Veltins-Arena

The Veltins Arena is a football stadium in the German city of Gelsenkirchen that is considered one of the most modern stadiums in the world. Originally named the Arena AufSchalke, it opened in 2001 as the new home ground for the Bundesliga football club FC Schalke 04. It hosted the 2004 UEFA Champions League final and 5 matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including a quarter-final. Accredited as a UEFA UEFA 5 star stadiums, it has a league capacity of 61,524 (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 53,994 (seated only). The naming rights to the stadium were sold on July 1, 2005 to the German brewery Veltins.

History

Plans to construct a new stadium emerged in the late 1990s, as fans and managers sought to move out of the outdated Parkstadion, and create a thoroughly modern multifunctional arena. Following Schalke 04's historic 1997 victory in the UEFA Cup, and the club's upcoming 100th anniversary in 2004, the contract to construct a 186 million € stadium was given in 1998 to the German construction firm HBM.

Site and layout

The site chosen for Schalke 04's new stadium is in the direct vicinity of the old Parkstadion, on an extensive piece of club owned property known as the "Berger Feld". Unfortunately, two mine shafts of the "Consolidation" and "Hugo" coal-mines run directly beneath this field at a depth of 800 m. These shafts (in use until 2000) would have caused unwanted shifts and tensions that could have compromised the structural integrity of the stadium. To avoid this, the main axis was rotated from the classic North-South arrangement to a Northeast-Southwest alignment, making the arena parallel to the mines.

The Veltins Arena was created as a multi-functional arena of two tiers that completely surround the playing field. These allow for a league capacity of 61,524 spectators (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 53,994. For league matches, the North stand is left as standing rows (capacity: 16,307) to accommodate the Schalke 04 fans, while for international matches, these are converted to seats (capacity: 8,600). The 72 VIP lounges form a ring around the entire stadium, separating the first tier from the second tier. On the main Western grandstand, the VIP capacity is increased by a second level of lounges directly beneath the main belt.

The foundation for the stadium was created out of cast concrete and 600,000 m³ of packed slag, a waste product from the local coal mines. These were packed into mounds to support the four main stands, which were made out of pre-fabricated, re-inforced concrete sections. Leading into the four corners of the arena are 4.50 m x 4.50 m tunnels, which serve both as access for construction and assembly, and as ventilation for the interior.

Roof and pitch

The Veltins Arena features a teflon-coated fiberglass canvas retractable roof, which spans the entire stadium. The roof is supported by a rectangular truss that is suspended above the field, which is in turn connected to the main building via 24 steel pylons. The center of the roof can be opened into two halves, allowing for an opened and covered stadium, depending on weather and venue. In order to reduce the exterior noise of up to 105 decibels during concerts, a second layer of teflon-coated fiberglass canvas was added over the first, creating a dampening air cushion. Hanging 25m over the center of the pitch are four video screens, each with a surface area of 35m². The centrally suspended scoreboard, similar to those found inside indoor sports areas, was the first of its kind in football stadia, and has since been copied in the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt.

Like the Sapporo Dome in Japan, and Gelredome in the The Netherlands before it, the Veltins Arena features a slide out pitch. Supported by 11,400t substructure, the playing field can be moved in and out of the stadium within 4 hours. This has several advantages:

The grass playing surface can grow under normal outside conditions without suffering from a lack of circulation and light as in other arenas.
The football pitch is not damaged during indoor events such as concerts.
The floor of the multi-functional hall can be converted and retro-fitted within a short amount of time.
The outside area that is not occupied by the field can be used as parking facilities for buses during football matches.

Catering & venues

In order to provide for over 60,000 spectators, the Veltins Arena is equipped with an abundance of catering facilities. With 15 small restaurants, 50 grilling stations and 35 cafés, the stadium can serve up to 2,500 kg of sausages, 7,000 prezels, and 1,000 m² of pizza in one day. These catering areas are connected to a 5 km long beer-line, supplying them with roughly 52,000 litres of beer per matchday.

The Veltins Arena has hosted an array of important venues, including the UEFA Champions League final of 2004, and concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Herbert Grönemeyer. During the renovation of the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, it also served as the temporary home of the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. The true multi-functionality of the stadium was put to a test in May 2004 when the Veltins Arena hosted a pop-concert, one Bundesliga match and one NFL Europe game within 96 hours. Highly acclaimed, the Veltins-Arena will serve as a model for the new stadium now under construction in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. The new Arizona Cardinals American Football stadium will share features such as a retractable roof and a slide-out pitch with its German counterpart.

2006 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, because FIFA does not recognize sponsorship of the venues used in its tournaments, the arena will be called FIFA World Cup Stadium Gelsenkirchen during the World Cup.

The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:

Date	Time(CET)	Team #1	Res.	Team #2	Round	Spectators
2006-06-09	21.00	Poland	0-2	Ecuador	Group A	52,000
2006-06-12	18.00	United States	0-3	Czech Republic	Group E	52,000
2006-06-16	15.00	Argentina	6-0	Serbia and Montenegro	Group C	52,000
2006-06-21	16.00	Portugal	2-1	Mexico	Group D	52,000
2006-07-01	17.00	England	0-0 (1-3 PEN)	Portugal	Quarterfinals	52,000

References

Gernot Stick, Stadien 2006, Basel: Birkhäuser 2005

Stahlbau Spezial: Arenen im 21. Jahrhundert, Berlin: Ernst & Sohn, Ausg. Januar 2005

External links

Veltins Arena - Description and Image Gallery
Veltins Arena at WorldStadiums.com
Official site
Veltins Arena at StadienWelt.de