@@zellhaufen8583 Thats not true. Northrhine-Westphalia gets a lot of money out of the Länder-pot to this day. Yes, the east recieves more, but thats kinda understandable. Also try to have a train trip through the east. Apart from the big cities it doesnt look any different to Gelsenkirchen. Reality is, Gelsenkirchen and most of the east just arent economically that competetive for different reasons. Until there's an economic upswing in these regions, no money in the world will help.
I never knew that I needed Lutz van der Horst explaining the Anzeigenhauptwachtmeister in bad English while being scared of pyros in an Alfie video in my life.
Hey. Heute Show is basically the German version of „the daily show“ and Lutz - the guy you met - is one of the off-site reporters. Heute Show usually has between 1 and 2 million viewers on regular television and a lot more on streaming.
Having lived in Stoke-on-Trent for a time, I cannot fathom the sheer gaul of some brits calling Gelsenkirchen and the general Ruhrpott area ugly. The stretch of Stoke down to Birmingham is the Pott ordered on wish Another great and fun Video, Alfie!
17:02 That dude is making a parody of a German "celebrity". So there's this dude called 'Anzeigenhauptmeister' (high master of complaintments) who wears a uniform similar to the man in the video. He rides around on a bicycle and files reports on people for small misdemeanors like parking wrong in his free time and sends hundreds of them to the local authorities. He even reported his neighbor for parking wrong. He's really harsh, like he will file a report, even if your car is just two centimeters within a no-parking-zone. On his uniform he wrote POLIZFI (a misspelling of POLIZEI, police) therefore that dude wrote UEVA instead of UEFA.
He doesn't do that anymore since people have beaten him up 😅 Also the police told he needs to stop and the mayor of Tübingen was threatening him with legal actions. Dude was hilarious 😂
Yeah, that guy however is Lutz van der Horst who works for a very famous TV Show in Germany, called "Die heute Show" - basically the german equivalent of the "Daily Show" by Jon Stewart in the US of fookin' A.
As a german I wanted to compliment you for your very nice report. So an englishman showed me Gelsenkirchen, sometimes UA-cam still is a beautiful place. Enjoy your stay in Deutschland ❤
People in 95% of Germany: "LUL he says Gelsenkörschen, not Gelsenkirchen" People in the south of Gelsenkirchen: "What are you guys talking about??? He says it exactly like we do"
Smart decision with Germany to have Gelsenkirchen as a host. Big football atmosphere, great stadium, and most importantly, huge economic stimulus to a struggling city
In the rest of Germany, Gelsenkirchen is exclusively known for Schalke. Nothing else. No cathedral, no beer, no bridge, no nothing. It IS a phenomenon.
@@deinvaterduhs If you are from Gelsenkirchen, you don't have any insight if you're known or not. Gelsenkirchen is a bubble within reality, everybody else isn't certain it's real. Nobody going there has ever returned to tell the tale.
Bruh the most unexpected Lutz van der Horst / HeuteShow x Alfie collab 😂😂😂 The guy‘s a legend in Germany, if he was more drunk you two could‘ve had a nice long conversation about the complex entagelments of football, politics and society lol
@@herbertbisdorf2717 you're right. sorry, been a while since i've watched highlights from that match, Huntelaar's goal is the main thing that stuck with me
Funny thing is: I'm from Belo Horizonte (mentioned in the first seconds of the video) and my grandma, who made me a Schalke fan, is from Gelsenkirchen! I was thrilled by this tiny coincidence and even happier with such a fantastic video about a city and football club that I've learned to love and cherish over the years. Long live the GEil Gelsenkirchen and my ever resistent Schalke 04 💙
It was a pleasure meeting you in Dortmund at the Italy Albania match and I actually mentioned I would be in Gelsenkirchen for the Italy Spain match so this is awesome to see. Cheers from the US
I respect your determination to pronounce every single german e like the e in the english alphabet and not the e from expert expansion or expactation. The Anglo Saxon is strong in you!
If you want to explain to a German where Gelsenkirchen is located, the simplest way is to tell him "it's near Schalke." The city quarter is more famous than the city itself, due to the football team. A large part of the population has Polish roots, migrants who came in the 19th century to work in the coal mines. The Schalke team which dominated German football 1933-1942 fielded many players with Polish names. The two most famous of them were Fritz Szepan and Ernst Kuzorra. One of them played for Germany once, the other two times. The Nazis wanted their players in the national team to be Germans, and disliked Schalke. But the team was too famous and popular to undertake measures against them, other than ignoring them when the national team was selected, or rigging some games against them. Until 1942 that is; after the fall of Stalingrad, many of its players were drafted to the army.
I have watched Kaiser Chiefs and it was pretty awesome. I think l was the only white person in the stadium. The standard of football was not great but really good atmosphere
@@jontalbot1lol the white people over herr stopped with the football and switched to rugby and cricket where we are more successful can't blame them though as our football quality has decreased and is poor
Yeah our football culture is kinda lame wish the soweto derbies was similar to the North African derbies with the teams fans divided in the stadium and pyros and flairs and banners derby games would be so much more lit than whatever we have now
“German trains aren’t that much better than English trains and that’s probably as strong of an insult as you can get” Americans(me, I’m Americans) weeping about Amtrak in the corner: 😢
Just rode one. Spent several hours in the middle of nowhere because some hayseed decided to sleep in his truck on the tracks in West Bumbleturd, North Dakota.
@@lougiacobbi725 no, instead a 3 mile long BNSF train takes priority over you so you’re stuck on the siding waiting for it to crawl by you while it goes 2 miles an hour
Underrated match banter from Alfie, looked like you boys had fun. Just to say im an Everton fan and fell in love with Schalke as they seemed like a German version of us, up the Royal Blues. My yearly FM first save is always 3 teams, Everton, Schalke and a randomly selected new team (Blackpool for FM 24).
That you just casually met Lutz shooting for the Heute Show is the funniest shit I've seen in a long time 😂 I was just sipping a drink when his face popped up and I had to laugh so much I almost chocked to death 😅 On another note, what an amazing video, actually looking at the city behind the games and at the culture. I hope you have more of this planned it is an absolute joy to watch
I am german as well, and not being a soccer-fan, today i learnt something about Gelsenkirchen from a Brit! Thank you, for your interesting video and you got a cool, calm style in presenting your stuff. I especially liked the historical background in the beginning, combined with you walking around the city. Cheers! (Btw. Lutz ist der Coolste!)
The interesting thing about Gelsenkirchen is that in the late 60's - early 70's, the German government offered a serious amount of aid to small glass producers with one caveat - some had to merge and move to Gelsenkirchen. So Gelsenkirchen still has a fairly good glass industry.
Gelsenkirchen is the most obssesed city and one of the vibrant cities in Germany and all of Schalke 04's home matches the loudest I have ever heard in a German football,good friends!!!:-D
@@KornWolf-ll8ji yeah there is a little bit of truth in there. Dortmund is also great but loudest fans I would also give it to Schalke. However, usually if you‘re going to VeltinsArena you won‘t see quality football 😄
Great to have met you Alfie and agreeing to having a photo taken with myself. You are a top bloke and just as nice as I thought you would be. Your work is great. This video is amazing. I came here in 2006 and it left a lasting impression. I described it as being “stuck in the 1960s” and I meant that in the nicest possible way. I remember that it was a small town centre - it seemed a lot bigger this time- very quiet with not much to do. And to top it all it had this amazingly modern and massive football arena. This time I ventured more and with my 2 mates we found this amazing brutalist building just minutes from the centre with a tourist information centre. There was nobody in and it seemed that there was a volunteer hub for the Euro volunteers. There’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye. I too found it very charming… I love a brutalist building…this is brutalist city. In 2006 I remember how great the public transport was and been telling everyone how great it was. I don’t know what’s happened this time. We went to the game and instinctively knew there were issues and it was apparent that it would not get better. We got to the town centre….it was empty. We got a Uber and thank God we did having heard the stories the next day. Keep up the good work Alfie….. And let’s hope England win… I would love for Gareth to win it…. He is much maligned for his style of play but that’s his trademark . I don’t expect anything different in our next game but we do look solid defensive and tight defences win trophies.
Heavily industrialized areas are always fanatical about their teams. Goes back to days when games were the only things they had to look forward to in otherwise grim lives. Lots of places like that, not just Germany.
Alfie, i'm so happy for you, for being over there and experience the Euros in person, deserved ! You even take the opportunity to make yet more interesting content 🖤
@@roberw1912 Wolverhampton is probably a much better comparison, both smaller cities in a larger conurbation, near coal fields and both with large historic football clubs.
I mean you guys came up with the Industrial Revolution and then someone took the ideas and brought them over to Germany, especially to the western part where Gelsenkirchen and many other similar cities are located.
One of your most insightful videos, very interesting, thank you for posting. I really hope Schalke can get back to the top of German football. Oh and was there doubts about Kane starting??? Don’t think so? His name is the first on the team sheet.
What a moment when one of your favourite UA-cam channels makes a video not just about your football club, but about your city. And one of the country's most famous comedians appears in the video and has to explain a German meme. I love everything about it.
Phahaahahahah, this is the most unbelievable crossover ever. This TV guy in highvis you randomly met is a very famous political satirist. Never expected to see you two meeting each other
As a schalke fan myself i have to tell you we have, since our relegation last year more mebers than our rival. Which is slightly more succesfull than as our glorius club.. great and very kind vid
10:54 😂 Yeah, I probably wouldn't have wanted to be on camera either because I'm shy. It's a very interesting video. I love these kinds of videos. They're so cool to know more about the history of the football/soccer teams. I love documentary series of stuff like this. It's just such a great game. The best of all of them in my honest humble opinion. Great job on the work of the video and please do more of these. :)
Geeeeeeeeeeeeelsenkirchen Schalke 1904! Für deine Farben leben und sterben wir! Du bist das was uns am leben hält! Schalke ist das geilste auf der ganzen Welt! 💙🤍⚒️
I was surprised to find out that the original ground, Glückauf-Kampfbahn, still exists. Its main stand is even listed/protected. Anyway, like the HSV I hope that Schalke will soon return to the Bundesliga.
As someone from Germany I can confirm that the Heute Show cameo of Lutz van Der Horst is obsolutely amazing. Edit: I also took like 10 secs to figure out why Alfie had to explain "public viewing" to viewers.
Great vlog I'm a iLife long Schalke my whole family comes from the Ruhr Gelsenkirchen is a little city with a big Heart. Football and Schalke is on everything.
As a Gelsenkirchen citizen I have to say that the Gelsenkirchen you know from 2004 has nothing to do with the Gelsenkirchen today. It´s so much worse today: (
My father went to the area somewhere around the early 2000s and I remember him saying how everyone would just take off during the weekend to watch football. It was very difficult to get something done in a factory if things broke down in the weekend XD XD. And like everyone there was like as you say a massive football fan and they were fiercely loyal. Most people if able went to attend the away games without fail, even taking off days for the occasion.
Gelsenkirchen being in the centre of the Ruhr area (one of biggest urban areas in Germany with over 5m people) probably also contributes heavily to Schalke's popularity. Just like the fan you interviewed many supporters aren't from Gelsenkirchen itself but from one of the many big cities around (Dusseldorf, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum etc.). Gelsenkirchen is more like a quarter of a much bigger city.
Found Lens in France to have the similar vibe as this. Not much to look at in the mining area of northern france. Not glamorous at all. But passionate fans with attendances of 40 000 most home games who create a great atmosphere!
2:24 aint no way you are literally walking the corner of the street my appartment is. Quite fascinating. And I bless you for giving the world a differentiated and more correct view on Gelsenkirchen.
I always forget what the town is called for Schalke and when I'm remimded of it it makes me smile. Then proceed to just say it over and over for 5-10 minutes cus its so German and fun.
If i had a euro for every single time I've come across a youtube video describing a random city as "the most football mad" city on earth, i could own every company listed on the frankfurt stock exchange.
i can remember when football manager (15 i i think) when they didn't have the rights to call Schalke 04 by their team name and they were called Gelsenkirchen instead, which i thought odd at the time but now i know a lot more about Gelsenkirchen . Thanks Alfie!
Ironic how Sky sports think of Gelsenkirchen as a shithole when there are plenty of similar cities in Britain 😂
To be fair the British would be very willing to describe those as shitholes as well
it' still the truth, after the 1990s all the money went into East Germany and then abroad, while those places in the West were left to fall apart
I'd argue worse even. Lived in Stoke for a time and yeah... Comparing it to the likes of Oberhausen is flattering.
@@zellhaufen8583 Thats not true. Northrhine-Westphalia gets a lot of money out of the Länder-pot to this day. Yes, the east recieves more, but thats kinda understandable. Also try to have a train trip through the east. Apart from the big cities it doesnt look any different to Gelsenkirchen. Reality is, Gelsenkirchen and most of the east just arent economically that competetive for different reasons. Until there's an economic upswing in these regions, no money in the world will help.
Tbf Gelsenkirchen is a shithole no one's denying that not even a Gelsenkirchener 😂
As a German, the cameo by Lutz van der Horst was the most unexpected thing that has ever happend in your Videos.
Wish you a good stay.
Bin auch fast vom Glauben abgefallen, als er ins Bild geradelt kam.
I never knew that I needed Lutz van der Horst explaining the Anzeigenhauptwachtmeister in bad English while being scared of pyros in an Alfie video in my life.
Now I’m very curious to find out if Alfie is going to make an appearance on the next episode of heuteshow.
echt so
Same
No way you casually met Lutz Van der Horst and the Heute Show. Its really huge in Germany
I would never have thought that the "Anzeigenhauptmeister" would be mentioned in Alfie's videos.
It would be cool if someone explained Alfie what exactly he's known for 😂😂😂
@@BSDBoyHDD Nah just let him google it. Gonna be hilarious.
"Hauptstadtanzeigenmeister" was what Lutz van der Horst said. He was quite a Horst! ;-)
Paralleluniversum
Der sagt ja auch irgendwas mit Hauptstadtmeister, selbst dafür die die GEZ-Marionette zu dumm. ;-)
No german has ever spoken so fond of Gelsenkirchen. I am amazed.
It's a bit painful that the biggest fan of Gelsenkirchen can't pronounce Gelsenkirchen
NAH ICH LIEBE GELSENKIRCHEN MEINE HEIMAT MEINE LIEBE NUR GELSENKIRCHEN ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Meistens ohne je da gewesen zu sein. Aber wie sagen wir hier in Gelsenkirchen: Woanders ist´s auch Scheiße!
@@i.336isset
People over here in England don't realise how big of a club schalke is over in Germany
Unfortunately a fallen Giant.
Of a certain age, I'd say
As someone born in the city but living in the UK for most of my life. I have always followed schalke even though I have never been to a single game
Ah, Dortmund's rivals.
@@soundscape26 Do you mean the small village by Lüdenscheid?
Hey. Heute Show is basically the German version of „the daily show“ and Lutz - the guy you met - is one of the off-site reporters.
Heute Show usually has between 1 and 2 million viewers on regular television and a lot more on streaming.
Having lived in Stoke-on-Trent for a time, I cannot fathom the sheer gaul of some brits calling Gelsenkirchen and the general Ruhrpott area ugly. The stretch of Stoke down to Birmingham is the Pott ordered on wish
Another great and fun Video, Alfie!
I mean it is. I am saying this aß a German.
Having grown up in Stafford...I agree. Only good thing around there is Cannock Chase.
17:02 That dude is making a parody of a German "celebrity". So there's this dude called 'Anzeigenhauptmeister' (high master of complaintments) who wears a uniform similar to the man in the video. He rides around on a bicycle and files reports on people for small misdemeanors like parking wrong in his free time and sends hundreds of them to the local authorities. He even reported his neighbor for parking wrong. He's really harsh, like he will file a report, even if your car is just two centimeters within a no-parking-zone.
On his uniform he wrote POLIZFI (a misspelling of POLIZEI, police) therefore that dude wrote UEVA instead of UEFA.
But he said Hauptstadtanzeigenmeister! So this correction and/or explanation is necessary!
He doesn't do that anymore since people have beaten him up 😅
Also the police told he needs to stop and the mayor of Tübingen was threatening him with legal actions. Dude was hilarious 😂
Yeah, that guy however is Lutz van der Horst who works for a very famous TV Show in Germany, called "Die heute Show" - basically the german equivalent of the "Daily Show" by Jon Stewart in the US of fookin' A.
That’s the most German idea for a celebrity I can think of
@@livwake well, "Celebrity" is a really lose term in this case. He was more of an internet phenomenon for two or three weeks 😅
A Heute-Show and HTC Sevens connection isn‘t what we wanted but we needed.
As a german I wanted to compliment you for your very nice report. So an englishman showed me Gelsenkirchen, sometimes UA-cam still is a beautiful place. Enjoy your stay in Deutschland ❤
People in 95% of Germany: "LUL he says Gelsenkörschen, not Gelsenkirchen"
People in the south of Gelsenkirchen: "What are you guys talking about??? He says it exactly like we do"
But the regional dialect would actually use a J instead of a G isn't it?
So wouldn't it be "Jelsenkörschen"?
@@MrIkOgNiTo Das klingt irgendwie mehr nach Kölsch. Komme vom linken Niederrhein, bin gelegentlich in GE und würde es "Jelsenkürschen" aussprechen.
@@MrIkOgNiToNot in Gelsenkirchen, no. Further towards the Rhine, maybe. There are several different dialects in the region.
@@Gelsenbury That difference is in places just the next street over.
Lol nein
Smart decision with Germany to have Gelsenkirchen as a host. Big football atmosphere, great stadium, and most importantly, huge economic stimulus to a struggling city
Im sorry to Tell you we spend around 20 mil to host 4 games ..
@@lukaprzygodda7905 well, fu*k
@@lukaprzygodda7905 Atleast you will play Champions League next year :D
Hosting games is expensive 🤣
In the rest of Germany, Gelsenkirchen is exclusively known for Schalke. Nothing else. No cathedral, no beer, no bridge, no nothing.
It IS a phenomenon.
We are also known for poverty tho, so your statement is not really true
@@deinvaterduhs If you are from Gelsenkirchen, you don't have any insight if you're known or not. Gelsenkirchen is a bubble within reality, everybody else isn't certain it's real.
Nobody going there has ever returned to tell the tale.
@@needfoolthings Der Bielefeld Witz war schon vor 15 Jahren unlustig und ist es Heute auch noch.
Bruh the most unexpected Lutz van der Horst / HeuteShow x Alfie collab 😂😂😂 The guy‘s a legend in Germany, if he was more drunk you two could‘ve had a nice long conversation about the complex entagelments of football, politics and society lol
*more drunk
@@stevqtalent true misspelled
miss seeing Schalke in the Champions League. Huntelaar's volley against Real Madrid during their 7-1 loss is one of my favourite goals ever
How dare you? It was only 6:1. 😉
@@herbertbisdorf2717 you're right. sorry, been a while since i've watched highlights from that match, Huntelaar's goal is the main thing that stuck with me
@@davidjames149 it was a fantastic goal.
Where is Huntelaar and Draxler now?
@@matthewhernandez8342 Hutelaar is retired, and Draxler plays in Katar. 💰
Funny thing is: I'm from Belo Horizonte (mentioned in the first seconds of the video) and my grandma, who made me a Schalke fan, is from Gelsenkirchen! I was thrilled by this tiny coincidence and even happier with such a fantastic video about a city and football club that I've learned to love and cherish over the years. Long live the GEil Gelsenkirchen and my ever resistent Schalke 04 💙
Your dna is 100% Football Heritage
Schalke ist groß!
Dude, you are great at this documentary style. It was fascinating and informative but in a live vlog! Awesome
It was a pleasure meeting you in Dortmund at the Italy Albania match and I actually mentioned I would be in Gelsenkirchen for the Italy Spain match so this is awesome to see. Cheers from the US
Appreciate the fact that you are at the euros and still can put together another video package for us. Appreciate your time Alfie
This is one of my favourite sevens videos i've ever seen. So relaxing and insightful.
Kinda funny to meet Lutz van der Horst out in the wild.
I respect your determination to pronounce every single german e like the e in the english alphabet and not the e from expert expansion or expactation. The Anglo Saxon is strong in you!
one day they will try to get it right and then we'll become really scared.
We got a HITC Sevens vlog before GTA 6
Looks like you're a new member, he made vlogs during the last Euros too
We Germans also got an Alfie and Lutz van der Horst crossover noone ever expected lol
@@ishaanmattoo9732 oh I had no idea, I’ve only been watching for a couple of months now
If you want to explain to a German where Gelsenkirchen is located, the simplest way is to tell him "it's near Schalke." The city quarter is more famous than the city itself, due to the football team.
A large part of the population has Polish roots, migrants who came in the 19th century to work in the coal mines. The Schalke team which dominated German football 1933-1942 fielded many players with Polish names. The two most famous of them were Fritz Szepan and Ernst Kuzorra. One of them played for Germany once, the other two times. The Nazis wanted their players in the national team to be Germans, and disliked Schalke. But the team was too famous and popular to undertake measures against them, other than ignoring them when the national team was selected, or rigging some games against them. Until 1942 that is; after the fall of Stalingrad, many of its players were drafted to the army.
Great info 🙏
As a South African, I am so envious of the European football fan experience.
I have watched Kaiser Chiefs and it was pretty awesome. I think l was the only white person in the stadium. The standard of football was not great but really good atmosphere
@@jontalbot1lol the white people over herr stopped with the football and switched to rugby and cricket where we are more successful can't blame them though as our football quality has decreased and is poor
Yeah our football culture is kinda lame wish the soweto derbies was similar to the North African derbies with the teams fans divided in the stadium and pyros and flairs and banners derby games would be so much more lit than whatever we have now
🇩🇪 Schalke 04 🤝 Heart of Midlothian 🏴
“German trains aren’t that much better than English trains and that’s probably as strong of an insult as you can get”
Americans(me, I’m Americans) weeping about Amtrak in the corner: 😢
Just rode one. Spent several hours in the middle of nowhere because some hayseed decided to sleep in his truck on the tracks in West Bumbleturd, North Dakota.
@@lougiacobbi725 no, instead a 3 mile long BNSF train takes priority over you so you’re stuck on the siding waiting for it to crawl by you while it goes 2 miles an hour
@@rangersking6699 yeah, that happens a lot, have to stop frequently because BNSF has the right of way.
Wow you're so lucky to have met Lutz, he's a legend in German late night :D
I’m really impressed how Alfie did those live segments in a long, single takes. Didn’t trip up over his words, and was so packed with information
Underrated match banter from Alfie, looked like you boys had fun. Just to say im an Everton fan and fell in love with Schalke as they seemed like a German version of us, up the Royal Blues. My yearly FM first save is always 3 teams, Everton, Schalke and a randomly selected new team (Blackpool for FM 24).
That you just casually met Lutz shooting for the Heute Show is the funniest shit I've seen in a long time 😂
I was just sipping a drink when his face popped up and I had to laugh so much I almost chocked to death 😅
On another note, what an amazing video, actually looking at the city behind the games and at the culture. I hope you have more of this planned it is an absolute joy to watch
Alfie in the field, gotta love it
I am german as well, and not being a soccer-fan, today i learnt something about Gelsenkirchen from a Brit! Thank you, for your interesting video and you got a cool, calm style in presenting your stuff. I especially liked the historical background in the beginning, combined with you walking around the city. Cheers! (Btw. Lutz ist der Coolste!)
Lad, I need more of the same content, can't get enough of it! Cheers
The interesting thing about Gelsenkirchen is that in the late 60's - early 70's, the German government offered a serious amount of aid to small glass producers with one caveat - some had to merge and move to Gelsenkirchen. So Gelsenkirchen still has a fairly good glass industry.
No way they're talking about the Anzeigenhauptmeister on HITC Sevens
Nice video Alfie. Enjoy your stay and hope you have no climate guilt for travelling so much.
Gelsenkirchen is the most obssesed city and one of the vibrant cities in Germany and all of Schalke 04's home matches the loudest I have ever heard in a German football,good friends!!!:-D
Clearly you've not been in Dortmund yet.
@@Cancun771 Dortmund most overrated in Germany.
@@KornWolf-ll8ji yeah there is a little bit of truth in there. Dortmund is also great but loudest fans I would also give it to Schalke. However, usually if you‘re going to VeltinsArena you won‘t see quality football 😄
@@davinnicode Thats right. But you will see a lot of passion. 😁
@@Cancun771 I have heard the their arch rivals Borussia Dortmund have one of the loudest in Germany but Schalke prevail in this,good friend!!!👍🏾
credit to you for researching deeply into this and as for your other videos you always do research about the location or person background
I miss the Royal Blues playing in the German top tier.....
Well done Alfie with your vlogging effort, would be nice to see more of this effort from you in the near future!
Great to have met you Alfie and agreeing to having a photo taken with myself. You are a top bloke and just as nice as I thought you would be. Your work is great. This video is amazing. I came here in 2006 and it left a lasting impression. I described it as being “stuck in the 1960s” and I meant that in the nicest possible way. I remember that it was a small town centre - it seemed a lot bigger this time- very quiet with not much to do. And to top it all it had this amazingly modern and massive football arena.
This time I ventured more and with my 2 mates we found this amazing brutalist building just minutes from the centre with a tourist information centre. There was nobody in and it seemed that there was a volunteer hub for the Euro volunteers.
There’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye. I too found it very charming… I love a brutalist building…this is brutalist city.
In 2006 I remember how great the public transport was and been telling everyone how great it was. I don’t know what’s happened this time. We went to the game and instinctively knew there were issues and it was apparent that it would not get better. We got to the town centre….it was empty. We got a Uber and thank God we did having heard the stories the next day.
Keep up the good work Alfie….. And let’s hope England win… I would love for Gareth to win it…. He is much maligned for his style of play but that’s his trademark . I don’t expect anything different in our next game but we do look solid defensive and tight defences win trophies.
this video feels like it should've been posted on your personal channel
Guess he doesn't want to put this channel on hold for a full month.
I disagree, I like seeing this kind of content here
Heavily industrialized areas are always fanatical about their teams. Goes back to days when games were the only things they had to look forward to in otherwise grim lives. Lots of places like that, not just Germany.
loved the video and the city seems nice! excited for more content like this
Really good watch. I reckon you have a future in vlog/documentary-style videos shall you one day decide to expand from your usual content.
Great vlog! Football fans must be in awe of your ⚽ knowledge 😮
Alfie, i'm so happy for you, for being over there and experience the Euros in person, deserved !
You even take the opportunity to make yet more interesting content 🖤
We have so many cities like this in the UK. If you're from Yorkshire or Lancashire you probably feel at home
Exactly, it's basically the German Huddersfield, Doncaster or Hartlepool
@@MylesHSG I was living in Wolverhampton a few years ago and spoke to someone from Bielefeld and found out our cities had a lot in common.
@@roberw1912 Wolverhampton is probably a much better comparison, both smaller cities in a larger conurbation, near coal fields and both with large historic football clubs.
Reminds me a bit of Derby
I mean you guys came up with the Industrial Revolution and then someone took the ideas and brought them over to Germany, especially to the western part where Gelsenkirchen and many other similar cities are located.
Thank you for the video Alfie ❤
One of your most insightful videos, very interesting, thank you for posting. I really hope Schalke can get back to the top of German football.
Oh and was there doubts about Kane starting??? Don’t think so? His name is the first on the team sheet.
Allie working hard to repair British reputations abroad. Can you help us Americans abroad next?
What a moment when one of your favourite UA-cam channels makes a video not just about your football club, but about your city. And one of the country's most famous comedians appears in the video and has to explain a German meme. I love everything about it.
Vbt ist für immer!
When you're from Hull everwheres a haven......except Scunthorpe
Phahaahahahah, this is the most unbelievable crossover ever. This TV guy in highvis you randomly met is a very famous political satirist. Never expected to see you two meeting each other
Sit back, relax and join me on a journey to a fucking piss up
As a schalke fan myself i have to tell you we have, since our relegation last year more mebers than our rival. Which is slightly more succesfull than as our glorius club.. great and very kind vid
10:54 😂 Yeah, I probably wouldn't have wanted to be on camera either because I'm shy. It's a very interesting video. I love these kinds of videos. They're so cool to know more about the history of the football/soccer teams. I love documentary series of stuff like this. It's just such a great game. The best of all of them in my honest humble opinion. Great job on the work of the video and please do more of these. :)
Ah yes, my favorite Vlogger, Alfie Potts Harmer
Geeeeeeeeeeeeelsenkirchen Schalke 1904!
Für deine Farben leben und sterben wir!
Du bist das was uns am leben hält!
Schalke ist das geilste auf der ganzen Welt! 💙🤍⚒️
I would like more of these kinda videos Alfie .... You so good on camera!!!
Great video Alfie 🙂⚽️
Need a football travel show with Alfie going around and interviewing interesting people and then enjoying footie with the locals
Lutz van der Horst is a legend of German late night comedy. You were lucky to meet him!
Alfie making culture series is not something I'm expecting. Not bad at all.
Brilliant idea Alfie, to make a proper vlog instead of the usual podcast type videos.
Thumbs up once more from Germany. And even with state tv "celebritiy" non-cameo...😊
Fantastic video alfie, great to see the atmosphere up close!
I love this style mate love it
As a guy from Gladbeck which is about 10 minutes from Gelsenkirchen and my favorite team being Schalke i love the recognition
As someone living just north of Gelsenkirchen, I liked the shots of Scholven (the multiple cooling towers) which I always see in the distance.
I was surprised to find out that the original ground, Glückauf-Kampfbahn, still exists. Its main stand is even listed/protected. Anyway, like the HSV I hope that Schalke will soon return to the Bundesliga.
As someone from Germany I can confirm that the Heute Show cameo of Lutz van Der Horst is obsolutely amazing.
Edit: I also took like 10 secs to figure out why Alfie had to explain "public viewing" to viewers.
Love this
Lutz van der Horst as the Anzeigenhauptmeister and Alfie in the same video has to be the best crossover ever, such a Fiebertraum
Great vlog I'm a iLife long Schalke my whole family comes from the Ruhr
Gelsenkirchen is a little city with a big Heart. Football and Schalke is on everything.
Alfie, your video is a pot of gold.
Meeting Lutz van der Horst...so surreal
Best video you've done. Really tried to understand the local point of view.
18:47 und jetzt alle "PYYYYROOOOOTEEEEEECHNIIIIIIIIIICK IST DOCH KEIN VERBRECHEN..."
Nice watch, well done on vlog.😊
Lutz van der Horst as Anzeigenhauptwachmeister in this Video lol 😂😂 to many german memes.
Gelsenkirchen will always have a soft spot in our heart as a FC Porto fan, 2004 final was there!
As a Gelsenkirchen citizen I have to say that the Gelsenkirchen you know from 2004 has nothing to do with the Gelsenkirchen today. It´s so much worse today: (
My father went to the area somewhere around the early 2000s and I remember him saying how everyone would just take off during the weekend to watch football. It was very difficult to get something done in a factory if things broke down in the weekend XD XD. And like everyone there was like as you say a massive football fan and they were fiercely loyal. Most people if able went to attend the away games without fail, even taking off days for the occasion.
Gelsenkirchen being in the centre of the Ruhr area (one of biggest urban areas in Germany with over 5m people) probably also contributes heavily to Schalke's popularity. Just like the fan you interviewed many supporters aren't from Gelsenkirchen itself but from one of the many big cities around (Dusseldorf, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum etc.). Gelsenkirchen is more like a quarter of a much bigger city.
I've been following Schalke since Ozil was there, huge fan of both. Great video
this was deeply charming!
Research - 10/10
Travel vlogging skills - 7/10
Interviewing skills - 5/10
Found Lens in France to have the similar vibe as this. Not much to look at in the mining area of northern france. Not glamorous at all. But passionate fans with attendances of 40 000 most home games who create a great atmosphere!
I love that all the germans here are celebrating the Lutz van der Horst cameo
2:24 aint no way you are literally walking the corner of the street my appartment is. Quite fascinating.
And I bless you for giving the world a differentiated and more correct view on Gelsenkirchen.
Great, video as always mate. And good to see some video as well as the usual Getty images lol
Currently managing Schalke in FM, as I love fallen giants. So this is fun. Hope Schalke will recover.
I think he likes Gelsenkirchen
Remember when Schalke 04 signed Raul from Real Madrid also they were mentioned in Das Boot!
I always forget what the town is called for Schalke and when I'm remimded of it it makes me smile. Then proceed to just say it over and over for 5-10 minutes cus its so German and fun.
If i had a euro for every single time I've come across a youtube video describing a random city as "the most football mad" city on earth, i could own every company listed on the frankfurt stock exchange.
please make a video about the Cymru premier, the league is ignored and underfunded despite the success of the Welsh national team in recent years
Gelsenkirchen may be small, but the Ruhr has a population of 4-5 million and half of those are Schalke fans and the other half dortmund
i can remember when football manager (15 i i think) when they didn't have the rights to call Schalke 04 by their team name and they were called Gelsenkirchen instead, which i thought odd at the time but now i know a lot more about Gelsenkirchen . Thanks Alfie!