As Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Michael Owen limber up for the World Cup, Bradford's host nation friends are making their own preparations to welcome their Yorkshire "twins".

Tourism chiefs in the district's partner towns say the competition is a golden chance for Bradford football fans to meet their German cousins at home.

They are urging England supporters jetting in for Germany 2006 to find time to sample the delights of Bradford's twin town Monchengladbach and Shipley's twin Hamm.

Soccer fans in Cologne for England's group B match against Sweden on June 20 can take an easy detour to take in the attractions of Monchengladbach, a Bradford twin for 35 years.

Meanwhile, supporters in Frankfurt for the Paraguay match on June 10 could travel a little further to sample Hamm, which this year celebrates 30 years of official friendship with Shipley.

Monchengladbach mayor Norbert Bude said it was a good chance for his city to show Bradford fans how hospitable and open-minded his townspeople were.

"We look forward to all the visitors from foreign countries, and I want to invite especially the citizens of Bradford, our twin town, to visit Monchengladbach when you are on the way to one of the venues of the Football World Cup," he said.

Beer fans may like to know about local pride in Altbier - literally Old Beer, a Lower Rhine speciality. The dark beer brewed in the 'old' way gets its characteristic taste from the use of caramelised malt.

Walkers will find delight in the city's many green spaces, including parks, woods and - a little further out - castles Rheydt Schloss and Wickrath Schloss.

Culture vultures may wish to visit the Abteiberg Museum, Monchengladbach's renowned museum for contemporary art, including work by Andy Warhol, or the city's impressive 800 year old Minster which dominates the skyline.

Hamm, meanwhile, is a small city which holds some curious records.

Europe's biggest Hindu temple can be found here, along with the world's biggest building in the likeness of an animal - the town's landmark 35-metre high glass elephant in the Maximilianpark.

The city of 190,000 has several castles nearby, its beautiful Vorschulze House built in 1744, Baroque-style Stuniken House built in the 18th century and the oldest building in Hamm, the Henin Brewer's House from 1516.

Dorothy Fear, chairman of the Shipley-Hamm Twinning Association, said visitors were assured of a warm welcome.

"It's a beautiful, clean city. There are lots of place for pleasant walks, such as the Maximilianpark, there's a very good shopping area and the people are very friendly" she said.

Fellow member Geoffrey Rhodes said he found Hamm citizens to be on a similar wavelength to their Shipley cousins.

He said: "You talk to people who don't know Germany who say there's no sense of humour, but that's not the case at all.

"Hamm is in an industrial area like here and we've always found people to be on a similar wavelength. We've always been made very welcome. I'm sure that would be no different for anyone visiting during the World Cup."