The complete conversion of the Stadion did cost an approximate total of 56 million euros – a financial commitment the city of Nuremberg did not have to undertake on its own. Half of the total sum of 28 million euros was provided by the Freistaat Bayern (Free State of Bavaria). 15 million euros will have to be refinanced through future revenues generated on the back of improved stadium facilities. 1 million euros have already been put aside out of revenues from past international matches.
This leaves the more manageable sum of 12.1 million euros for the city of Nuremberg to cover. This is the same sum the city, as the stadium’s owner, would have had to raise anyway over the next few years to cover the cost of the stadium’s refurbishment. While the stadium has, since its last refurbishment in 1991, been widely regarded as the “jewel in the crown” of the region, its basic building fabric still dates back to the original 1928 stadium and would have been in need of extensive repairs at some point in the not too distant future.
As a result of the progress we have made in the construction process so far, and due to the very positive development of costs, we have been able to fit brand new red seating throughout the stadium’, says Karlheinz Kubanek, architect and deputy works manager of the municipal company of the Stadion Nürnberg.
But it’s been a steep climb
At the meeting on December 12, 2001, the city council, after lengthy discussions, approved the financing and conversion plan that would equip the stadium to host the World Cup. Basically, the Grundig-Stadion will continue to be used as a multi-functional venue for a variety of events, including football matches, athletics championships, and other large-scale events such as concerts. During the preliminary stages of discussion, and taking into account the demands voiced by the 1. FC Nürnberg, the idea to convert the stadium into a stadium exclusively catering for football events was given due consideration. The plan, however, was eventually abandoned.
The conversion has been completed
Now that the conversion has been completed, the new stadium provides seating for a total of 44,308 spectators. To this end, the grandstand as well as the south-western and north-western stands were raised and enlarged. The arena, including the track and the pitch, were lowered by a total of 1.3 meters to ensure an unrestricted view from all seats. Below the terraces in the bends and along the back straight, an esplanade with catering points and ticket booths was created.
The existing facilities at Stadion boast a number of further benefits, such as the fact that the turf can be maintained to the highest standards throughout the year due to its optimum exposure to sunshine and wind .