a covered shopping promenade, all along a beautifully cobbled street.
Some notable people who have lived in this great city include clever clogs Albert Einstein, working in a patent office while thinking up the theory of relativity, Vladimir Lenin working on his revolutionary thoughts, Mikhail Bakunin the father of anarchy, Rodolphe Lindt chocolate maker, and Johann David Wyss who is best remembered for the famous The Swiss Family Robinson book.
Getting to the city is easy enough as it is fairly central in the country and the train station connects to all the major cities of Switzerland and beyond. It is the country’s second busiest train station. Bern is also well connected to other cities by several motorways.
Pub watch
Burgundy Bar
Address: Speichergasse 15, 3011 Bern
www.bern.com/de/detail/burgunder-bar
First bar of the day was this little place in the heart of the city called the Burgundy Bar. Small but cozy, at that time of the day, which was midday, it was quiet. Easy to pass by as the frontage looks more like a discreet bookshop rather than a bar.
Had a regular lager, tasted fine. Served with no fuss, all A.O.K
Drank up and went. Not much to say really as it was so quiet and not much happening this time of the morning.
Altes Tramdepot Brauerei & Restaurant
Address: Grosser Muristalden 6, Bern 3006
Crossed the famous bridge to venture over to Altes Tramdepot Brauerei & Restaurant (Old Tram Depot Brewery Restaurant), which was highlighted in all the guide books. It didn’t disappoint as the place looked brilliant, beer flowing everywhere, big copper vats on sight, Swiss style food served hot from the kitchen and the place was heaving with excitement.
Sat down and asked the friendly bar man (Alex) for some advice on what to order. Alex was kind enough to give me the low down on a few of the house specials. All beers are unfiltered, natural and are made without chemical additives. I opted for their Canadian Red Ale, which sure enough tasted fantastic. Even though the place was very crowded it was very easy to get a seat and also service was fast and efficient. I’d say you might have to wait if ordering food, didn’t look to be much spare room in the restaurant side of the place. It is a big place though so you never know!
Good vibe to the place, very friendly staff, and a great setting looking out the window at the River Aare that runs through the city. Has an outdoor terrace but it was a bit nippy the day I went, better leave that for the summer time.
They do offer tours of the brewery and explain how they make the beers, but unfortunately it’s only available in German. Hopefully they will offer an English tour in the future.
Was stuck for time so didn’t grab another pint (probably should have!) but was well impressed with this place and if back in the city for a football day out will be sure to reconnect. Recommended!
The Old City Irish Pub
Address: Kramgasse 28 – 3011 Bern
Made my way to the “Altstadt“, along the cobbled streets in search of an Irish bar. On the phone it got me the exact location but I just couldn’t spot it, until I noticed that there are some shops and the like doing business at below street level, down cellars. So looking closely I managed to find the small Irish bar, at ground level, and down some steep stairs, so be careful!
Was a small bar for sure, but very cozy, and all set out in the typical style one might expect for an Irish bar. Was happy to see they had Smithwicks, my go to beer when back home in the old country, so naturally went for a pint of Kilkenny’s finest, even though they also had Guinness and Murphys, so it was a tough choice!
Got chatting to the bar man, Mark, who was very friendly, chatting about football and the bar. I was surprised when he told me that the bar does live music. I couldn’t quite picture where exactly they would play in such a small bar, but then it is an Irish bar so I guess those considerations never really matter! Even musicians from as far as Ireland itself were due to play in the place over the next few weeks! Nice one.
Got a quick chat with two friendly lassies that walked in for a quick drink. They were telling me how much they loved Ireland and were eager to get back. I dont know, the rain can be a pain!
Nice bar which is small and cosy in the heart of the old city, good pint, friendly service, will be back for sure if ever back in Bern for a football day out. Recommended.
GOAL, Die Berner Fussball Bar
Address: Junkerngasse 1, 3011 Bern
https://www.goalfussballbar.ch/
Not far away from the Irish bar, just down the street and at the corner is a football bar called Die Berner Fussball Bar. Another bar in a cellar where you have to step down into.
But what a nice man cave of football and beer. Brilliant set up, with a lot of football memorabilia displayed all around the place, a decent little bar, and has live football on the box (Spurs V Arsenal while I was there). Brilliant.
Sat at the bar and ordered a Felsenau lager, a local brew. Bar was busy enough, a few Young Boy fans having their beers. Funnily enough I seemed to be the only one drinking from a large beer glass, while the young boys were all sipping beer from small glasses, typical Swiss style! Can never understand that kind of thinking, if you have a chance to drink beer, ALWAYS GO LARGE!!!!
Not much banter as everyone was concentrating on the football, but the bar man was friendly enough, had a nice demeanor. I spent the time just looking at all the scarves and shirts behind the bar. Boy I love stuff like this!
Beer was fine, atmosphere was good, quiet for a football bar but it was early enough I guess, pre match tension in the air perhaps.
A sofa at the back in front of a big screen, a pool table, table football, and a nice cozy bar, all the boxes ticked for those who like the comforts of live football on the box and free flowing beer. If you are a fan of the beautiful game then this is a must see on your itinerary to Berne. Recommended!
Barbière
Address: Breitenrainplatz 40, 3014, Bern
Just before I ventured off to see Young Boys of Bern I toddled into Barbière, a hipster “trendy” cunty place. Ordered their own home brewed beer, a pale ale of some type, which wasn’t too bad at all it has to be said. Place was busy, interior was the usual minimalist, modern, design-oriented look, and the vibe was relaxed. Also have a decent outside seating area set up for those who like to chill in the cool Bern Spring air.
Have to say the three young women working behind the bar were pretty hard working, handling all sorts of interesting orders and all with good grace, excellent to see such good work in a bar. Was really good to see such friendly staff that care for the work they do providing good beer to the thirsty masses, take a bow the bar ladies of Barbière.
Not a bad place if you like your hipster joints, friendly enough place, good pint, served fast and with a smile. Can’t complain!
FC Breitenrain
Arena/Stadium: Sports field Spitalacker
Location: Spitalackerstrasse 34, 3013 Bern
Capacity: 1,500
Manager: Martin Lengen
Founded: 1994
League: 1. Liga Promotion
info@fcbreitenrain.ch
FC Breitenrain Bern are a football team from Bern, Switzerland, who currently play in in the 1. Liga Promotion, the third tier of Swiss football.
The club, who play in red and white, were founded in 1994 as a merger of the clubs FC Minerva Bern and FC Zähringia, two rather small but old Bern clubs. The current logo of FC Breitenrain consists of the two logos of both merged teams.
The club plays out of the Spitalacker Sports Ground (“Spitz”). A small ground with a wooden stand, but which was originally the old ground of BSC Young Boys, who in 1931 moved to the their new stadium Wankdorf! Originally both FC Minerva Bern and FC Zähringia ground shared for many a year, but with little real success for both teams, so a merger was always the best option in a small ground with little support.
A team where some well established top league players like to “wind down” their career, and with some plucky management, has seen the club get promotion again and again since its merger to where it lies now, a well established team in the Swiss third tier. Not bad for a smallish team with a rickety old ground, albeit with a plastic pitch!
To the game
FC Breitenrain 1 – 1 FC Basel II
02.03.2019 • Spitalacker, Bern
Attendance: 372
• Robin Huser (79′ Basel)
• Enes Ciftci (85′)
Good enough game from two teams who are mid table in their league. Possibly Basel could have shaded it in terms of play and style, but FC Breitenrain battled hard all game and deserved the draw in the end.
Ciftci scoring a crafty goal near the end of the game to equalize for the home team, after Basel scored from a rebound in the 79th minute.
Was hanging out with the few Basel fans at the game, having the chat and the banter.
Also the staff manning the little bar in the clubhouse were well friendly and nice enough to chat to me in English and inquire about my visit.
Basic ground that could do with a small upgrade but kept going with a good dedicated team of volunteers and the locals who come out to support when called upon.
Enjoyed my few hours here. Beer, the chat, football and another ground ticked off the box. Love it.
Goals here.
BSC Young Boys
Arena/Stadium: Suisse Wankdorf Bern
Location: Papiermühlestrasse 71, 3014 Bern
Capacity: 32,000
Manager: Gerardo Seoane
Founded: 1898
League: Swiss Super League
Honours:
Swiss Championships: 16 (Last 2019)
Swiss Cup: 13 (Last 1987)
info@bscyb.ch
Founded in 1898, BSC Young Boys, or Berner Sport Club Young Boys to give its full official title, is a Swiss professional football club based in Bern, Switzerland, that plays in the Swiss Super League, the top tier in Swiss football. It is widely referred to as Young Boys, and the club’s colors are yellow and black. They are one of the longest-established and most successful clubs in Switzerland, with 12 Championship and 6 Swiss Cup titles. They play out of the the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf since 2005, the second biggest stadium in the country, an all seater stadium with a capacity of 32,000 people.
University of Bern students, brothers Max and Oscar Schwab, Hermann Bauer and Franz Kehrli founded the Fussballclub Young Boys on 14 March 1898. The four of them chose yellow and black to be the club colours and the name Young Boys was created in reference to the then very popular Basel club Old Boys. They first started out playing from FC Bern’s grounds, before moving to the city centre in the sports grounds in Schwellenmätteli. Admitted into the Swiss Football Association in 1901, it didn’t take them long to get their first Swiss Championship beating FC Neuchâtel 5-0 to clinch the title in 1903. Not bad for a team of only 5 years existence and coming from out of the shadows of FC Bern. From 1909 to 1911, they won a hat trick of Championships, while at the time playing out of Spitalacker-Platz.
After WW1 the team moved to Kirchfeld, winning another league in 1920. In 1925 the club moved again, but this time to the new stadium called the Wankdorf, with a capacity at the time of over 20,000. YB now had a nice spanking new stadium, which annoyed their city rivals FC Bern no end, because the older association continued to play at the small and outdated Neufeldplatz. A championship win came in the new stadium when Young Boys once again won the title in 1929, and a first Cup title came in 1930 in front of a home crowd of 30,000 (Capacity expanded in time, upto 60,000 for the 1954 World Cup!) crowding Wankdorf as the YB beat FC Aarau 1–0. And that was to be it for a good long while, 15 years in fact until the next league title or cup victory!
After WW2, in 1945, came the next success for YB winning their second Cup against FC St. Gallen with a 2–0 victory at Espenmoos. But within two seasons the unthinkable happened, the club were relegated for the first time in their history, down to the National League B. It would be three seasons until they returned to the highest league where they would then remain for over 50 years.
The golden times for the club were in the 1950’s. Under the German player-coach Albert Sing, who was a relative novice at the time, the Young Boys were four times in a row Swiss champions (1957 to 1960) and brought in 1953 (3-1 V FC Zurich) and 1958 (4-1 V Grasshoppers) the Cup title to Bern for the 3rd and 4th time. During this time (1958–59 season.) YB reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, eventually going out of the competition 3-1 on aggregate to French team Stade de Reims. Winning the first leg 1-0 with 60,000 home fans was not enough for them to advance, but it is still the best that any Swiss team have ever done in the European Cup, and probably will never be matched in all honesty! Albert Sing left BSC Young Boys in 1964 and is still the most successful coach in the history of the club.
In the late 1960s and ’70s, little success was to be found at the club. It wasn’t until 1977 that another Cup was won, the 5th under coach Kurt Linder, beating St Gallen one nil.
But the Championship remained elusive, that is until the early 80’s when success came under manager Alexander Mandziara and his brand of attacking football that brought a title win in 1986, the first in 26 years, and 11th overall. Another Cup victory, the 6th came in 1987, when Young Boys defeated Servette FC 4–2. Beating Real madrid one nil at home in the European Cup, albeit losing the tie 5-1, another rare highlight in the 80’s.
Young Boys developed financial difficulties in 1997 and so, for the first time since the 1946–47 season, the club were relegated to the National League B (today’s Challenge League). Things turned worse as the club were found to be over 1.7 million Swiss francs (€1.08 million) in debt. They were even starting another relegation in the face as many of the team left. But a drive for more money, through an increased share option in the club, helped the club to stay afloat and build a strong enough team for promotion, which they achieved in 2001.
In 2005 the club moved into the new premises in the new Wankdorf stadium, the Stade de Suisse.
In 2018, after a break of 32 years, the BSC Young Boys, following a 2-1 home win over Luzern, became Swiss Champion for the 12th time. They followed up that success when in August 2018, they qualified for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage for the first time in their history, after defeating Dinamo Zagreb with a 3-2 aggregate score in play-off round. The coach with the midas touch, Adi Hütter, leaves YB after nearly three years to take up the reigns with Eintracht Frankfurt, already making an impact there, going for an CL place!
As I write this (15/04/2019) they just added another title, their 13th after taking the Swiss Championship again for 2019, plowing ahead by about 20 points to cap off another memorable season. A great season where as I mentioned they qualified for the CL group stage and while not doing very well, they did cap it off by beating Juventus 2-1 at home, and yes Ronnie and all their stars were playing too!!! (had a nice bet on that one too!)
I like watching Young Boys, they were definitely a team of unbeatables under Adi Hütter. Winning back to back Championships is some feat, but they did it in style, taking total control of the league and losing games at a rare rate. Watching Kevin Mbabu bombing down the wings is a treat, its a shame that the Swiss national manager, Vladimir Petković, takes the piss and continues to ignore his celar skills and ability. No wonder the Swiss national team are dull and dour. Other players that stand out to me are the Goalie, Marco Wölfli, defenders,
Mohamed Ali Camara and the captain Steve von Bergen, a midfielder, and upfront, Christian Fassnacht, another player that should get more game time with the national squad. Young Boys are not just a winning team at the moment, but a team that also play good football, which is sometimes difficult to get in Switzerland!
The Stade de Suisse is certainly a nice modern style ground, easy to get to from the city centre (Tram no. 9) and no problems with general access. Costing 350 million Swiss francs, it was built on the grounds of the legendary Wankdorf Stadium, legendary for its rather interesting name, which was demolished in 2001. The new stadium is an all seater, solar powered and has a plastic pitch (disappointedly). The stadium was one of the playing venues of the Euro 2008 championships, during which it hosted three group matches. It has also hosted the Swiss national team and the Swiss Cup finals on numerous occasions but as it has a plastic pitch these types of games are severely limited (Reverted to grass in the Euros). When the football is not on the stadia can be used to host conferences and business and social functions, while the main area can be used for concerts where the attendance can expand to 45,000. The likes of Robbie Williams, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Muse, Depeche Mode, AC / DC, One Direction, The Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have all played here. The stadium is also home to one of the largest shopping centers in Switzerland!
The old ground was site of the 1954 World Cup final where Hungary were beaten 3–2 by West Germany in front of 62,500 excited fans, at that time a huge upset as the “Magnificent Magyars”, with the legendary Ferenc Puskás in their team, were the Brazil of their time. But that’s the Germans for you, grinding out a win no matter.
Tickets for a YB game can be bought online (through Ticketcorner), or at the Fan Shop at the stadium. It is easy enough to get tickets as YB games dont tend to sell out. General admission tickets are CHF 25.00.
To the game
Young Boys 1 – 0 FC Sion
02.03.2019 • Stade de Suisse
• Ulisses Garcia (90’+1′)
Attendance: 25,365
Young Boys left it very late in a game they, more or less, dominated. Garcia scoring the crucial goal for the Young Boys in the 91st minute against FC Sion.
Pretty much the whole game was Young boys attacking, especially down the wings and mostly with Kevin Mbabu whipping in perfect crosses for the YB forwards to hash it up again and again. Love watching Mbabu, easily my favourite player in this league. I do wonder when, and not if, he will leave to better pastures.
Although the YB forwards really should have put some of their early chances away with ease, it also has to be said that the Sion goalie, K. Fickentscher, was pretty immense, pulling off a few one handed saves that kept his team in it right to the end.
In the end the goal came, Garcia kind of fluking a shot that bounced off the ground and sailed into the net, very fortuitous I think. But they deserved the win and Young Boys again look like they will steam roll this league.
Decent game, in a nice ground with all the mod cons, supporters were fine showing a nice bit of colour and the odd chant at times. Had a few expensive beers in plastic cups and fast food that I could have otherwise done without but heh that’s par for the course in these modern day stadiums.
Highlights of the game here.
Overall
Loved the city of Bern, loved the cobbled Medieval streets, loved the underground bunker style shops, restaurants and bars, loved the views from above of the red tiled buildings of the Old Town and the bendy river. Many good bars with plenty of good beer. Yeah this is truly a great place to come for a footballing groundhop.
Neuchâtel (“Newcastle”) is a small city and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel located on Lake Neuchâtel, in the shadow of the Jura mountains and facing the Alps, in West Switzerland, not too far from the border of France. The French speaking town has a population of about 34,000 people and was originally part of the Holy Roman Empire and later under Prussian control from 1707 until 1848. (Prussia, a historically prominent German state, in case you didn’t know!!)
As for a day out, Neuchâtel’s has an attractive Old Town, with about 140 street fountains, a handful of which date from the 16th century, and classical Burundian architecture with rows of contiguous narrow houses on three or four storeys and through corridors. The beautiful Alps far off in the distance on view from the lake also offer something to behold. 
PMU Race Cafe 
This place wasn’t to far off the stadium so ventured in. Was intrigued as it had horse racing on, and seemed to double as a betting shop, a first for me to see in Switzerland. Fancied a flutter but unfortunately (or fortunately) it was only French racing so let that pass. 
Was heaving with Xamax fans who were very boisterous and all good fun. Had a few cheap lagers and sat down to enjoy the “show” the home fans were putting on…….smoke bombs and pyro, horse play on the roundabout, all good fun.
Had a few beers, well quite a few, in this bar, waiting for my train. Bar is dead handy as it is right next to the train station which is just damn perfect for me! Bar right at the door, dont have to make any effort so! Managed to grab a 
Small bar, but quite busy, as you can imagine what with it beside the train station. Service wasn’t exactly very friendly, bit grumpy in fact, dont think they were Swiss to be honest. A fella, serving behind the bar, Jesus a smile wouldn’t kill you! The waitress wasn’t much better. Ok we get it, a lot of noisy football fans are in town, but Jesus no one is forcing you to do work in a bar!
The name Xamax (and club nickname) comes from legendary Swiss international ‘Xam’ Max Abegglen, one of the founding members of the club. 
In May 2013 a merger happened between Neuchâtel Xamax and FC Serrières, another side from Neuchâtel, to create Xamax Neuchâtel FCS, to continue top tier football in the city. The quick success continued as the team won back to back promotions to find themselves at the Challenge League division, three successive promotions to the second tier of Swiss football. And then in the 2017–18 season, the club were finally promoted back to the big time, to the Swiss Super League. It was has if the near death of the club had never happened! 
As for Europe they have had some small success, relatively speaking for a small club. In the 1981–82 season they managed to get to the last 8th of the Uefa Cup, beating Sparta Prague, Malmo, Sporting Lisbon along the way before eventually losing to Hamburg, narrowly 2-3 on agg. If you thought that was impressive, well in 1985–86 season they repeated the trick, once again getting to the last 8th of the Uefa, but once again losing out 2-3 on agg, this time to the mighty Real Madrid, not without a brilliant 2-0 home win though. Pretty good stuff I think. They haven’t since reached those heights, but they did knock out Celtic in the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, four of those goals coming from the Egyptian footballing legend, Hossam Hassan, a result I well remember at the time as the Scottish giants were definitely not expecting their trashing, 5-1 in Switzerland. In that competition they were knocked out by Real Madrid, 4-1, but not without a lovely one nil win at home. In the 1987–88 European Cup, they also had an impressive victory over Bayern Munich at home, 2-1, but alas going out 2-3 on agg. So one can see, for a small club, they have had some notable achievements in European football. 
The team play in red with black stripes and line out in the Stade de la Maladière stadium where the club play its home games. Opened in 2007 the ground has a total capacity of 12,500 supporters. The attendance record stands at 25,500 spectators in the undeveloped Stade de la Maladière when, in 1986, Real Madrid came to town in the second leg of the last eight of the Uefa Cup to see the team win out 2-0 which sadly wasn’t enough to overturn the tie. Nowadays the stadium has been renovated to include a shopping centre, a sports halls and even a fire station! But its not all that impressive as the ground has a fucking plastic pitch, urgh! It is owned by the city council. 
Getting to the ground was dead easy as its not too far from the station, and you head downwards. The Maladière stadium is near the lovely Lake of Neuchâtel, and a stones throw from the red bricked Notre-Dame Cathedral that dominates the local skyline, you really couldn’t get a better location for a ground. 
Not the best game in the world, few chances, a lot of slow build up play, and huffing and puffing and hard endeavor, but will little quality on display from both teams.
After that chances were few and far between, with both teams having an opportunity to steal a winner, both the game petered out for a draw. A fair result to be honest.
It all started in 1788, when daddy François Piller, owner of the “Zum Lachs” inn, in the town of Fribourg, decides to have a brewery built for his son, who just recently graduated as a Bavarian master brewer, a nice fatherly thing to do (if you have the money!).
Available to buy in Coop, one of Switzerland’s largest discount stores. 
I like it, very smooth, a nice light bodied lager that is so very easy to drink. But fuck all in the bottle! Lots of malts and barley, grains, all balanced very well, mild hops, no bitterness or offensive tastes. 
Valaisanne, a small Swiss brewery, that produce exciting craft beers. They produce a range of beers, a Zwickelbier, a Pale Ale, and a Weizen. 
Comes in a very decent looking bottle that has a well designed label and logo with pretty lettering, stands out. Bought in Coop, local supermarket. 
Aroma of fruits and straw, all light though. Getting a red berry note. 
The Obermühle Steinen mill wanted a beer to celebrate its anniversary, so they approached Wäfler, a Lucerne based brewery, with the idea of producing a beer made from corn, as a gift to its customers. Unfortunately, over time, the brewery went bankrupt and so was the end of the special beer. But there was a clamour from the public who had got found of this unique beer. So a new brewery was needed to continue this production. Not least the beer was a financial hit for the mill too! In 1978, the Rosengarten brewery was asked if they would be prepared to produce a specialty beer with the maize from the Obermühle Steinen, and they agreed, and so in 1980 , the brewery launched the Maisgold.
The beer is brewed with a share of about 30% corn from the Bruhin mill and from the Linthebene, barley malt and hops. The corn causes it to be tasty, light and rather sweetish.
Initial taste is that its a very light beer, with a lot of malt.