With renovation work in the Stadion Rote Erde taking much longer than originally planned, fixture clashes at Signal Iduna Park in the next few weeks will see Borussia Dortmund II on the move again - this time to Wuppertal's Stadion am Zoo. Home to Regionalliga side Wuppertaler SV, the Stadion am Zoo was where BVB II secured their promotion to the 3.Liga in June 2021 and will make a return to the ground for home games against MSV Duisburg (16 October), SC Verl (29 October) and Viktoria Köln (8 November) before returning to Signal Iduna Park for the last home game of the year against Erzgebirge Aue on 11 November. The Stadion am Zoo doesn't meet 3.Liga criteria and so a special permit has been granted by the DFB (German FA).
BVB II were expected to be back in their Stadion Rote Erde home for the start of the season after work to fill old coal mines shafts under the pitch with concrete had began last April. However, because there are significantly more cavities and the mining damage is much greater than expected, the backfilling is taking significantly more time. Only when this work has been done can the rest of the renovation - including installation of undersoil heating at the Rote Erde for the first time - be carried out. According to the current schedule, BVB II should be back in their home in time to play SpVgg Bayreuth (mid-January).
In addition to the 'Zoo', venues in Duisburg, Paderborn, Essen, Münster, Osnabrück and Lotte had also been considered as alternative stadiums before being ruled out for various reasons.

It looks like Borussia Dortmund II are going to have to move next door into Signal Iduna Park for a while after work at their Stadion Rot Erde home was hit with delays. Work to fill in abandoned coal shafts beneath the pitch with concrete has been underway since April but the fact that they are much larger than anticipated has pushed the schedule back. According to the local paper " Ruhr Nachrichten", it will take significantly more time to fill the shafts with concrete, and only then can work to install undersoil heating and lay a new pitch be carried out.

Amatuere will therefore definitely play their first two 3.Liga home games against FC Ingolstadt (7th August) and Rot Weiß Essen (13th August) at Signal Iduna Park. According to the newspaper though, BVB II aren't expected to be back at the Stadion Rote Erde until October at least - meaning home matches against Freiburg II (28th August) and VfB Oldenburg (10th September) will need to be moved 'next door'. Fortunately, the only fixture 'clash' will be on the 7th August when BVB II are in action against Ingolstadt in the afternoon before Bellingham, Hummels and Co take on Bayer 04 Leverkusen that evening.

Fresh from their Europa League triumph, Eintracht Frankfurt have 11,000 more reasons to celebrate after plans to expand their Deutsche Bank Park stadium was approved by city authorities. Eintracht first spoke about the expansion back in 2017 and the idea is add 11,000 standing places by transforming the north-western end of the stadium into a large standing terrace like Dortmund's iconic 'Südtribüne'.

Only five German stadiums are capable of holding more than 60,000 fans - six if you include the old Olympiastadion in Munich. Of course UEFA will get involved and make sure that all their VIPs and sponsors are taken care of but the revamped Deutsche Bank Park will still have a capacity of at least 54,000 in time for Euro 2024.

Deutsche Bank Park continues the tradition of Waldstadion (Forest Stadium), which stood on the same site since 1925. It has been modernised several times since then, and prior to the 2006 World Cup the old facility was demolished. The Germans built a modern arena in its place, characterised by a retractable roof and a 7 tonne video screen over the centre circle.

Borussia Dortmund have announced an extension of their stadium naming-rights deal with insurance giants Signal Iduna which will see the Westfalenstadion continue to be known as 'Signal Iduna Park' until June 30, 2031. Signal Iduna have been a sponsor of Dortmund since 1974 and held naming rights to the club’s stadium since 2005. Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed but German newspaper Bild reports that the agreement will be worth €100m (£83.7m) in total.
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said: “ Signal Iduna is not only the largest private employer in Dortmund, but also a very reliable partner for us that stands by BVB in good times and bad. When our club feared for its existence at the beginning of the millennium, Signal Iduna was one of the first companies to unconditionally side with us and thus helped to ensure BVB’s survival. We won’t forget that .”
Ulrich Leitermann, chief executive of Signal Iduna, added: “ We grew up together in Dortmund, celebrated successes together and also got through difficult times. Our partnership with BVB underscores our claim, which we also have for our customer relationships: We want to be a long-term and reliable partner. We are there for each other. That’s why we’re proud to be able to continue on our common path for at least another nine years. We are looking forward to exciting games at Signal Iduna Park and wish the team and all fans successful times in the most beautiful stadium in the world .”

It seems that the long running dispute between SC Freiburg and residents living near the new Europa Park Stadion has finally been resolved ! The Bundesliga club played its first game in the 34,700 capacity stadium, a friendly against St.Pauli, back on 7th October but have since been unable to stage matches in the evening or on Sunday afternoons because local residents fought a successful legal campaign against the stadium operator Stadion Freiburg Objektträger and the City of Freiburg over concerns about noise pollution.

In response to the ruling, Freiburg's mayor Martin Horn approached the vexed homeowners and negotiated an out-of-court settlement that ends the dispute that began with a referendum of the stadium plan back in 2015. Horn said: “ We have mutually found a common and good way into the future. Both sides can live well with the fair agreement. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially the plaintiffs. I am pleased that a long-standing conflict is now being resolved in this way .” Part of the settlement includes a commitment from the city of Freiburg not to build on a 10 hectare forest that surrounds the stadium over the next 30 years and instead use it to create a bird sanctuary. Furthermore, the City is stumping up €100,000 (£84,322) to renovate playgrounds and meeting places in the local Mooswald district. Further restrictions on use over the next 10 years were also guaranteed and as a result the Europa Park Stadion can't be converted into a multi-functional venue and it can't host any concerts or open-air cinema events with more than 5,000 spectators. Measures aimed at reducing traffic congestion on matchdays was also discussed.

The settlement has yet to be approved by the City Council, but it's expected to be given the green light.
Horn said: “ There are neither winners nor losers here – both sides have approached each other. We know about the special situation of the residents of the Mooswald and have found reasonable solutions for it .” Oliver Leki, SC Freiburg board member, added: “ I am delighted with the settlement that we have found, which gives us important planning security. “Good neighbourly relations in the entire district are very important to us. Our thanks go to the mediating initiative of the Lord Mayor and to everyone involved who contributed to this result. ”

SC Karlsruher's Bundesliga.2 clash against SV Darmstadt 98 last weekend saw fans welcomed into their planned new stadium after the East and South stands were completed; and even though only half of the ground is now complete, extensive use of terracing means nearly 20,000 fans can theoretically attend matches. However, due to local pandemic restrictions, the club will welcome half this number on a matchday and have made the decision to only sell season-tickets for the 2021-22 season. 500 day tickets are limited to away fans only until COVID restrictions allow. Meanwhile, work at the stadium continues with the emphasis being on enabling matches to be played in what is still 50% a building site.

The South stand recently received its main access route, while kiosks and toilets have been fitted out along the public concourse. The East stand also saw installation of its turnstile system which, rather than the large heavy steel gates seen at grounds elsewhere, resembles those found in subway stations which many people find are more comfortable to operate. The biggest job however remains on the west side of the stadium where the new main stand is being built and will be home to the press, players and obligatory VIP facilities - the result of which should be seen in about 12 months time.

On the 22nd June, the city council also approved the renaming of the Wildparkstadion to the BBBank Wildpark in a five year sponsorship deal.

Image: Karlsruhe: New stadium construction

Despite having been relegated to 3.Liga this season, Würzburger Kickers are pushing on with plans to build a new 15,000-capacity stadium on the site of their current Flyeralarm Arena home. However, the proposals haven't gone down well with local residents who are not only unimpressed with the prospect of a new stadium, but still have objections about the existing one having fought a six year legal battle against what they call 'excessive noise and light pollution' in the area when the Kickers are at home. The club hope the new stadium's design will appease residents by having four fully covered stands (as oppose to only the main stand at the moment) to keep crowd noise inside the ground and reduce light pollution by building a little nearer the B19 motorway.

Support for the plans is there with the Würzburg city authorities giving their approval for the proposal which will also see a three-level car park for approximately 1,600 vehicles built. The current ground will also be included in the plans with the pitch becoming a playground and the main stand being converted into a garden area. The construction costs are expected to be in the region of €40 million and whilst there's no word yet on how the development will be funded, the Kickers are currently in talks with a number of potential investors.

All change in Leipzig with a major revamp of the city's Red Bull Arena underway. Last summer the club removed all seating from the south stand (Sektor B) as works to turn it into a convertible seating/standing area were carried out. Initially the old seats (mockingly referred to as 'swimming pool' seats thanks to their blue and turquoise colour) were supposed to be put back once the work had been completed but a change of plan midway through the job saw Leipzig decide to retain the standing area and leave only Hertha Berlin's Olympiastadion as the only all-seater stadium in the Bundesliga. Sektor B will only be converted into a seated layout for UEFA games.

To widespread approval from the fanbase, Leipzig have also begun work on replacing all seating in the Red Bull Arena with new red ones. Interestingly, the seats frames will remain in place and only the plastic seat and backrest will be changed; and while creative uses for the old seats are being looked into, the new seats are being made with 80% recycled plastic to reduce negative impact on the environment.

Local clubs are also benefitting from the refit with amateur sides SV Tapfer and SV Fortschritt Lunzenau both having received 200 of the old 'swimming pool' seats from the stadium. The seating is just one aspect of the revamp however with the upgrade programme underway since 2019. As part of the changes, the entire stadium is receiving its first ever opaque cladding. Hung on steel frames, glass will cover both the north and south sides of the Red Bull Arena with a total of 3,600 square metres being installed. It’s not about just about aesthetics either, as the glass is also designed to protect fans from the wind and rain that blow through the open concourses. For surrounding residents, the glass will also act as noise insulation as the stadium aims to meet noise level restrictions of 70 decibels by day and 55 decibels in the evening. Central to the works is the demolition of the historical landfill which remains a legacy of the stadium having been built within the bowl of its grand predecessor - the Zentralstadion. Retaining the historical embankments was the iconic feature but they have proved problematic in terms of fan comfort. In practical terms, the layout means supporters have to first climb the old embankment and then descend into the stadium, a major issue for visitors with any physical impairments. That’s why in the south stand, just behind the famous Werner Seelenbinder Tower, a cutting has been made and a new entry gate created. Between the gate and stadium bowl, two levels of public concourses are being created with a variety of shops, food and drink kiosks, toilets etc which are accessible both from the ground and the embankment through additional pedestrian bridges.
In total, by 2022, RB will have spent €60 million (£52 million) on all these upgrades and the stadium will also meet UEFA’s highest stadium criteria and although international capacity won’t change significantly, the Red Bull Arena should soon be able to hold 48,000 for Bundesliga fixtures.

Images © RB Leipzig

The Black Forest's Bundesliga representatives SC Freiburg were hoping to move into their new SC-Stadion in time for the start of next season but as we reported last August - like so many other things - COVID-19 has thrown a significant spanner in the works and further delayed the stadium's completion date. The 'Breisgau-Brazilians' played would should have been their final home match in the Schwarzwald-Stadion against Rekordmeisters Bayern München on Saturday but issued a statement ahead of the game confirming that the pandemic has affected the progress of the stadium construction. The release went on to say that all parties are doing " everything in their power " to ensure the new stadium is completed as quickly as possible but although the intention is to kick-off next season at their new stadium, the first few home games of the 2021-22 campaign may have to be played at the Schwarzwald-Stadion if progress continues to be delayed.

Structurally, the 34,700-capacity stadium in Wolfswinkel is ready with the vast majority of installation work completed. However, interior design and 'technical' issues stand out, sadly with no further detail at the time of writing. The project was contracted to cost €76 million, which might be subject to change as the delay keeps growing. The club stressed that “ every day will count", but if Freiburg do have to play matches at the Schwarzwald-Stadion next season, depending on the COVID-19 situation at the time, it's likely tickets will be allocated on a lottery basis to decide who gets the opportunity to experience one of the Bundesliga's few remaining old-school grounds one last time.
Freiburg were dealt a left-field blow back in September when after complaints from local residents, the Baden-Württemberg Administrative Court ruled that any Bundesliga matches played at the new stadium after 8pm or between 1-3pm on Sundays would be banned. An exemption was made however for evening and Sunday matches on the proviso that these are cup games in either domestic or European competition. Freiburg said at the time that they were confident the ruling would be overturned.

Image: SC Freiburg

Perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern München have announced that they will show paper tickets the red card and go green with digital ticketing in the Allianz Arena for the 2021-22 season (assuming fans are let back in of course!) - an innovation that will come as a bitter blow to football romantics and printed ticket collectors. Bayern's vice-chairman, Jan-Christian Dreesen, is less sentimental about the changes than traditional matchday fans however and has been quick to outline the need to develop a new way of managing resources. " Sustainability, conservation of resources and reduction of CO2 emissions are crucial aspects in ticketing at FC Bayern and in ticketing, we have decided not to offer printed tickets such as the annual chip card or paper tickets for any future games in the Allianz Arena. As well as reducing the production of plastic and paper tickets, communication by e-mail eliminates around 350,000 printed letters that were previously sent by post. That is a valuable contribution to climate protection and resource conservation ."

In addition to the benefits regarding sustainability, Bayern say the new format will make it simpler for fans to manage their tickets and parking passes with everything stored in a password-protected online 'ticketing centre' immediately after booking. It will also eliminate shipping costs and losses as event admissions can be recalled by the registered ticket holder 24/7.

With only 29 points and 9 matches to go, 1.FC Kaiserslautern are battling to avoid a drop into the Regionalliga and facing the very real prospect of having to move from The Fritz Walter Stadion (also known as 'The Betzenberg' or 'The Betze').
A real classic of German football, the huge concrete cube overlooking the city of Kaiserslautern below was for a long time one of the most feared away grounds in the Bundesliga - not just for the famous Hölle Betzenberg roar from the partisan home crowd but also for the breathless hike up to the stadium. However, with the club struggling at the wrong end of the 3.Liga table and only just avoiding insolvency a few months ago, the dire financial reality of operating a 50,000-capacity stadium in the fourth tier is already being discussed in meetings between the city council and the club. " Everyone knows the problems the club has with the stadium since they have stopped playing in the Bundesliga. As beautiful and atmospheric the Betzenberg is, it is difficult to maintain this scenario after a descent " said managing director Soeren Oliver Voigt.

According to German broadcaster SWR, one of the suggestions is to waive the annual €650,000 rent the city currently charge the club to use the ground - part of an agreement drawn up the last time they bailed FCK out of financial mess back in 2001. This is unlikely to gain backing however as the amount is already a fifth of the €3.2 million the city authorities would have stood to receive each year had the club not gone into a tailspin and stayed in the Bundesliga. As it is, the city council are already subsidising the shortfall just to ensure the stadium management company operating the Fritz Walter Stadion don't run at a loss. SWR have therefore looked at possible alternative venues should one of Germany's most legendary clubs be forced out of Kaiserslautern with stadiums at SV Alsenborn, FK Pirmasens, FC 08 Homburg, Borussia Neunkirchen and ABC Ludwigshafen all being considered.

What to do with the Max Morlock Stadion? That's the question facing planners in Nuremburg as a feasibility study into the distinctive, octagonal-shaped stadium's future is commissioned. It's become apparent that the former World Cup venue is becoming too expensive to maintain with costs now topping €4 million a year, and a plan about what to do about it is needed. One option on the table is to completely demolish the stadium and start again - although, given it's iconic status, this is unlikely.
1.FC Nürnberg's Commercial Director Niels Rossow believes a renovation is more likely, suggesting an "holistic upgrade" is a better way forward and his vision includes a major sports centre built within the current main stand to provide facilities for a number of clubs in the city - not just the Bundesliga.2 side. At the end of the day however, Herr Rossow's opinion won't count for much as the Max Morlock Stadion is owned by the city of Nuremburg and it's they who have commissioned the report to establish the options going forward. 1.FC Nürnburg, as the stadium's current tenants, will only be consulted after the findings are published in the autumn.