Financially, Unterhaching is not on a bed of roses. This applies to both the community and the regional football league, the game association. In the town hall, they are just scraping together the money to present a budget that is as balanced as possible at the municipal council meeting this Wednesday, when it becomes known that the most well-known sports club in the area is also plagued by money worries. Unpaid salaries are reported. This also frightens the local council, as the budget includes the proceeds from the stadium deal with the game association. After all, that should be four million. However, it is still unclear when the money will actually flow and whether the stadium will actually be sold at some point.
Already three years ago, the municipality and the football club agreed that the stadium at the sports park should change hands. There was talk of a “historic decision” at the time. Mayor Wolfgang Panzer (SPD) was happy to finally get rid of the financial burden and collect 3.3 million for it. Manfred Schwabl, the president of the game association, made plans about what to do with the property. This also includes a partnership with the Munich Ravens American football club. Because they could use the stadium at the time when the footballers go on summer break.
Trend sport: American football has been booming in Germany not only since the NFL game with superstar Tom Brady (left) in the Allianz Arena. Now there could soon be touchdowns and field goals in Haching.
(Photo: Sascha Walther/IMAGO/Eibner)
This week, the footballers announced that the Ravens, who compete in the European League of Football (ELF), will play their home games at the Unterhachinger Sportpark this year. But whether the deal with the football club could go beyond renting the stadium on individual match days and whether the Munich Ravens would even get involved financially in Unterhaching obviously depends on the stadium deal with the municipality. Without contracts no financing and without financing no further business with any partners.
Deal with the footballers not final yet
SpVgg Vice President Peter Wagstyl does not want to comment on such details. “We think football is awesome, it would be a great opportunity to use the sports park as an alternative when it’s pickle time in football,” he says. The trend sport is a leisure activity for families that takes place in a peaceful environment, Wagstyl continues. However, the club cannot yet announce the agreement with the Ravens as final: “It will only work once all official approvals have been obtained and that has not been the case so far,” says Wagstyl. Wagstyl writes of the euphoria that those responsible for the football club were carried away at the Super Bowl party on Sunday evening in the Audi Dome to name the sports park in front of a large audience as their venue for the ELF season that begins in June the live broadcast of the big football final in a full hall.
But back to the planned stadium sale, which has obviously not progressed well for more than a year. The contracts are still unsigned in the town hall. “The deal is on hold,” says Mayor Wolfgang Panzer. At the time, there was disagreement on some details. It is said to have been about the floodlight system that the game association wanted to have from the municipality before it was bought. But the local council didn’t play along at the time. Panzer now actually wants to resume negotiations with the game association in March or April. But even the mayor – after reading the reports about the liquidity problems of the game association in the past few days – is reluctant to see whether this will happen anytime soon.
Deal or no deal? The SpVgg Unterhaching is still out and apparently also liquid enough to buy the stadium plus side seats.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
But the fact is that the funds for the sale of the stadium are included in the budget under the keyword “land sales” and the municipality urgently needs the money. Because after a hefty repayment of trade taxes in the amount of twelve million euros, the overall work of the community finances is very shaky. For the balanced administrative budget alone, 5.5 million are still missing. The clubs and institutions have to adjust to extensive cuts in funding. The Greens, who voted against the sale of the stadium at the time because they primarily want to keep the property in the hands of the community, are appalled at the news about the football club. Green finance officer Armin Konetschny says he is skeptical after the reports as to whether the game association can survive economically. “The sale of the stadium is on shaky ground. These are only vague hopes. It is irresponsible to base the budget on them.”
A statement that the game association does not want to leave. When asked, the association announced that “financing is available within the framework of the offer submitted”. As can be learned from community circles, the club has offered four million euros on behalf of its Stadion GmbH for a 40,000 square meter enclosure, which includes not only the stadium but also side pitches. Since the latest liquidity problems at SpVgg are said to only affect the partnership limited by shares (KGaA), the financing should be stable – unless the municipality suddenly calls for a higher purchase price or reduces the area to be sold.