Kick-off for the remodelling: symbolic start of construction at the stadium on Gellertstraße
Demolition of the south stand started - Eleven wishes for the new stadium
An excavator dominated the scene at the stadium on Gellertstraße today. The construction machine was the centre of attention where the fans of Chemnitzer FC usually support the sky blue team at home matches.
Mayor Barbara Ludwig, CFC CEO Dr Mathias Hänel, the general contractor Axel Eichholtz, the team captain of the Chemnitz professionals Silvio Bankert as well as other players and fans of the sky blue team gave the starting signal for the construction phase on the Chemnitz Sonnenberg this afternoon. Mayor Barbara Ludwig did not hand over the baton, but rather the match ball to CFC CEO Dr Mathias Hänel. "We are happy that things are finally getting underway," said the mayor. "First of all, I have the classic wish as the client: may the construction site always be accident-free. Then my wish as mayor is that the construction budget is not exceeded. And finally, as a regular visitor to the stadium, I hope that the energy of the start will also be transferred to the team and that all fans will experience thrilling matches here.
"We are delighted that a modern, English-style stadium suitable for the second division is being built here at the traditional Gellertstraße site. A record-breakingly short time has passed between the first public presentation and the start of construction today, and the city, the club and everyone involved can be proud of that," said Dr Mathias Hänel. In addition to Barbara Ludwig and the CFC CEO, nine other people expressed their wishes for a sky-blue future in the new "living room". Among others, CFC team captain Silvio Bankert spoke on behalf of the team, FCK legend Fritz Feister and flag bearer Gerd Leisring in front of around 250 sponsors, fans and supporters of Chemnitz football.
With a spirited shot, CFC B youth player Rico Tänzer was the last in the group to give the starting signal for the demolition work on the south stand, which began immediately.
Small memorabilia familiar to every stadium visitor, such as the seat of the CFC drummer on the fence in front of block six, were already missing. Tomorrow, the time-honoured, hand-operated scoreboard will be dismantled. Then the curve will be declared a construction site.
The new home ground will be built while matches continue to be played. The stadium remodelling begins with the demolition of the south and north stands. Once the north stand is back in operation after the construction work, the south stand will be completed. At the same time, the main stand will be demolished. Once the South Stand has been opened to spectators, the East Stand will be demolished and the Main Stand will be completed. When the side main stand goes into operation, the east stand and the business stand, which is the last to be put into operation, are extended. As the new stadium gradually takes shape, there is room for 10,000 spectators.
Keyword stadium
The remodelling of the stadium on Gellertstraße is to be carried out without interrupting match operations and with a maximum budget of 25 million euros. A modern arena with 15,000 seats is planned, of which around 9,000 will be seated and 6,000 standing, including a family block and barrier-free seats. The client is the city of Chemnitz.
Barbara Ludwig, Lord Mayor: Firstly, I have the classic wish as the client: that the construction site is always accident-free. Then my wish as Lord Mayor is that the construction budget is not exceeded. And finally, as a regular visitor to the stadium, I hope that the energy of the start will also be transferred to the team and that all fans will experience thrilling matches here.
Dr Mathias Hänel, CFC CEO: "We are delighted that a modern, English-style stadium suitable for the second division is being built here at the traditional Gellertstraße site. A record-breakingly short time has passed between the first public presentation and the start of construction today, and the city, the club and everyone involved can be proud of that. I hope that things continue like this. And above all, I hope that the stadium - the hardware provided by the city - will be accompanied by the software: that the club, sponsors and supporters will play together in the new stadium with sporting and economic success.
Axel Eichholtz, Managing Director of BAM Sports GmbH and general contractor for the stadium construction: "I'm delighted that the construction work is finally getting underway and that the progress will really be visible from now on. I wish the construction site itself - it is now our ninth stadium in Germany - an accident-free time.
Silvio Bankert, team captain of the CFC: "First and foremost, I wish the new stadium success. I wish the arena many visitors who will take possession of the fantastic stadium as a family and experience exciting matches in an inspiring atmosphere. And then I hope that our new arena will become another landmark for Chemnitz.
Gerd Leisring, CFC fan and flag bearer at home matches: Despite all the fond memories of our old stadium, we fans are very happy that things are about to get underway. I hope that in the new south curve, which fortunately consists of standing room only, we can cheer on our team in a really tight and compact way and become a force at home again. And I hope that word will get around quickly that the atmosphere here is great and that many new fans will join us.
Fritz Feister, 145 games for FC Karl-Marx-Stadt and GDR champion in 1967: "I associate the old stadium with fantastic experiences as a footballer. It was here that we laid the foundations for the championship in 1966/67. A key factor in our success was the close proximity between the pitch and the fans and the gigantic atmosphere. I hope that the new stadium will fill the stands again and that the CFC will knock on the door of the second division again under these attractive conditions.
Peggy Schellenberger, CFC fan representative: "The stadium will create attractive conditions for CFC players and fans that other clubs have had for years. Now there is virtually no excuse for anyone from Chemnitz not to come to the home games. We fans are now placing our trust in the city and the general contractor, just as we do in our team, which is happy to show off its sporting prowess.
Nicole Gabriel, Chemnitz Fan Project: "We at the Chemnitz Fan Project of the Workers' Welfare Organisation are also particularly pleased for the young people, who will certainly find better conditions in a new stadium. On behalf of the "Fan Interests" working group, we are also pleased that the fans were able to have an influence during the planning phase and that their wishes were taken into account. We are sure that the construction of a new "living room" will motivate the fans, the club, the team and us even more to walk the path together. For the future, we would like to see continued open communication between all those involved in the renovation.
Gerhard Oertel, honorary council member of the CFC: "I know the stadium from the 1930s and have witnessed the entire history and several generations of fans here. The new stadium will be a very special highlight for me. I'm looking forward to the upcoming home games and to seeing the stadium being built.
Stefan Graupner, CFC fan and supporter of the Rollender Mob fan club: "I attend all home games and always stand on the sidelines with the wheelchair users from the Rollender Mob. It's great that the disabled fans now have great barrier-free and, above all, covered seats in the stadium. I'm sure that will be very popular. I'm looking forward to the new era at the CFC and hope that we'll soon be playing in the second division again.
Rico Tänzer, captain of the CFC's B-junior team: "I hope that our new stadium will be completed as quickly as possible and that numerous talents from our own youth training centre will play there in the future. Just like Chris Löwe and Christian Mauersberger, among others. And then, and this is my very special wish and my big goal, that I can also play here.