SAMSTAG 15:30

Following their promotion to the 3.Liga last season, SC Freiburg II left their Möslestadion home and moved into the Dreisamstadion and became sole occupants when the club's senior squad made their own much-delayed move to the new Europa Park Stadion.

With its riverside setting in a quiet residential area, the Dreisamstadion has been SC Freiburg's home since 1954 when it opened as SC Platz; and the patchwork nature of its development over the years and dramatic forest backdrop gives the ground some real character.

Long before 'stadium naming rights' became part and parcel of football, the ground was known for many years as the Dreisamstadion after the river that runs behind it, and it wasn't until 1970 that it saw its first expansion with the construction of the Sudtribune (South Stand). Following the club's promotion to Bundesliga.2, the Haupttribune (Main Stand) was built in 1980 and the addition of its 1800 seats brought the overall stadium capacity up to 15,000. Further works saw renovation and expansion of the Nord and Sud Tribunes (North and South Stands) as the stadium played catch-up with the club's continued on-field success.

The result was a 24,500 capacity pure football venue with four distinct stands, which have a slightly temporary look about them, set tight around the pitch. The Nord Tribune (North Stand) is the smallest of the four and is where Freiburg's most vocal following gather on matchdays. The opposite Sudtribune (South Stand) which backs onto Schwarzwaldstraße is the only two-tier stand in the ground and has terracing on the lower tier with seats above. It's also the only non-cantilevered stand with pillars supporting the roof and is partially reserved for away fans. Perhaps as an indication of the Dreisamstadion's struggle to keep pace with the demands of Bundesliga football in the 21st Century, the Haupttribune (Main Stand) is the only part of the ground to have any corporate facilities and a VIP block, built in 2004, dominates the north-west corner of the stadium. 

Although it may lack many of the brave new world stadia facilities found elsewhere, the Dreisamstadion was way ahead of the game 25 years ago when Freiburg's position as Germany's sunniest city was used to make it the country's first solar powered stadium. Today, 2,200 m² of photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roof produces the majority of the stadium's energy requirements including the undersoil heating system. 

As Freiburg's fans got used to their club taking on the likes of Bayern, Dortmund and Gladbach; the stadium was long considered too small to cope with the demand. Indeed, its pitch (which has a steep declivity and slopes a full metre from south to north) is five metres too short to meet UEFA guidelines and it meant that special authorisation had to be sought to play European matches here. With its setting amongst tight residential streets and the narrow Dreisam River running close by, it meant that further expansion wasn't a viable option and in 2015, following a consultation and referendum, it was announced that Freiburg would be on the move to a new home located right next to the municipal airport in the Wolfswinkel district of the city.

Delays in construction brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the project ended up months behind schedule and it wasn't until October 2021 that the club's senior squad finally moved into their new Europa Park Stadion home, leaving 'Amateure'  in the Dreisamstadion and fans with the opportunity to continue experiencing one of Germany's most iconic grounds.