Union TorneschGround: Torneum Fussballpark Visits: 1 Date: 29th July 2022 Match: Union Tornesch - Altona 93 2-2 (Oberliga Hamburg) Attendance: 628 When the draw for the 1st round for the DFB-Pokal was made (and once kick-off times were confirmed) I decided to book a trip to Germany. Over the weekend I was going to attend three games in the cup but first up was the opener of Oberliga Hamburg. From Copenhagen there are five daily trains to Hamburg and 09.17 I boarded a train at København H. This route used to include a ferry journey between Rødby and Puttgarden but nowadays the route is via Jutland. At 14.07 we rolled into Hamburg Hbf and with my hotel being next to the station I had no problems finding my accomodation for the night. Once in my room I relaxed for an hour or so before having dinner at a nearby restaurant. The opening match of the 2022/23 season in Oberliga Hamburg was Union Tornesch v Altona 93 at Torneum Fussballpark. From Hamburg Hbf the direct train to Tornesch takes around 25 minutes. From the station it was then 20 minutes by foot to the ground. On my way to the ground I passed a house with a Swedish flag and suddenly it felt like I was back in Sweden! I was outside the ground an hour prior to kick-off and there was already plenty of activity. Entrance was 6 Euros and there was no segregation of fans tonight. Torneum Fussballpark is quite a basic ground with only one small stand in the west side of the ground. For most games Union Tornesch only get just over 100 spectators but tonight the official attendance was given as 628, which is a very good number for Oberliga football. Altona 93 brought plenty of fans to Tornesch and those fans had an emotional rollercoaster. Altona started the better team and really should have taken the lead early on. Instead Union Tornesch made it 1-0 but at half-time it was 1-1. Early on in the 2nd half Union made it 2-1 but Altona once again managed to equalize. Union then had a player sent off but Altona failed in finding the winning goal and it ended 2-2. The weather was quite nice and it really felt like a big Friday garden party with plenty of drinks being consumed throughout the 90 minutes. I really enjoyed my visit to Tornesch but there was one interesting thing still to come. As I was waiting for the train back to Hamburg Hbf I suddenly spotted Dirk on the platform. He is one of the most high profile groundhoppers in Germany and I haven't seen him since 2018. He and his brother had also been to Tornesch and sometimes the world is really small. Once back in Hamburg I said goodbye to Dirk before returning to my room. Tomorrow my adventure continues with a trip to Berlin! ![]() Swedish flag! Torneum Fussballpark Ticket office East side South End West side Players and officials entering Kick-off NW corner North End East side East side Altona fans View of play View of play West side ![]() West Stand ![]() West side West side |