AUGSBURG PRE-SEASON GUIDE

On 27th June SAFC announced that they play a pre-season match in Augsburg against the local Bundesliga team. After 10 Years Sunderland returns to Germany (the last time was 2015 against Hannover 96, 1-0 win thanks to a Jeremain Lens goal). Like all supporters, we were surprised with this news.

It is a little bit disappoiting for a 10-year-old supporter branch which Chris Waters named as "one of the 8 dedicated international supporter branches“ not to get a message. Nevertheless we started organising plans for the match and can now announce a fan party to welcome the fans from the North-East. This will take place at the city centre of Augsburg, called Stadtmarkt.

Meeting point for the Party:

Marktgaststätte (Fuggerstraße 12a), Augsburg City Market "Stadtmarkt“ 86150 Augsburg.

What we shared on our Social Media pages is how you come to Augsburg and what you can expect from the city. The closest airports are Munich and Nuremburg. Both have a train connection to Augsburg and you have more than one train to get there. Another possibility is the Frankfurt Airport. This city is not so close but, different to the two airports mentioned before, has a direct flight connection from Ponteland. And also different: Frankfurt airport has a railway station. In Munich and Nuremberg you have to go by U-Bahn to the main station. From Frankfurt to Augsburg you need 3 hours, from Munich or Nuremberg about 1 hour. Please note that there is also a possibility to go by bus (Flixbus). It is definitely cheaper but the traffic around the big cities is huge and these buses aren't the most comfortable journeys.

Augsburg is a pretty nice city, especially in the summer. The "Fuggerstadt“ (how the locals call the city, named after the local famous noble family Fugger) is one of Germany's underrated towns. The beautiful city centre, which is very traditional in a Bavarian style, is worth to stay. Also a good point for families is the world famous hand puppet theatre, the Augsburger Puppenkiste. Many children, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, knows the stories of Jim Knopf and his locomotive. And you can also find something drink.

German Black Cats will be in the city with 13 guys, most of them signed for the supporter branch and we are happy to meet all the fans from Sunderland and to meet Black Cats Fans in Germany, who maybe not know that there is a group of fans in their country.

Let´s have a closer look on our opponent. FC Augsburg get promoted to the Bundesliga in 2011 and have remained there ever since. The biggest success was the participation in the Europa League in 2016. Last season they finished 12th. Although they had nothing to do with the relegation battle like the round before, supporters and the club were unhappy with their Danish head coach Jess Thorup. They sacked him after the season and hired former German international striker Sandro Wagner. Wagner, who played for Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin and SV Darmstadt in the Bundesliga during his playing days, is an unexperienced head coach at the highest level. He managed SpVgg Unterhaching in the 4th tier in Germany and get promoted with them. After that, he signed a contract with the German National Team to become assistent coach. His style of playing is discribed as offensive and many around the club hope that they can fight for a spot in Europe.

The team is very well-balanced and it is difficult to find the superstar. The most famous names are goalkeeper Finn Dahmen, who had a great season with a lot of clean sheets and Alexis Claude-Maurice. He is a winger and plays like Romaine Mundle or Jack Clarke (the good one who played for us, not the Ipswich one). Rumours said that he could leave the club, linked with a move to cup winners VfB Stuttgart. But the person who gets the most attention is definintely head coach Wagner, who was a famous expert on TV. He is a little bit like a Roy Keane. He makes jokes, is very clear and does not hold back with critics. His first press conference was full of journalists who wanted to ask the questions. This is not typical for Augsburg!

So, you see, it could be a fantastic day, the 9th August 2025. We are looking forward to welcome the Lads. Sunderland and Germany, that is a match. Rob Mason told me how much he likes Hoffenheim and a lady who we met in February at the Hull match loved to be in Moenchengladbach. So come over, have a good time and if you need support, don´t hesitate to send an email to us (germanblackcats@gmail.com) or a DM on Social Media.