With a view to the request to renovate the venerable Max Morlock Stadium, Nuremberg’s mayor Marcus König (CSU) spoke in July of a “very long journey, a marathon”. It is now the end of October and those responsible have already taken a few steps along this path. This was evident on Saturday during a press tour of the arena on the former Nazi party rally grounds.
On the occasion of the open day, all those who have a say in the renovation of the arena and the surrounding area gathered at the Max Morlock Stadium: the city in the person of Mayor Christian Vogel (SPD), Treasurer Thorsten Brehm (SPD) , sports consultant Cornelia Trinkl (CSU) and chief planner Detlef Stenger; the club with the chairman of the supervisory board Thomas Grethlein and the commercial director Niels Rossow. At the same time, public participation began on Saturday – anyone who has ideas for the renovation, can now announce this on an internet portal.
Of course, the planners also have ideas themselves, some of which are quite ambitious, as they announced. “We are aiming for the most inclusion-friendly stadium in this republic,” said club board member Rossow. In the future, wheelchair users will no longer only be able to find space in a separate area of the stadium, but in every stand and be able to sit with their family or friends.
If the city council agrees to the planners’ proposal next spring, the seating situation will change drastically anyway. The tartan track should disappear and the fans should be moved closer to the field. So close that you can hear the opposing goalkeeper swearing when you concede a goal, joked Supervisory Board boss Grethlein.
In addition, more places are to be created in the VIP area. In this category, the club is second to last in the second division. People there are “very much left behind” and the situation is “no longer up to date,” said board member Rossow. In the future, the capacity for so-called – and lucrative – hospitality tickets is expected to increase from the previous 1,300 to up to 4,000, while a total of only 45,000 fans would fit in the stadium instead of 50,000. In addition to concerts, they should also be able to attend football and rugby games. “The stadium should no longer only be on 17 (Home game days of 1. FC Nürnberg, note d. Red.), but be relevant 365 days a year,” said Rossow.
The plans not only include changes to the stadium, but also to the area around it. In addition to two new football fields for popular sports, an athletics arena is to be built that could accommodate up to 3,000 spectators for small events such as Bundesliga games for women’s clubs, and even up to 20,000 spectators for larger events such as German athletics championships thanks to mobile stands. In the interests of sustainability, the previous lower tiers of the Max Morlock Stadium could possibly even be moved to the new athletics arena.
The question of how the city and the club want to finance the renovation remains open and part of the current planning process. Those responsible explained that they are in discussions with possible partners from the region. Financial assistance from the Free State, for example in the form of a guarantee, is also being examined. The city is hoping for such support. “There are also a lot of club fans in the new state government,” said city treasurer Brehm – above all, of course, Prime Minister Markus Söder, a Nuremberg native.
However, Brehm pointed out that the sum of around 200 million euros calculated in a feasibility study would be difficult to maintain in view of rising construction costs “if the first excavator comes here”. If Mayor Vogel has his way, this will be the case in 2026; The renovation could be finalized in 2030. Until then, there are still a few steps to take on the long, long road to the new stadium.