Red Bull Arena (Salzburg)

After removal: July 25, 2007

After removal: Red Bull Salzburg - FC Arsenal ( 1-0)

• FC Red Bull Salzburg
• FC Liefering

• Final of the OFB Cup 2004
• 2008 European Football Championship
• League home games of FC Red Salzburg

The Red Bull Arena is an Austrian football stadium on the outskirts of Salzburg, in the commune of Wals. It is home ground of Bundesliga club FC Red Bull Salzburg and the first division club FC Liefering and holds a total of 30,180 spectators. Until after the 2008 European Football Championship, in which the stadium is one of the four host cities in Austria was, it was called EM Stadion Wals.

The opening of the Arena took place on 8 March 2003, at that time under the name Stadium Wals and with a capacity of 18,250 spectators. On the occasion of the European Football Championship 2008, it was expanded. While the Stieglbrauerei to Salzburg was the name sponsor of the OFB Cup, it was also the venue for the Cup final. However, this was only in the first season after the entry of Stiegl actually there instead. In subsequent years, agreed the two finalists, who always came from the East of Austria, to another venue.

Stadium is owned by the SWS Salzburg Stadium planning and construction mbH (short SWS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Salzburger Land Company Land Invest. The Arena thus indirectly fully owned by the State of Salzburg. The country also financed a third of the total construction cost of around 70 million euros; the other two -thirds took over the government and the community Wals.

The stadium has two namesakes in Leipzig and New Jersey.

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On the question of whether the existing football stadium in fief extended or a new to be built to Governor Franz Schauberger spoke clearly in favor of the construction of a new stadium with regard to the European Football Championship 2008. In negotiations with Vice Chancellor Susanne Riess -Passer Schauberger On 29 January 2002, the commitment for a federal grant in the amount of up to 8.4 million euros for the reconstruction of the stadium in Salzburg Wals. The total cost for the stadium Wals amounted to around 44.5 million euros. Of this total, 21.8 million euros to the actual stadium, 3.6 million euros on planning costs 3.6 million euros on infrastructure such as parking and transport infrastructure as well as leisure facilities and 15.6 million euros on the cost of land.

The arena was planned as the successor to the location in the densely built-up urban area Lehener stadium that was allowed to resume in the last years of its existence in international matches only 5,300 spectators. Because local conditions did not allow an export or conversion to a modern stadium with sufficient capacity for the application to the European Championships in 2008 and it turned out that no suitable place could be found on municipal land, the new building just outside the city limits in the immediate vicinity was to built west highway and inaugurated in March 2003. The stadium is located near Castle Kleßheim, but belongs to the village of Rott.

Adaptations in 2005

For renovation work in the summer of 2005 two video walls, each with 42 m² and a soil heating were installed. In September 2005, the already minimized by rebuilding admission area of the home fans, the South Stand was completely replaced by seats and the seating capacity thus reduced to 16,850 seats. Since January 2006, the South Stand is at national games again admission area; the capacity amounts to 18,250 spectators again.

When were playing in international competitions and are all standing, including those replaced by seats in the away fans sector, after the stadium had a capacity of 16,200 spectators.

Tag for the EM

For the European Football Championship, the stadium was expanded by the insertion of a top rank on the current capacity of just 32,000 or 29,800 spectators with exclusive use of seats. The expansion work began on 6 May 2006 and was completed in July 2007. The first game in the stadium after the capacity expansion was a friendly match between Red Bull Salzburg and FC Arsenal on 25 July 2007.

Before EM, however, were only allowed a maximum of 6 games take place, where tickets for the newly added upper tier are sold, because there was no operating license for a continuous operation of the upgraded version. For these 6 games and 3 games at the European Championships a dispensation has been granted. In all other games found depending on whether the fan curves were used as a floor or seat bleachers, 17,895 or 15,800 spectators place.

During the EM also has a natural grass on the artificial turf, which was installed until the summer of 2010 in the arena, placed and erected a press box for around 900 journalists. These two measures were temporary and were reversed. The press box was bought after removal from the SV Grödig.

Controversy surrounding the demolition

The residents around the stadium had the extension only on the condition that the stadium will be scaled back to the original capacity after the European Championship, agreed (mainly because there were already traffic problems with the original capacity; see below). After the takeover of Austria Salzburg by Red Bull, however, were growing voices calling as the new club management, to maintain this capacity after the European Championship. Some residents, especially commercial as the Euro Park, however, objected to the retention.

In March 2008 it was announced that the expansion work had been carried out in a way that a permanent use with the higher capacity was made ​​at least possible. This reduces the costs of adaptation to 7 million euros, the government of Salzburg, which is identical with the Supervisory Board approved the SWS execution, increased. After the last European Championship games in Salzburg expressed Governor Gabi Burgstaller public political will to maintain the capacity, although at this stage, a decision of the state government was still maintained for decommissioning. It has been tested at the European Championships traffic concept has proven itself and is a good solution.

In early February 2009, the maintenance of the new upper tier of the written opinion on February 20, the SWS was finally approved by the authorities at the last building negotiation, delivered. For the Salzburg Structural Engineering Act had to be changed because an insufficient number of parking spaces were available for a permanent operating license in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.

As long as no permanent operating license existed, had to be obtained for any use of the upper tier a single permit. The fact that no environmental impact assessment was necessary for permanent approval, been clarified by a legal findings in December 2008 by the Salzburg Environment Agency. With a positive communication from the upper tier of January 1, 2009 would become a " Squatter ".

The final decision for the Kapazitätsbeibehalt provoked some negative reactions. Marked Christoph Andexlinger, the manager of the Euro parks, riparian and littoral operations as of the policy " sold down the river. " And although the environmental lawyer Wolfgang Vienna of a " success of the Environmental Advocacy " spoke, other environmentalists were "appalled ". The decision also caused " at the Salzburg residents and transport platform for outrage. "

Marketing of the name

The right to market the name had the (now converted into the Salzburg Sport GmbH ) acquired sports Salzburg AG before the entry of Red Bull. The company, which resulted in some business areas of Austria Salzburg, received 80 percent of the income therefrom, whereas the state of Salzburg as indirect stadium owner entitled to 20 percent. Since Red Bull Salzburg Sports Group acquired in the acquisition of the club to 100 percent, Red Bull will award the naming rights de facto in yourself and miscalculated just a five-figure sum for the sponsorship. Consequently, the country is entitled to percentages amount to only a few thousand euros. Therefore, the SWS negotiated with Red Bull to achieve higher revenue.

The country renounced the bulk of the revenue to support at the time of concluding the contract financially troubled Austria. Because profits after the takeover of Red Bull " one of the richest domestic companies " of this regulation, the waiver was in some media as " gift" and " indirect subsidy " means.

The UEFA competitions allowed in their name sponsorship for stadiums only to a very limited context and referred to the stadium so continue as " EM Stadion [ sic] Wals ".

Lawn

With the opening in 2003, the arena was one of the first Erstligastadien Europe with a synthetic lawn. This fact made ​​particularly in the first few months after for discussion, as some Bundesliga clubs were concerned with playing in Salzburg a disadvantage compared to the artificial turf usual home team to have.

As UEFA at this time, although the testing of artificial subsurface in Salzburg promoted, but did not allow him in international competitions, had to Salzburg Austria in the UEFA Cup 2003/ 04 their two home games at the Linzer stadium unsubscribe. In the season 2006/ 07, the next with Salzburger European Cup participation, this restriction no longer existed. Since then, Red Bull Salzburg can also unsubscribe international matches in the football stadium.

Matches the Austrian national team, however, found to September 2010 not held in the arena. Although now matches may also in principle take place on artificial grass, leaves the OFB home a matches only on natural grass. Recently this has been confirmed at a Presidium meeting on 9 June 2009.

In the summer of 2010, after the 2009/10 season, the stadium has received a natural grass and an international match between Austria and Kazakhstan was held on September 7, 2010 in the arena; The Austrian team won 2-0.

Transport links

The stadium is by car via the western highway and city bus lines 1 (from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, center ) and 28 (from the center ), which are stepped up on game days, attainable. In June 2006, it received by the S -Bahn Salzburg with the stop Salzburg Taxham - euro park a more powerful and faster connection to public transport. The travel time from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof is less than five minutes. When completed, the stadium from the directions Straßwalchen, Golling and Freilassing will be coming directly accessible.

Another way to reach the stadium is to use the parking at the Messe Salzburg fairgrounds. From there, take the shuttle bus directly to the stadium.

However, the traffic situation is very tense at busy playing and ensures at the nearby companies, as well as in the residential areas for wild Parking. The feeder roads are heavily congested on game days; not least because of the arrival is recommended by public transport.