After 22 years at Borussia Park
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After 22 years at Borussia Park, Borussia Mönchengladbach is awarding the naming rights to the stadium for the first time in the club’s history and can look forward to a million-dollar deal. The arena in Nordpark will be called ista-Borussia-Park from July 1, 2026 and is estimated to secure up to 5 million euros per season for the Bundesliga club.
“The contract runs until 2031 with potential for the future. It is important to us that we have gained a sustainability partner,” said Borussia CEO Stefan Stegemann on Tuesday. The energy service provider from Essen is the ideal partner for the foals. In previous years, the decision was made twice against a possible namesake, it was said.
Naming rights to the stadium sold: criticism from Gladbach’s fan scene
There is already criticism of the deal from the fan scene, which for traditional reasons wants an advertising-free stadium name. There was even a demand for a complete reversal of the agreement and there was no exchange. “The plan was always to take the fans along early. There was criticism that we didn’t take them along in advance. However, there are topics that cannot be discussed with the fan scene in advance,” explained managing director Markus Aretz.
“We caught up with the fans at two detailed events and explained why we are doing this as Borussia. I think that was well received,” continued Aretz. But it was also noticed that Borussia supporters were wondering why the club had so far forgone these financial resources.
Since the move from Bökelberg to Borussia Park, Borussia’s club management has always emphasized that the granting of the naming rights to a suitable partner and also for economic reasons cannot be ruled out. Extrapolated, the Foals have forgone almost 100 million euros in additional income for more than 20 years in order to preserve the name Borussia Park.