Herzogenaurach/Frankfurt, – After the men’s national team had already set up their base camp for the UEFA EURO 2020 at adidas in the “Home Ground” building complex, the German Football Association (DFB) and its teams will also be guests at adidas in Herzogenaurach in 2022 being. While the DFB women will be preparing for the 2022 UEFA European Championship for the first time on the company premises of the sporting goods manufacturer, the men’s national team will also be returning to the adidas “World of Sports” for the first four match days of the UEFA Nations League.
The women’s team around national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will complete two training camps from June 12th to 18th and from June 21st to 29th in preparation for the upcoming European Championship 2022 in Herzogenaurach. In addition to the “Home Ground” base camp, consisting of three main buildings with a work, health and community area and around 60 residential units, the team has numerous sports facilities and fitness facilities on the adidas site at their disposal. During the shutdown period for the first four match days of the UEFA Nations League, the men’s national team will also move back into their quarters at adidas from May 29th to June 10th.
Kasper Rorsted, adidas CEO, said: “This is great news for all adidas employees and for the entire region. We are particularly looking forward to welcoming the German women’s national team to Herzogenaurach for the first time. The European Championship is one of the absolute sporting highlights of this year. We already showed last summer that we can be a perfect host. This year we will make sure that both teams find ideal conditions with us.”
Oliver Bierhoff, Managing Director National Teams and Academy, said: “We not only felt very comfortable at adidas during the European Championships in the summer, we really felt at home. The conditions there are perfect for a team. That’s why we’re really looking forward to returning to Herzogenaurach in June. Not only do we want to lay the foundation there for a successful season in the UEFA Nations League, but Hansi Flick will also swear his players in for the World Cup in Qatar in winter, given the short preparation time. Sustainable use was a central aspect when choosing our EM quarters, so I am pleased that our women’s national team will also be preparing for the European Championships on the home ground. Choosing the ideal camp is one of the building blocks for a successful European Championship.”
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg added: “We are really looking forward to completing our immediate preparation for the European Championships in England at adidas’ home ground. During an on-site visit, I was able to see for myself that we had perfect opportunities there, and I was immediately impressed. The framework conditions are simply ideal, which not only includes the short distances and the well thought-out concept for sporting preparation. I’m sure that the special atmosphere in the camp will bring us a little closer together and that this spirit will help us at the European Championships.”
The “Home Ground” consists of three main buildings with a work, health and community area as well as around 60 residential units. Particular emphasis was placed on the sustainability of the project, from production to use. The buildings fit seamlessly into the existing tree landscape in the west of the adidas “World of Sports”, mainly local wood from Germany and Austria was used. The implementation took place primarily with strong partners from the region. With the “Home Ground” a sustainable retreat in the countryside was created, which is within walking distance to the adidas office buildings, the company restaurants and the gym as well as numerous sports facilities on campus. The visit of the DFB shows once again the sustainable use of the adidas “Home Ground”. The building complex including residential units can be used by adidas employees but also by external partners, athletes, clubs or associations.
The adidas “World of Sports” has been home to national teams several times. The DFB team prepared for the FIFA Confederations Cup here in 2005, and in 2006 the Argentine national football team made a guest appearance in Herzogenaurach during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2021, the men’s national team of the DFB used the adidas site with the newly built “Home Ground” as team quarters during the postponed UEFA European Championship 2020.