World City Guide

Sport

The city’s top football club is Eintracht Frankfurt (tel: (069) 955 030; e-mail: info@eintracht-frankfurt.de; website: www.eintracht-frankfurt.de), which does battle with Kln for the top position of the Budesliga (national league) second division. Tickets for Eintracht Frankfurt games are available from the team shop, Am Erlenbruch 25 (tel: (01805) 743 1899). The team plays at the Frankfurter Waldstadion, Mrfelder Landstrasse 362, in the city park (tel: (069) 678 040; fax; (069) 678 860; e-mail: info@stadion-gmbh.de; website: www.stadion-gmbh.de), which is also home to the Frankfurt Galaxy (website: www.frankfurt-galaxy.de) American football team (April to June). Although still in use, the stadium is currently being upgraded and improved for when the FIFA football World Cup comes to town in 2006.

The Ballsporthalle, Silostrasse 46 (tel: (069) 319 076), is the home of Frankfurt’s relatively new basketball team, Opel Skyliners (tel: (069) 3083 8864; fax: (069) 3083 6703; e-mail: info@skyliners.de; website: www.opel-skyliners.de), who were founded in 1999 and now play in the first division of the national league. In 2000, the team defeated Alba Berlin for the World Cup.

Rennbahn Niederrad, Schwarzwaldstrasse 125 (tel: (069) 678 0900), hosts horseracing from March to November.

Tickets to sporting events are available through Frankfurt Ticket (tel: (069) 134 0400; website: www.frankfurt-ticket.de), from the individual venues or their websites.

Sport und Bderamt, Neue Rothofstrasse 12 (tel: (069) 2123 3565; fax: (069) 2123 0720; e-mail: ffm.sport-info@stadt-frankfurt.de; website: www.sportundbaederamt.frankfurt.de), can give information on Frankfurt’s sport facilities, such as swimming pools, halls and ice skating.

Fitness centres: There are many fitness centres in and around the city, however, most only allow members. City Fitness, Trakehner Strasse 5, Hausen (tel: (069) 703 788; e-mail: info@cityfitness.de; website: www.cityfitness.de), is unusual in that it is both good and cheap, with circuit and weight training, as well as aerobic and other classes for 25 for monthly membership. Many hotels have fitness studios of their own or can offer the use of a nearby centre.

Golf: Schlosshotel Kronberg, Hainstrasse 25, Taunus (tel: (061) 737 0101; fax: (061) 7370 1267; e-mail: info@schlosshotel-kronberg.de; website: www.schlosshotel-kronberg.de), 15km (nine miles) from Frankfurt, is a historic castle with an 18-hole golf course. To play, one must be a member of an international golf club. The same rule applies at Frankfurter Golf Club, Golfstrasse 41 (tel: (069) 666 2318; fax: (069) 666 7018). Green fees for the 18-hole course are 50 weekdays or 60 weekends, with a valid golf pass stating a handicap not higher than 28.

Ice skating: Eissporthalle Frankfurt, Am Bornheimer Hang 4 (tel: (069) 2123 9308 or 0825), has two indoor ice rinks and a 400m (1312ft) exterior track. Home to the Frankfurt Lions hockey team (tel: (069) 405 8840; e-mail: office@frankfurt-lions.de; website: www.frankfurt-lions.de), it hosts ice hockey matches and other events during the winter and is open to the public daily 0900-2230 during the November-March high season, with reduced opening hours at other times of the year. Entrance is 5 (high season) and 4 (other times). Basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, boxing, dancing and table tennis tournaments are also held here.

Swimming: Swimming pools are plentiful and of a high standard. One of the biggest is Rebstockbad, August-Euler-Strasse 7 (tel: (069) 708 078; fax: (069) 7079 0991; website: www.rebstockbad-frankfurt.de ), which offers indoor and outdoor pools with wave machines and slides, as well as saunas, sunbeds and other facilities at an extra cost. A 90-minute weekday ticket costs 3.50. The baths are closed, however, from 22 April until 3 September in 2003 for major renovations and modernisation. Titus Thermen, Walter-Mller-Platz 2 (tel: (069) 958 050 or 2124 8100; fax: (069) 2124 8111; website: www.titusthermen-frankfurt.de), is an alternative, although it, too, is closed for renovation throughout March.

Tennis: There are indoor and outdoor courts at Freibad Stadion, Niederrad, Mrfelder Landstrasse 362 (tel: (069) 6780 4170), and Europa Tennis and Squash Park, Ginnheimer Landstrasse 49 (tel: (069) 678 040).