New Bundesliga schedule announced

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DFL to present schedule on 1 July

EURO 2008 is entering the hot phase, but many a fan in Germany is already turning an eye to the start of a new domestic season.

Supporters are eager to know who they will be playing when. And the waiting will soon be over.

Press conference on 1 July

The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga will unveil the 2007-2008 fixture schedule for the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga at a press conference on Tuesday 1 July. bundesliga.de will, of course, be reporting events live from the DFL's Frankfurt headquarters.

The two leagues kick-off on the weekend of 15-18 August, breaking for winter following matchday 17 (12-15 December). The season will recommence on the weekend of 30 January - 2 February.

The 34th and final matchday is scheduled for 23 May 2009 (Bundesliga) and 24 May (2. Bundesliga).

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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The curtain-raiser: North against South

Defending Bundesliga champions FC Bayern will start off the 46th Bundesliga season with a top clash. Bayern take on Hamburger SV, who finished fourth last season, in the Allianz Arena on August 15.

Werder Bremen, runners-up last season, will start the 2008/09 season away to Arminia Bielefeld. Elsewhere Bayer 04 Leverkusen entertain Borussia Dortmund.

The 2. Bundesliga offers attractive matches in the opening round, too. A South-West derby pairs 1. FSV Mainz 05 with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Relegated 1. FC Nürnberg take on FC Augsburg and TSV 1860 München pay a visit to SC Freiburg.

The complete fixture schedules with all 612 matches of Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga is available for download here.

The Bundesliga fixtures 2008/2009: Click here

The 2. Bundesliga fixtures 2008/2009: Click here

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Bayern handed tricky start

Jurgen Klinsmann faces a tough start to life in charge of Bayern Munich after they were paired with Hamburg on the opening day of the season.

Bayern will meet the northerners on August 15 at the Allianz Arena in what will also be Martin Jol's first game in charge of Hamburg.

The remaining Bundesliga fixtures take place over the rest of the weekend with the pick of the games seeing Schalke host Hannover, Borussia Dortmund go to Bayer Leverkusen and 2007 champions Stuttgart visit last season's 2.Bundesliga title-winners Borussia Monchengladbach.

The schedule does not get any easier for Klinsmann, who succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld in the Bayern hotseat, in week two as Bayern visit arch-rivals Dortmund.

The Bavarians finish their campaign at home to Stuttgart in what Bundesliga officials will no doubt hope will be a title decider.

Jol's first home game pits Hamburg against newly-promoted Karlsruhe.

TSG Hoffenheim's first game in the top tier will be away to Energie Cottbus and they face a tough closing match at Schalke, the week after they host Bayern Munich.

They will look forward to travelling to the Allianz Arena on December 6.

Cologne, who bounced back after just one year out of the top division, will travel to Wolfsburg on the opening day of the season and end by entertaining Bochum.

TeamTalk

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Creating the fixture schedules for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga is a long and complex process, which starts in mid-June after the licensing process.

Holger Hieronymus, DFL Chief Executive Officer for Competition, explains the creation of the fixture schedule and relevant characteristics in an interview.

bundesliga.de: Mister Hieronymus, how do the plans of FIFA and UEFA influence the Bundesliga's fixture schedule?

Holger Hieronymus: The Bundesliga's fixture schedule is closely connected with the plans of both associations. First of all the FIFA enters its dates into the national calendar, blocking time windows for internationals. In the next step the UEFA does the same for Champions League and UEFA Cup.

bundesliga.de: When exactly does the DFL start with the creation of the new fixture schedule?

Hieronymus: The DFL would ideally like to start directly after the last whistle of the previous season, but it's not that easy. When the 2007/08 season ended, it was not yet decided who would win promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, for example. Additionally we basically have to wait for the June 15th deadline. Then will be decided if the final licensing requirements have been met. Only afterwards we can start with intensive plannings. In doing so we not only consider the clubs' interests, but also those of the fans, of course. After all they're the ones creating the unequaled atmosphere inside the stadiums. The exchange between DFL and elected spokesmen of the clubs' fan representatives enables us to include new suggestions.

bundesliga.de: Is there anything special in years with big tournaments, such as the EURO or the World Cup? And what about the DFB Cup?

Hieronymus: In seasons with such big tournaments, the season will be especially adjusted to the requirements of such a densely-packed year, of course. We decided to have three mid-week matchdays during the 2007/08 season, for example. The DFB Cup final was played after matchday 29 and not - as usual - at the end of the season, to give the international players the needed freedom. Additionally we're in close contact with the German Football Association DFB and synchronise with the DFB concerning the DFB Cup.

bundesliga.de: Are there any changes in the fixture schedule for 2008/09, compared to the previous season?

Hieronymus: Yes, indeed. Together with our TV partners we agreed on a way of avoiding that teams have to play in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and again on Saturday in the Bundesliga. We want to give the clubs three days rest between European competition and Bundesliga matches, and we would have to move matches in that case. November 11th and 12th and one date in December are scheduled as replacement matchdays for the clubs concerned. In consultation with our TV partners a third match on Sundays is possible on rare occasions. The fixture schedule also had to be adjusted because of the re-introduction of relegation matches. As a result the DFB Cup final on May 30th, 2009 will be framed by the first and second legs of the relegation matches.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Bundesliga Round 1 Fixture :

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The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH has exactly scheduled the matchdays 1 to 4 for both Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.


The well-known systems for regular matchdays remain intact for the 2008/09 season.

Bundesliga:
1x Friday 20:30
6x Saturday 15:30
2x Sunday 17:00

2. Bundesliga:
3x Friday 18:00
5x Sunday 14:00
1x Monday 20:15

As in the past it is not possible to determine exact dates for the complete season.

Further determination of the exact dates will follow according to draws resp. qualification of German teams in UEFA competitions.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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any of you guy know who has the rights of broadcasting the Bundesliga for the 2008/09 season ?

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I Watch Bundesliga Every Season In Dubai Sports Channel ...
I Think also this season will be broadcasting ...