Hardtwaldstadion

• SV Sandhausen

The Hardtwaldstadion in Sandhausen is a pure football stadium. It is located in a wooded area at the southern end. In the stadium the team plays the SV Sandhausen, who is also owner of the stadium. The name of the stadium refers to its location on the edge of Schwetzingen Hardt, the northernmost part of the Hardt forest.

History

The stadium was opened in 1951, then still with a sandy place. Ten years later, the first time a turf was laid. 1987/88 the covered grandstand was built. Under the Grandstand is located next to the toilets, the press rooms and executive offices, a small apartment, which is used as a stopover for playtesters. In the 2001 / 02 season, a floodlight system was installed that meets the guidelines for the 2nd Bundesliga. In the summer of 2008, the stadium has been adapted to the guidelines for the new 3rd Liga. Thus, a steel pipe grandstand with 2,500 seats was provisionally created a VIP house built, installed a video screen, and expanded the facilities for the press and the police. The Hardtwaldstadion had thus a capacity of 10,231 seats, of which 2954 covered seats.

On the occasion of the rise of the club in the Second Bundesliga, the stadium was enlarged on both sides in the summer of 2012 by the construction of two additional bleachers of the grandstand at a capacity of 12,100 spectators. The eastern expansion includes 377 new seats and 72 loge seats, the western 1,500 standing places. In addition, other structural enhancements have been made and installed a soil heating. The total cost amounted to approximately 3.6 million euros. Should the club establish itself in the second division, the capacity to 15,000 spectators would have to be extended in accordance with the regulations of the DFL. Provided in this case is to build a more general admission grandstand behind the western gate. The construction of a new 20,000 -seater stadium, about at the other end of town in the direction of Schwetzingen was planned for the distant future, but these plans were not pursued because too great a financial burden was associated with it.

Sold out the first time after the expansion, the stadium was in the second league match against 1 FC Kaiserslautern on 31 March 2013. Simultaneously, the previous official record of 11,300 spectators was set by the DFB - Pokal match against Borussia Dortmund on 30 July 2011. After specifying a board member of the association but will with almost 13,000 more people have seen the cup game against VfB Epping on February 15, 1975.

In Hardtwaldstadion several internationals German youth national teams were held, including against the Netherlands and against France. Finally, the U-19 succeeded on August 8, 2010 as part of qualifying for the U-19 European Football Championships 2011, a 10-0 win against Andorra. During the 2006 Football World Cup, the stadium accommodated in neighboring Walldorf football team from Costa Rica served as a training ground. An organized in this context friendly match against a local football team from the Palatinate could decide the latter with 3:2 for themselves.

Received in the football history of the stadium on 27 August 1995. That Sunday the SV Sandhausen defeated the Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart in the first round of the DFB Cup on penalties 13-12. This is the highest-scoring results in the history of the competition.