Stadium An der Alten Försterei

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Stadium An der Alten Försterei
Old forestry
Logo of the stadium An der Alten Försterei
The facade of the newly built main grandstand in 2019
The facade of the newly built main grandstand in 2019
Earlier names

Sadowa (sports) place

Data
place An der Wuhlheide 263 12555 Berlin , Germany
GermanyGermany
Coordinates 52 ° 27 '26.6 "  N , 13 ° 34' 5.2"  E Coordinates: 52 ° 27 '26.6 "  N , 13 ° 34' 5.2"  E
owner "At the old forestry department" Stadionbetriebs AG
operator "At the old forestry department" Stadionbetriebs AG
opening August 7, 1920
First game March 7, 1920
SC Union Oberschöneweide
- BTuFC Viktoria 1889 1: 1
Renovations 1952-1955, 1979-1983, 2008-2009
Extensions 1968–1970, 1979–1983, 2000, 2012–2013
surface Natural grass
capacity 22,012 seats
playing area 109 m × 73 m
Societies)
Events
  • Christmas singing (since 2003)
  • 2014 World Cup living room
  • Div. Concerts in the VIP area and in the interior

The stadium An der Alten Försterei (short: Alte Försterei or AF ) is the largest “pure” football stadium in Berlin with a capacity of 22,012 spectators for Bundesliga games , but it does not yet meet the requirements of the DFB for category 4 football stadiums.

Since its inauguration in 1920, it has served as the home ground of 1. FC Union Berlin and its predecessor clubs . The stadium is located in the southeast of the capital in Köpenick and offers a total of 18,395 standing and 3,617 seats. In the 2013/14 season, the average attendance was 19,889 or a stadium load of around 92 percent.

The stadium was last renovated and expanded between 2008 and 2013, and all four stands have been completely covered since then. Some of the construction work was done voluntarily by Union fans. Both the “forest side” in the north and the “back straight” in the east as well as the “Wuhleseite” in the south are pure standing crossbars. The main stand, including the box area, is on the west side.

The stadium is also known for the Christmas singing , which has been held annually since 2003 and is organized by friends of 1. FC Union Berlin. The “World Cup living room”, a fan festival at which guests could set up their sofas in the interior of the stadium to watch games of the soccer World Cup in Brazil on a video wall, attracted international attention .

history

1920–1945: Sadowa sports field

Former forester's house "Alte Försterei", namesake of the stadium

The stadium was built in 1920 as a replacement venue for SC Union Oberschöneweide, which had to vacate its previous location on Oberschöneweider Wattstrasse (southwest of today's Karlshorst trotting course ) in favor of residential construction. The new stadium area and the eponymous forestry office were also located in the local area of ​​the then still independent municipality of Oberschöneweide. The first game took place on March 7, 1920, when Union Oberschöneweide and Viktoria 89 Berlin separated 1: 1. The official opening ceremony took place a little later on August 7, 1920 with a game by the then reigning Berlin champions Union (note: Oberschöneweide was only part of Berlin from October 1, 1920 ) against the reigning German champions 1. FC Nürnberg (1: 2 ) in front of about 7,000 spectators. The stadium's capacity at that time was 10,000 spectators, including 200 seats.

At first, the venue was called "Sadowa Square" (also "Sadowa Sports Field"). Sadowa was on the one hand the name of a nearby excursion restaurant, named after a battle in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, and on the other hand, until 1929, the name of the nearby Wuhlheide train station . Gradually, however, the now official name established itself. This name resulted from the forester's house located next to the square, which was called "Alte Försterei". The home ground was thereby An der Alten Försterei .

For a long time the stadium, which in the 1930s and 1940s was also called "Blumentopp" (this name was also derived from a neighboring bar), remained unchanged. For this reason, the SC Union repeatedly dodged the finals for the German championship in larger Berlin stadiums such as the Grunewald Stadium . The club experienced the highest number of spectators in Wuhlheide at that time in a duel against Berliner SV 92 , when 8,235 supporters were present.

1945–1989: Expansion into a football stadium

During the Second World War , the stadium's side square and adjoining allotments were used as anti- aircraft guns . Nevertheless, the damage caused by the Battle of Berlin was limited, so that the sports field could be used again on July 1, 1945. At the beginning of the 1950s, renovation was necessary because the stadium was no longer playable due to several defects (e.g. worn lawns and goals). Therefore, between 1952 and 1955, the playing field and the spectator trusses were renewed and a changing area was built for the players. During this time, the Union team (at that time still under the name "Motor Oberschöneweide" or Motor Berlin ) had to move to other venues, such as the Hans-Zoschke-Stadion or the Ernst-Thälmann-Stadion in Volkspark Wuhlheide . In the autumn of 1955 the "old forestry department" was usable again. In 1957 and 1963 there was again a change of name for the club (TSC Oberschöneweide, TSC Berlin) until the 1. FC Union Berlin was founded in 1966.

State of construction of the stadium 1983-2008

In the mid-1960s there were renewed plans to expand the stadium. So should u. a. a floodlight system should be installed, but this was not implemented. After all, between 1968 and 1970 the standing room on the back straight and the seated stand on the main stand were expanded and a speaker's booth and additional training areas were built. During the renovation phase in the 1969/70 season, 1. FC Union played on the BSG KWO Berlin pitch . After the renovation, the stadium had a capacity of around 15,000.

Further expansion and modernization measures followed in 1979, when the expansion of the rear grandstands on the north and south sides began. Overall, the work continued until 1983. During this time, the capacity was increased to 25,500 spectators (1,800 of which were seats), the lawn was renewed and a speaker house with an illuminated display panel was built. During construction from August to November 1981, Union used the World Youth Stadium for five games as its home ground. In the 1980s, the audience record that is still valid today was set. Depending on the sources, this dates either on May 23, 1984 with 22,500 spectators in the decider to stay in the GDR Oberliga against Chemie Leipzig or on June 21, 1986 with 23,000 in the Intertotopokalspiel against Bayer 05 Uerdingen .

1989–2000: Unrealized plans

Speaker house with plug-in signs

After the fall of the Berlin Wall , the former state- owned stadium became the property of the Berlin Senate . Like Union, the latter did not have the financial means for the necessary renovation of the sports facility, so that it became increasingly in need of modernization in the following years. The stadium received an electronic scoreboard from a sponsor, but this was dismantled by its operator in 1991. Since then, the score has been displayed manually using plug-in signs, which have now become an anachronism among Union fans .

However, there was no further extensive work in the 1990s, instead there were always plans for an extension or a new building. In the course of Berlin's application for the 2000 Summer Olympics, a seating stadium for 32,000 spectators called the Hanne Sobeck Stadium was to be built. When Union in 2000 still had opportunities for promotion to the second Bundesliga , a move to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, which is unpopular with fans, was considered. The reason was that the stadium could not meet the requirements of the DFB . Due to this, the audience capacity was also downgraded to 18,100 seats. The first modernization work took place in 2000, when a floodlight system was installed and a covered grandstand was built (the bucket seats came as remnants from the renovation of the Berlin Olympic Stadium ).

2001–2008: proAF initiative and founder of the stadium

Stadium before the renovation, April 2007

The venue still insufficiently fulfilled the conditions required by the DFB, which is why the club only received a provisional play permit for the Alte Försterei after its successful promotion to the second division in 2001 . Union had to move to Jahnsportpark for the two UEFA Cup home games in the 2001/02 season . Due to the rise, there were renewed plans for a new stadium. Union's then President Heiner Bertram also speculated with a new building in Berlin-Mitte , which is why Union fans founded an initiative to preserve the Alte Försterei -  proAF  -. A little later, a new stadium with a capacity of 30,000 spectators was to be built by 2006, but this failed due to the high debt level of the club and its relegation to the league in 2005. This project presented by Bertram also met with criticism from the fans, as it should only contain standing room for 10,000. In the meantime, Bertram was able to implement the stadium project in Magdeburg with the construction of the MDCC arena .

Stadium builder memorial

In January 2007 the club announced the plans for the long-delayed modernization of the stadium. Among other things, these included a renovation of the standing stands and a new construction of the main grandstand. The prerequisite for the construction project was the transfer of the stadium site from the State of Berlin to 1. FC Union for the symbolic price of one euro (the market value of the site was around 1.89 million euros). However, this project could not be realized. After the sports committee of the Berlin House of Representatives initially approved the sale in January 2007 , an examination of the project by the European Union became necessary in July 2007 in order to refute the suspicion of state aid through excessive subsidization . The examination resulted in a veto of the EU in January 2008, whereby Union could only acquire the stadium for the full purchase price.

As a result, there were further negotiations between the club and the state of Berlin as to how the state, as the owner of the stadium, would guarantee the continuation of game operations at the Alte Försterei in the event of qualification for the newly created third or - in the event of promotion - the second Bundesliga was able to, because the stadium at that time did not meet the requirements of the DFL . For a short time, the club threatened to move to the Jahnsportpark or the Olympiastadion for the 2008/2009 season without the Alte Försterei having been modernized. The fans then mobilized again under the motto proAF and attracted attention through various campaigns. They also received support from other fan groups (e.g. from Hertha BSC , Rot-Weiß Erfurt or Babelsberg 03 ). In April 2008, 1. FC Union finally received the approval from politicians, so that the necessary construction work began after the end of the 2007/08 season. Furthermore, the sports facility site was transferred to the club in a leasehold contract for 99 years. However, the operator of the facility was not the club itself, but the "An der Alten Försterei" Stadionbetriebs GmbH & Co. KG, which it founded.

In the run-up to the new building plans, the “Stadium Founder” campaign was launched in 2005. The aim of this campaign is to give fans the opportunity to contribute financially to the renovation. By acquiring so-called “start-up stones”, they give the project financial means. The start-up stones are installed in the spectator tunnel, the “Tunnel of Fame”, and are thus perpetuated for the respective donors.

2008–2017: Stadium construction by fans and new construction

Assembly in May 2009

The renovation work started on June 2nd, 2008 and was originally supposed to take three months. Due to delays in construction, however, the completion date was corrected several times to a later date, until the club finally decided in April 2009 that the 2008/09 season would end entirely in the Jahnsportpark alternative venue. The completion of the roof in particular was problematic, as the roof construction company commissioned initially had delivery problems and ultimately did not meet expectations during assembly in the stadium. As a result, the contract with the company was terminated and a new one was commissioned to complete the roof. However, the delays in the roof construction made it possible to install the underfloor heating.

On July 8, 2009, after a construction period of 13 months, during which around 2,000 volunteers worked almost 140,000 unpaid hours, the stadium was inaugurated with a friendly against Hertha BSC (final score 3: 5). During the construction phase, in addition to the construction of the roof structure and the turf heating, the standing bars and many surrounding functional buildings as well as railings and fences were renovated. The audience capacity increased to 19,000. In order to meet the seating capacity (3,000 seats) required by the DFL, folding seats were temporarily installed in 2010 in the standing area of ​​the "buffer block" (the separation zone between home and away fans) ( 1. FC Union had one more in the 2009/10 season Exemption). This resulted in a capacity of 18,432 spectators (including 15,414 standing and 3,018 seats).

Stadium during the opening game on July 8, 2009

The second construction phase started in May 2012 with the dismantling of the main grandstand. One month later the foundation stone was laid for the new grandstand. Originally this construction phase was supposed to start in 2010, but was postponed in order to secure the financing completely. The main stand is to offer space for a total of 3,557 spectators and also serve as a functional building with cabins for the players and referees as well as rooms for the Stadionbetriebs AG, the licensed players' department and security staff.

The construction of the new grandstand should cost around 15 million euros, with 2 million from 1. FC Union Berlin, 3 million from the stadium operating company, 3 million from the sponsor UFA Sports and 7 million from the sponsor DKB . An originally planned grant from the State of Berlin was not used and was instead intended to be used for the construction of the new training center.

Part of the financing was made possible by the so-called “Alte Försterei share”. During the period from December 1 to 31, 2011, the club members were able to acquire shares in the stadium operating company that had previously been converted into an AG . A total of 5,473 shares with a value of 2,736,500 euros were acquired, which make up around 44 percent of the Stadionbetriebs AG (1. FC Union Berlin holds around 55 percent).

The costs for the entire renovation were originally estimated at around 17 million euros and should be divided in such a way that 3.2 million euros through the state of Berlin, 1.8 million euros through the association and the remaining 12 million euros through Borrowed capital can be raised.

In the summer of 2016, the forestry department received a new video display board . With a width of nine meters and a height of five meters, it has an area of ​​45  m 2 and a weight of 1.4  t . The pixel pitch is ten millimeters and a light intensity of 7,000  cd / m 2 .

Since 2017: expansion planning

The 2019 stadium in Berlin-Köpenick

In June 2017, the club announced that it wanted to expand its stadium. After a successful promotion to the Bundesliga, the “Requirements for football stadiums in structural, infrastructural and operational terms” contained in the DFB's stadium manual , which are derived from the UEFA stadium infrastructure regulations , should actually be met . For a category 4 stadium, this means, among other things, that 8,000 seats must be available. Union enjoyed an increased number of spectators even before the rise: In the 2016/17 season , the stadium was over 95 percent full.

By 2020, the 100th anniversary of the stadium, the venue should be expanded from 22,012 to 36,978 seats for 38 million euros. The number of seats was to be increased from 3,617 to 8,286 and the number of standing places from 18,395 to 28,692. For this, three of the four grandstands are to be given a second rank. Construction should start in spring 2019. Construction work on the clubhouse was to begin a year earlier, in spring 2018. A fan house, a fan bar with a roof terrace, an armory and offices will be built.

After promotion to the Bundesliga 2019/20 , however, the club postponed the planned expansion of the Alte Försterei . This was confirmed by the President of the Iron , Dirk Zingler. At the beginning of March 2019, the Senate Administration signaled to the club that it would not be allowed to receive planning rights until summer. Minor adjustment work for the first division must be carried out, but this has no effect on the capacity. For a first division stadium, the DFL stipulates a seat offer of 8,000. The home of Union currently has a little over 3,600 seats. Since the expansion is already planned, Union received a special permit.

Furnishing

Choreography by fans on the "forest side"

With a capacity of currently 22,012 spectators (18,395 standing and 3,617 seats), the football stadium is the largest “pure” football stadium in Berlin. The stadium is divided into four sections. The “forest side” in the north, the “back straight” in the east and the “Wuhleseite” in the south are purely standing crossbars. The standing block for fans of the opposing team is on the Wuhleseite. On the west side there is the main stand including the VIP area and seats for fans of the visiting team.

location

The stadium and the surrounding sports facilities are located in the southeast of Berlin in the Treptow-Köpenick district. The area originally located in the Oberschöneweide district is now in the west of the Köpenick district due to a change in the district boundary. The complex is bounded in the north by Volkspark Wuhlheide , in the east by Hämmerlingstrasse, in the south by the Wuhle and in the west by the street An der Wuhlheide.

Surroundings

In total, the area includes the soccer stadium, a ball game hall (including the home of the Köpenicker SC volleyball team ) and six other training grounds. The two training grounds in the south-west of the facility and the stadium are leased by 1. FC Union; the rest of the area is owned by the State of Berlin. At the edge of the stadium area there are other functional buildings, which u. a. the offices of 1. FC Union Berlin and the volleyball department of Köpenicker SC.

In the immediate vicinity is u. a. the Mellowpark , a recreational area for skateboard and BMX activities. The Mellowpark is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

Transport links

Immediately near the stadium, the stop is Old Forester , of the tram lines 27, 60 and 67 and the bus is operated N67. The S-Bahn station Köpenick on the S3 line is about 900 meters from the stadium. The terminus of the Spindlersfeld S-Bahn station, which is often used by guest fans, is around 1,500 meters from the stadium.

use

Christmas singing by 1. FC Union Berlin (2011)

In addition to 1. FC Union Berlin as the main tenant, schools and other clubs or groups (including from the Diocese League Berlin ) also use the sports facility.

Christmas singing

Since 2003, takes place in the Christmas season , the Christmas singing instead, the stadium serves as a venue. The interior is also used for this and the lawn is covered with slabs. In 2015, the highest level was reached with around 28,500 participants and after 2014, tickets were sold for the second time because the rush was very large. Singing was originally started when the Alt-Unioner fan club invited them to it after a series of poor results.

Events

Linkin Park in the Alte Försterei in front of almost 35,000 fans

The An der Alten Försterei stadium gained international fame through the World Cup living room , an event in the summer of 2014 where Berliners were able to set up their sofa in the stadium to watch the World Cup matches in Brazil on a screen together. In particular, the live broadcasts of games with the participation of the German national team were well attended with around 12,000 guests.

In addition, the new main grandstand has also been used for various events since 2013.

The first big rock concert of this kind took place on September 3rd, 2015 in the stadium An der Alten Försterei. The Linkin Park group performed in front of 35,000 spectators.

In 2017 and 2018, the matriculation celebrations of the Berlin University of Applied Sciences took place in the stadium An der Alten Försterei. Over 1,500 students took part in the event at the start of the semester.

See also

literature

  • Jörn Luther, Frank Willmann: And never forget - Iron Union! BasisDruck Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86163-106-7 .
  • Harald Tragmann, Harald Voss: The Union Statistics, A Club between East and West . 3. Edition. Harald Voß Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-935759-13-7 .
  • Dieter Gluschke, Jochen Lesching (ed.): Stadium at the old forestry. The book on building . edition else, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-028244-7 .
  • 1. FC Union Berlin e. V. (Ed.): Official club publication . No. 1-09 / 10 . Berlin July 8th, 2009.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Karin Schmidl: WM LIVING ROOM IN KÖPENICK: The world looks at the Alte Försterei . In: Berliner Zeitung . July 25, 2012 ( online article [accessed July 10, 2014]).
  2. How our stadium got its name. In: proaf.de ( Memento from February 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). Iron VIRUS e. V., archived from the original on February 8, 2007 ; Retrieved April 28, 2009 .
  3. Matthias Wolf: Connection to the future . In: Berliner Zeitung . November 7, 2006.
  4. ^ Matthias Koch: Union Berlin: The construction site is idle . In: Der Tagesspiegel . March 5, 2008 ( online article [accessed April 28, 2009]).
  5. Matthias Wolf: The fist in the pocket . In: Berliner Zeitung . March 10, 2008.
  6. Union receives confirmation of the old forestry department. 1. FC Union Berlin, April 17, 2008, accessed on April 28, 2009 .
  7. ^ Matthias Koch: Association with roof damage . In: Der Tagesspiegel . February 23, 2009 ( online article [accessed February 24, 2009]).
  8. ↑ Starting shot: start of construction for the main grandstand. (No longer available online.) "An der Alten Försterei" Stadionbetriebs AG, June 12, 2012, formerly the original ; Retrieved July 30, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.stadion-an-der-alten-foersterei.de  
  9. ^ Stadium at the Alte Försterei: 1. FC Union Berlin e. V. increases stake in Stadionbetriebs AG. "An der Alten Försterei" Stadionbetriebs AG, November 20, 2012, accessed on August 12, 2013 .
  10. 1. FC Union presents stadium project to the public. 1. FC Union Berlin e. V., January 11, 2007, accessed April 28, 2009 .
  11. New scoreboard for the stadium An der Alten Försterei. stadionwelt.de, July 29, 2016, accessed on July 30, 2016 .
  12. Max Bosse: The old forestry department is being expanded. This is what Union’s new stadium should look like . In: Berliner Zeitung . June 20, 2017 ( berliner-zeitung.de [accessed June 24, 2017]).
  13. Suitable for the Bundesliga by 2020: Stadium An der Alten Försterei grows to 37,000 seats. In: fc-union-berlin.de. 1. FC Union Berlin, June 20, 2017, accessed on June 24, 2017 .
  14. After promotion: Union Berlin postpones stadium expansion. In: stadionwelt.de. May 29, 2019, accessed June 3, 2019 .
  15. Annika Leister: Stadium at the Alte Försterei - the renovation has to wait. In: berliner-zeitung.de. Berliner Zeitung , May 28, 2019, accessed on June 3, 2019 .
  16. Karin Schmidl: Footballers want to buy their stadium . In: Berliner Zeitung . July 24, 2006.
  17. 13th edition at the Alte Försterei: Record participation in Union Christmas singing. kicker-Sportmagazin , December 24, 2015, accessed on December 25, 2015 .
  18. ^ Stadium at the Alte Försterei - a good concert stage? In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 4, 2015, accessed September 4, 2015 .
  19. What is Linkin Park doing in my living room? In: The world . September 4, 2015, accessed September 4, 2015 .
  20. ^ Matthias Lukaschewitsch: Linkin Park rock in the Alte Försterei. In: BZ article from September 3, 2015.
  21. press release. In: HTW. March 26, 2018, accessed July 12, 2020 .