The German Football Association officially inaugurated its new campus in Frankfurt with numerous guests of honor. The 150 million euro project is now the central point of contact for German football.
With the ceremonial opening of the campus, the German Football Association has completed its EUR 150 million lighthouse project after more than nine years. In the presence of around 300 guests from sports, politics and business – including national coach Hansi Flick – DFB President Bernd Neuendorf took possession of the new building on Thursday at the symbolic key handover on behalf of the world’s largest national sports association. “The campus should be an innovation driver for football. We all want successful national teams. That can happen here,” said Neuendorf.
Neundorf’s special thanks to Bierhoff
The foundations for sporting success are to be laid on the approximately 15-hectare site in Frankfurt with the academy and the office as well as the most modern training facilities and training facilities. “The DFB campus should be the new central contact point for all of German football. It should be a motor. We want to push and implement things from here,” said DFB General Secretary Heike Ullrich, adding: “I believe that April 30. June 2022 will be a historic day in the history of the DFB – just like the laying of the foundation stone around two and a half years ago. The move to the DFB campus marks a new era.”
The starting signal was given in January 2013. At that time, the DFB Presidium gave the order to examine the ambitious project initiated by DFB director Oliver Bierhoff. “He deserves special thanks. He was a source of ideas and pacesetters,” Neuendorf said in recognition of the former international.
relief and pride
Bierhoff was relieved after the long journey. “Hansi Flick was there from the start. The idea came up on our travels. We can all be incredibly proud and happy that German football got it off the ground. Now it’s time to fill it with life,” he said . The project has “been getting bigger and bigger over the years. The DFB has a meeting place here and can do a lot more to fulfill its tasks.”
In March 2014, the leadership of the association gave the go-ahead for implementation, which initially stalled due to a legal dispute over the site of the former racecourse. The ground-breaking ceremony on the site took place in May 2019, and the foundation stone was laid a good four months later. “What has been created here is great,” praised Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU).
“A landmark for the DFB”
In a construction period of just 39 months, 3.5 grass pitches and the four-storey campus building were created, in which a football hall with artificial turf pitch, a futsal/multi-purpose hall, a large fitness area and around 40 conference and seminar rooms are located on an area of almost 50,000 square meters. In addition, there are offices for the currently around 500 employees of the DFB and an athletes’ house with 33 rooms.
“In terms of construction alone, we have created a landmark for the DFB with the campus, architecturally it is state of the art,” said Ullrich, adding: “The working conditions are perfect. I think that this great building has a positive effect on has all of us, the joy and the fresh wind are literally tangible.”
Many experts from all over the world want to see this for themselves in the near future. “FIFA president Gianni Infantino, UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin – all sorts of people want to see it,” Neuendorf announced proudly. The opportunity to do so will arise as part of the European Championship draw on October 9th in the Main metropolis.
