German football club FC Schalke 04 has completed the sale of a portion of the shares in the Veltins-Arena stadium company to a fans co-operative for €7.5 million.
Schalke 04 said the Auf Schalke cooperative – supported by its members – will become a co-owner of the arena, further strengthening the close bond between the club and its fans.
The after-tax proceeds give Schalke 04 further momentum as it looks to shore up its financial position.
FC Schalke 04, commonly known as Schalke 04, is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany).
It is best known for its football team which plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system, following relegation from the Bundesliga in 2022-2023.
The Veltins-Arena is a retractable roof-and-pitch football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001 as the new home ground for FC Schalke 04.
The stadium has a capacity of 62,271 (standing and seated) for league matches and 54,740 (seated-only) for international matches.
Christina Rühl-Hamers, board member of FC Schalke 04 who is responsible for finance, said, “The cooperative makes it possible to bring fresh equity capital into the club. Thanks to the transaction, we can further reduce our liabilities and thus gradually gain new freedom of action in our decisions.
“Following the successful redemption of our expiring bonds and the repayment of two state-guaranteed loans, the sale of stadium shares to our cooperative is another important building block in our financial realignment.
“The transaction also helps us on our way to meeting the DFL’s equity capital requirement this year.”
In total, the registered association (e.V.) is transferring limited partnership shares with the cooperative amounting to a nominal €2.16 million in FC Schalke 04-Stadion-Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Immobilienverwaltungs-KG.
This corresponds to 5.4 percent of the stadium company; the total share capital amounts to €40 million.
Matthias Tillmann, board member of Auf Schalke, said, “This transaction is the first visible success for Auf Schalke eG. The cooperative members have thus acquired a tangible piece of their royal blue home.
“The shares in the Veltins-Arena remain in Schalke’s hands, and the club simultaneously strengthens its financial foundation – a perfect deal,”
The agreed purchase price of €7.5 million is based on a recent valuation report for the stadium company.
FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V. will use part of the proceeds to buy back stadium shares from the Gelsenkirchen municipal utilities.
In 2009, the club sold equity stakes in the stadium company to the municipal utilities – but simultaneously secured a buy-back option.
Rühl-Hamers said, “By repurchasing shares from the municipal utilities, we are reducing liabilities and increasing our club’s stake in the stadium company back to over 50 percent – thus securing the necessary majority for key decisions.
“At the same time, the entry of Auf Schalke into the ownership structure of the stadium company means that, overall, more arena shares are once again in Schalke hands – both at the club and, via the cooperative, at our members. This is a win-win situation for everyone.”
The Auf Schalke support cooperative was founded at the end of 2024 to offer club members and supporting companies a solidarity-based, democratically organized way to strengthen FC Schalke 04.
Since the subscription period began in January 2025, more than 8,000 members have subscribed to shares worth approximately €8 million.
Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.
Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.