Bundesliga Baby!!!

August 5th marks the beginning of the 49th Budesliga season. I for one, can not wait. I often tell my fellow football junkies that the Bundesliga is Premier League Lite. The Bundesliga is everything that the EPL is except for the marquee signings that the Premier League has in abundance. Outside of Bayern Munich no other Bundesliga club can reel in the big fish like the big money clubs in England.

In honour of the upcoming German season I give you ...

5 reasons the Bundesliga rocks

1. The Fans ... The atmosphere in the places like Westfalenstadion , The Allianz , Volksparkstadion and Veltins-Arena is second to none. These fans and stadiums can easily hang with the big boys at Anfield, Old Trafford, The San Siro and The Nou Camp any day. The opening day match of the season is Dortmund taking on Hamburg. I challenge any football fan to watch that game and not get chills from the Dortmund faithful.

2. Parity ... The last 5 years of the Bundesliga has seen 4 different champions. A team like FC Bayern, with their considerable resources and tradition, will always win the league every few years. But even with Bayern's dominance Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Dortmund have all managed to crash their party recently.

3. The Rivalries ... The German rivalries may not be as Gigantic as the El Classico or as deadly as they are in England or even as colorful as they are in Italy. However, German derbies are steeped in tradition and intesity. If you can, check out Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 or Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen or Hamburg v Leverkusen.

4. Goal Scoring ... The Bundesliga saw an average of 3.13 goals per game last year. That's more than the EPL at 2.59 and more than La Liga at 2.66. Watch the attacking style of Dortmund, FC Bayern, Leverkusen and Hamburg and you will know where those numbers come from

5. Top notch Talent ... The young player of the tournament at the last World Cup was Bayern Munich youngster Thomas Muller. Munich is loaded with German and international talent likeMario Gomez, Manuel Neuer, Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben. Schalke 04 saw the arrival of Spanish legend Raul last year. The Bundesliga is never short on talent. In the last European Cup the Bundesliga was the most represented league.

The 2011-12 campaign should be a great one. FC Bayern has reloaded with some quality signings. Dortmund is going to be fantastic again. Look for these two sides to fight for the top spot all year. Also, look for both Dortmund, Leverkusen and Munich all to make deep Champions league runs. I wouldn't be shocked if all three of these sides made it to the final 16.