Is Grünwalder Stadium expansion imminent?

Article posted by Coliseum, April 19^th, 2021

Image: AS&P

A decision is likely to be taken in May or June as regards the expansion of the iconic Grünwalder Stadium in the German City of Munich. Nevertheless, the million-dollar question in the minds of the representatives of the City of Munich and the clubs concerned are – will the legendary facility ever be expanded?

‘Merkur.de’ stated that the picture is still hazy as to what happens next with the planned rehabilitation of the Grünwalder Stadium? There is still no clarity as yet. A virtual conference was held on April 8^th with representatives from the City, football club TSV 1860, Bundesliga club FC Bayern, the German association football club Türkgücü Munich, and the commissioned architecture firm Albert Speer + Partner. The town hall termed it as jour fixe – a regular exercise that has been scheduled for some time.

A decision was reached that the concerned municipal bodies will take a decision on the expansion of the arena in the month of May or latest June this year.

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The 15,000-person Grünwalder Stadium is a football stadium in Munich, Germany. It was built in 1911 and was the home ground for 1860 Munich until 1995. Local rival Bayern Munich also played in the stadium from 1926 until 1972, and then they moved to the new Olympiastadion. The digs also serve as the home ground of Türkgücü Munich and the second team from FC Bayern.

TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich is a sports club based in Munich, Germany. After the 2016-2017 seasons, the club’s football team was relegated from the 2. Bundesliga. Their residence is the Grünwalder Stadium.

Funds’ release

‘Merkur.de’ further stated that the above meeting took place in anticipation of a possible City Council decision on the conversion of the cult site on Giesings heights to make it suitable for professional football. The concerned authorities will deal with the City administration’s draft resolution in May or June at the latest this year.

A modernization plan includes the roof and increasing the capacity of the arena from the present 15,000 to 18,105 spectators to meet the requirements of the 2. Bundesliga (second division of professional football in Germany). But, the moot question is will the powers that be in Munich release funds during these times of coronavirus which has hit Germany quite hard. Depending on the capacity expansion, the costs are estimated to be in the range of 30 and 60 million euros.

Construction timeline

If the expansion plans go ahead, the capacity of the venue should reach 18,000. The venue would be soundproof. The present Mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, and the third Mayor of Munich, Verena Dietl of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), had made it clear on several occasions in the past that only if TSV 1860 feels that an expansion of its residence makes sense, will they recommend to the City Council to give its nod to the project.

The repurposing work of the sports facility is likely to take two years. The TSV 1860 would have to play their home games in a different stadium during this interregnum. The 74,475-capacity Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, is a likely alternative.

It is not likely that the TSV 1860 would play in the 70,000-capacity Allianz Arena in Munich due to pecuniary issues and the not-so-friendly approach of the fans.

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