The general meeting of 1. FC Union on Monday evening carried many people away emotionally. Club President Dirk Zingler made a more specific statement about the planned expansion of the stadium. It is possible that the Köpenickers will move to the Olympic Stadium for the 2024/2025 season.
What is clearly more serious, however, is that much more is being built than just being renovated: the specially built standing room grandstands in the An der Alten Försterei stadium have to be completely demolished. For Union fans, this is a mixed bag.
It was not easy for Zingler to announce part of the conversion, as can be read on the Union fan blog “Textilverfallen”. No wonder: 2,300 volunteers helped build these grandstands in 2008 and 2009. Zingler said at the meeting that it was not possible to keep the parts for static and structural reasons.
This is an emotional loss for many Unioners: A user writes on Facebook about how special it was to have a stadium built by fans: “I’m just really sorry for the sweat and heart and soul.” Other fans also say on Twitter, how much a new building hurts.
The extent to which fans will be involved in the expansion of the new stadium has not been specified. More detailed plans are not to be presented until March 2023.
The temporary move to the Olympic Stadium does not bring much joy. But most Union fans accept that ironically. Many have been expecting this since the announcement of the expansion. A few fans are already mourning the beautiful forest path to the stadium, which is said to be lost due to the construction of the bypass. However, some others are more concerned about the designs of the stadium presented by Zingler.
Dissatisfaction in the Hertha community
Hertha fans are significantly more dissatisfied with the rival’s plans. The Big City Club Twitter fan scene captioned the announcements with the words “What the hell???”
Many Hertha fans reply that they are not happy about sharing the Olympic Stadium with local rivals. Some worry about their regular place in the east curve. Others are outraged that Union is getting so much support to build a new stadium.
Hertha itself has been trying for years to build a pure football stadium. It was only this year that the association presented its plans to the Berlin House of Representatives, as reported by the Tagesspiegel.
However, it will still be some time before the first whistle is blown: most recently there was talk of 2030 and an ecologically sustainable stadium.
Some Hertha fans also see an opportunity in the stadium expansion of the city rivals, because this could finally push the construction of their own arena. The fan initiative for a blue and white stadium writes on Twitter that they welcome the “solution-oriented approach to finding a sports facility”. It goes on to say that the plans are also good for your own Hertha stadium.