Featured image credit: Albert Speer + Partner
German Bundesliga football club Eintracht Frankfurt has confirmed it would be interested in operating the new arena that is being proposed in vicinity to its Deutsche Bank Park stadium.
The City of Frankfurt is pressing forward with plans to deliver a new multi-purpose arena on land adjacent to Deutsche Bank Park following the release of reports on the proposal last month.
The city currently lacks a major arena, with the proposed new venue seen as a solution for Basketball Bundesliga club Skyliners Frankfurt and Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) team Löwen Frankfurt, whose Süwag Energie Arena and Eissporthalle Frankfurt homes are now considered insufficient.
A new arena with a capacity of up to 15,000 is projected to cost around €260m (£219.4m/$282.3m) with the City having stated that it is currently considered sensible for it to bear responsibility for construction itself, with the view of appointing a partner through a tender process.
Eintracht already holds operating rights to Deutsche Bank Park and board member Axel Hellmann told Frankfurter Rundschau: “If the arena is built at the stadium, we are prepared to operate it and take part in the tendering process. The synergies would certainly be enormous.”
In response, Caroline Nützel, spokeswoman for Mayor Mike Josef, said: “The operation of an arena must be put out to tender. Anyone can take part in this.”
In July 2022, Frankfurt City Council announced it had selected a site adjacent to Deutsche Bank Park for what at the time was considered to be a potential new 13,500-capacity arena. The plot of land (P9) is currently used as a car park, with the Council at the time stating it would conduct an in-depth examination of its merits as a possible location for the construction of a multifunctional arena.
Josef said last month that feasibility reports have shown that a multifunctional arena can be built on the planned P9 site. The transport infrastructure has been deemed sufficient for normal operation. However, if the stadium and the arena are to be used at full capacity at the same time, it has been ruled that transport must be improved. Hellmann has now stated that the site “is by far the best location for the arena”.
There have been years of discussions over potential sites for a new arena in Frankfurt. In March 2022, Josef presented a feasibility study by architecture and urban planning practice Albert Speer + Partner (AS+P) for the area currently in question.
In June 2019, plans were revealed for a new €300m project that would result in the development of the second largest arena of its kind in Europe. The project centred on the development of a 23,000-seat arena entitled ‘The Dome’ on land owned by Fraport, the transport company which operates the city’s airport.
The project was reportedly set to be privately financed by Canada’s Katz Group, which specialises in sports and entertainment and real estate development, and was said to be looking to operate the arena after its then targeted opening date of 2023. However, there has been no news on this scheme in recent years.
Meanwhile, French conglomerate Lagardère withdrew from plans to build a new arena in the Kaiserlei area at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
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