Rangers will tomorrow evening get a flavour of what has transformed the Bundesliga into a popular success story remarkable in modern-day sport. While claiming football as the people's game now sounds vacuously false in some countries, it has probably never rang more true in Germany.

Walter Smith's team will complete a three-match pre-season tour of the country by visiting the AWD-Arena to face Hannover 96, who finished 11th in the Bundesliga last season. A strong turn-out is expected inside the 49,000-capacity ground, but then empty seats in German stadia are seen as something approaching an insult.

An average attendance of 37,644 for the previous campaign makes the Bundesliga the best-supported football competition in Europe. That's roughly 3000 more than the average in the English Premiership, the self-proclaimed best league in the world, and, unlike a visit to Stamford Bridge or the Emirates Stadium, a family day out at German football will not leave your overdraft beaten and pleading for mercy.

Many tickets are available for less than £10, with the average across the entire Bundesliga priced up at just £13.50. Keeping football within the reach of every strata of society would seem an important consideration.

Furthermore, there is little doubt that the paying punters hold far greater sway in Germany than their more cash-drained counterparts in Scotland or England. Last summer, the board of Schalke 04 spent 50 hours in negotiations with supporters' representatives over proposed increases to admission prices.

The outcome was a rise of Ä4 (£2.86) that would be split over two seasons. There was no realistic opportunity for the club to railroad through any greater hike because the fans simply would not wear it. The relative lack of expense is obviously a major factor in why the Bundesliga attracts so many customers but there are other, more complex, issues which have fuelled its rise in popularity.

Twenty years ago, average attendances in the German top flight were around 17,600, less than half of the current total. Football had become a drab and occasionally dangerous experience, given the prevalence of hooligan firms at some clubs. Drastic change was needed in almost every area of organisation and marketing. "Germany's hosting of the the 1988 European Championship enabled us to massively invest in stadium infrastructure and this, in turn, had a direct impact on attendances," said Christian Pfenning, a Bundesliga spokesman.

"A similar process obviously occurred when the World Cup came to our country last summer."

The Bundesliga has a dominant role as the most popular sporting event in Germany and that, combined with more moderate ticket pricing than other major leagues, has ensured more fans regularly visit our stadiums. The Bundesliga is also very close and competitive, which has been another important factor.

"We are proud to boast of the highest average attendance and feel confident that strong growth can continue in the coming years."

Germany paid heed to the Taylor Report when it revolutionised British stadia, but standing terraces were not abolished. Some clubs were aware that a decent percentage of their fans did not want to watch their team in any other way and instead worked to modernise those areas of the ground.

Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park contains a 27,000-capacity standing terrace, the largest of its kind in a major European league. Here, a season ticket would set you back just over £100 for the 17 home matches that Dortmund play in the Bundesliga.

"We believe that having standing room greatly increases the excitement inside stadiums," added Pfenning. "It's up to the individual clubs whether they include them, but all security policies are equipped to cope. Also, all Bundesliga stadia can have seating placed in standing areas for international matches, thereby fulfilling all FIFA or UEFA regulations."

After the cost and the possibility of standing, there is a third area of attraction which will be immediately apparent to thirsty Rangers fans. Beer. The ability to purchase a pint at grounds is something the Scottish Premier League hope could be phased in over future years and the German model provides a template for how it could work. For those who have travelled over from Scotland, the first sip of pilsner on a warm summer evening in Hannover might also seem like a little taste of people power.