This is what the future home of the Berlin club could look like.
The Bundesliga club presented its plans for the transformation of the Alte Försterei. There is a unique feature in Germany.
It has long been known that Union Berlin wants to transform the Alte Försterei. Club president Dirk Zingler has just presented the concrete plans for the new stadium. According to this project, the club plans to increase the capacity of the stadium from 22,000 to 40,500 spectators.
But what is striking is not only the increase in available places. This is their distribution.
The vast majority of seats will be standing room. It is planned to create 32,500 standing places, while 8,000 spectators (including some VIPs) will be able to follow the matches seated.
If this project sees the light of day, the Alte Försterei would become the Bundesliga stadium with the largest number of standing places.
A move to the Olympic stadium
To implement these plans, the club must demolish and rebuild three of the four currently existing stands, with only the main stand capable of being transformed. During the 2026/2027 season, the team will therefore have to move to the Olympic stadium. Moreover, the project has already cost 15 million euros, just for planning.
However, the club will also receive money in the short term. Officials want to sell additional shares of the stadium to club members and sponsors. This should be done as part of a capital increase for Stadionbetriebs AG of up to 60 million euros. “I would like one day to have 40,000 owners in the stadium,” Zingler said.
120,000 shares worth 500 euros each should this time be issued. The sale could bring in a high amount of several million for Stadionbetriebs AG.
The decision is expected to be taken at the SA’s general meeting in November. The shares are expected to be subscribed from December. More than 4,000 members used it in 2011, when Union Berlin had already sold shares. The conditions are now the same: a maximum of ten shares can be acquired per buyer. There will be no dividends and the securities will not be freely tradable. Only members of the association and sponsors will be able to purchase them. To publicize this action, Union will wear the inscription “proAF – Alte Försterei” on its jersey until the end of the year.
The Union, finally, will also transform the entire area surrounding its stadium. In particular, it is planned to build a parking lot with a training ground on the roof. The facilities of the new training center will then be used by the men’s and women’s teams.
(dpa/kgl/jcz)
More sports articles
Show all articles
This Moldovan teaches Russian border guards about life
Video: watson
This might also interest you:
During his last stint at Ambri (2018/19), Dominik Kubalik finished top scorer in the League and then became a millionaire in the NHL. Today, he is back in Ambri and faces Genève-Servette this Friday. But after seven matches and few goals, a question arises: will his coach dare to put the star in the stands?
The statistics allow for a little (but only a little) controversy: in autumn 2018, Dominik Kubalik had 7 points on the clock (3 goals/4 assists) after 6 matches. This season, he only has 4 points (1 goal/3 assists) after 7 games. We can therefore say that the Czech is not yet as good as during his first visit, but Ambri is as strong as in 2018, since the Leventin club has the same number of points per match (1.5) as at the time.
