German football club SV Drochtersen/Assel is assessing development options for stadium expansion in preparation for promotion to the national third division.
Kicker said the club is doing well on the pitch, and now it wants to be ready structurally as well, so it is pushing ahead with plans for a comprehensive expansion of the Kehdinger Stadium.
SV Drochtersen/Assel is a German association football club from the municipality of Drochtersen, Lower Saxony.
Kehdinger Stadium is a football stadium in Drochtersen, Germany, primarily home to SV Drochtersen/Assel, a German lower-league club, known for its modest size and local atmosphere, seating around 2,500 to 3,000 spectators.
SV Drochtersen/Assel is currently in third place in the league and thus right in the middle of the three-way battle for the championship in the Regionalliga Nord (fourth division).
A potential title win would mean direct promotion to the third division. The stadium is to be expanded accordingly.
“The club wants to be prepared,” is the clear message from Drochtersen. Promotion to the third division brings new demands – especially regarding infrastructure.
Particularly important for meeting the requirements of the third division are a high-performance floodlight system, under-soil heating, and a spectator capacity of at least 5,000 seats.
The new floodlight system has already been approved and is set to be installed in January at a cost of approximately €750,000.
The planned under-soil heating system is a more complex undertaking. Without it, playing in the third division would be virtually impossible, as weather-related match cancellations would result in financial losses due to reduced TV revenue.
Given the project’s cost, President Rigo Gooßen clarified: “We will only implement this project if we are truly aiming for promotion.”
The existing pitch would have to be completely removed, at a cost of approximately €1.2 million. The club plans to power the facility with renewable energy.
The centerpiece of the plans is the construction of new stands. Opposite the current main stand, 2,000 covered seats are planned, supplemented by VIP areas, at least 20 press seats, and TV camera positions at the penalty areas and the halfway line.
Standing terraces for 1,100 home and 1,100 away fans are planned in the curves, while the existing 500-seat stand will remain.
In total, the Kehdinger Stadium would thus have almost 5,000 seats, distributed across several medium and large stands. However, the new structures will not be completed by summer 2026 – therefore, the club is planning a temporary solution.
“During the construction phase, we are working with mobile stands, just like we did for the DFB Cup matches,” says Gooßen.
Back then, the Kehdinger Stadium offered space for around 8,000 spectators for away games featuring Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich, and Schalke 04.
This time, too, mobile stands will be erected behind the goals, “and the running track will, of course, remain,” emphasize Gooßen and Sporting Director Sören Behrmann. This stadium will be used, among other things, for school sports in the community.
The club anticipates a total investment of around €5 million. The floodlights and clubhouse will be subsidized, while the stands and pitch heating will be financed by D/A itself – with the support of financially strong sponsors and partners.
For the club, the stadium expansion is therefore far more than a formal requirement: it is a clear commitment to the sporting prospects and the future of the club.
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