German Bundesliga football club SC Freiburg has announced that the Europa-Park amusement park has acquired naming rights to its new stadium.
Terms of the deal for the ‘Europa-Park Stadion’ were not disclosed, with the contract being described as a long-term agreement.
Located 40km north of Freiburg, Europa-Park has been a commercial partner of the club for almost three decades and a premium partner since 2009. It will now become the only amusement park in the world to hold naming rights to a stadium in a top-tier football league.
Roland Mack, owner of Europa-Park, said: “SC Freiburg and Europa-Park – it just fits. The club is a sporting lighthouse in the region and is known beyond national borders for its sustainable, successful youth work.
“Since my brother (Jürgen) and I grew up in Waldkirch, I am also fascinated by the Freiburger Bobbele that you can see our local mountain, the Kandel, from both Europa-Park and the stadium. For me it means a big piece of home.
“The Europa-Park Stadion with its outstanding architecture is absolutely successful. It blends in harmoniously with the surroundings and will soon become a figurehead for the city of Freiburg and the region. We look forward to many exciting games with happy fans in the new jewellery box.”
Oliver Leki, CEO of SC Freiburg, added: “Europa-Park and Sport-Club are firmly rooted in the region and stand for emotions, down-to-earthness and sustainability. Above all, we are united by a partnership that has lasted for decades, which we have now expanded again and which we want to live successfully together.”
Freiburg confirmed last month that the club would play its first three Bundesliga home games of the 2021-22 season in the Dreisamstadion amid delays in delivering its new home. Freiburg in May said it was hoping to move into its new stadium in time for the 2021-22 season but admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic had pushed back the delivery date.
Freiburg has played at the 24,000-seat Dreisamstadion since 1954 but is set to move to the new Europa-Park Stadion, which will have a capacity of 34,000. Freiburg had originally hoped to move to its new ground during the 2020-21 season but this has not been possible.
Freiburg said it now intends to open Europa-Park Stadion with the Bundesliga game against RB Leipzig on the weekend of October 15-17, adding that it will stage a test event by playing a game against 2. Bundesliga club St. Pauli on October 7.
Image: SC Freiburg
