Five months after the venue project was unveiled the German association football club VfB Oldenburg’s (Germany) future stadium has reached several major milestones. Nevertheless, the legal sword continues to dangle over the club’s venue project.
Legal Challenge
‘onefootball.com’ stated that the construction contract has been signed, the public funding has been approved by the European Commission (the politically independent executive arm of the European Union) and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 1st, 2026. But, despite this progress, a legal challenge continues to plague the project estimated at nearly €60 million and it is still not out of the woods totally.
Despite the above advances the new stadium continues to be a divisive issue in Oldenburg. The citizens’ initiative – ‘KEIN StadionBau’ (No Stadium Building) – opposed to the use of public funds for construction – has launched legal proceedings challenging the project’s planning. They are particularly against the venue project’s cost to the community and question the necessity of a second football stadium in the city.
Sod Turning
The first shovel has hit the ground but the main construction work will have to wait until 2027.
On October 1st, the Mayor of Oldenburg Jürgen Krogmann and representatives of the stadium company participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. This symbolic step marked the visible launch of the project even though construction of the stadium itself has not yet begun.
Building Permit Application
The company in charge of the construction project (Walter Hellmich) plans to submit the building permit application before the end of 2026. Construction work is scheduled to begin on July 1st, 2027, with delivery expected in late 2028 or early 2029.
The VfB Oldenburg is a German association football club based in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony (Germany). They play in the Regionalliga Nord, the fourth tier of the German football league system.
The Marschweg-Stadion is a multiuse stadium in Oldenburg, Germany. Since 1991, it has served as the home stadium of the VfB Oldenburg. The capacity of the stadium is 15,200 spectators of which 4,500 are seats and 10,700 standing places.
Significant Milestone
Last May, Le Fussball presented the plans for the VfB Oldenburg’s new stadium, a 10,604-seat arena planned near the former 12,000-seat Stadion Donnerschwee in Oldenburg. The project was then expected to reach a significant milestone with the City Council vote scheduled for June 1st.
Public Funding
Since then, several decisions have been taken to move the project forward. The City Council approved awarding the contract to Walter Hellmich, a company based in Dinslaken (a medium-sized town in the district of Wesel, Germany) for a fixed sum of €57.3 million, plus €2.36 million in additional costs. The contract was officially signed on June 4th before the European Commission authorized public funding for the project on August 12th.
Future Stadium
‘onefootball.com’ further stated that the future stadium, planned for Maastrichter Straße (Oldenburg), will have 6,195 seats and 4,409 standing places. It can also be expanded to 15,000 seats depending on the club’s needs. The goal is to provide the VfB Oldenburg with a stadium that meets the demands of professional football as their current home – the Marschweg-Stadion – does not meet the benchmarks of an avant-garde venue.
Initial Operations
The initial operations primarily involve site preparation. The remediation of a former sludge basin has already been completed while the other areas containing old deposits still require treatment. Relocating a power line and streamlining the drainage system are also part of the vital works which will have to be carried out.
Political Change
The political change at the town hall also adds a particular dimension to the issue. Jascha Rohr, elected to succeed Jürgen Krogmann, had been critical of the Municipal funding for the stadium. He, nevertheless, decided to respect the decisions already adopted by the town Council.
Not-out-of-the-Woods
The project is, therefore, not yet definitely out of the woods but its situation has changed dramatically since the spring. After several decades of waiting the VfB Oldenburg now has a builder, confirmed financing and a precise timetable. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming administrative and legal challenges will allow the goal of an early 2029 opening to be met.
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