Westfalenstadion
Encyclopedia
Westfalenstadion is an association football stadium
in Dortmund
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund
football team playing in the German Bundesliga
.
The stadium is officially named Signal Iduna Park under a sponsorship arrangement lasting from December 2005 until June 2016, giving naming rights to the Signal Iduna Group, an insurance company. The older name Westfalenstadion derives from the former Prussia
n province of Westphalia
, which is part of the German
federal state
North Rhine-Westphalia
. It is one of the most famous football stadiums in Europe and was elected best football stadium by The Times for its renowned atmosphere.
It has a league capacity of 80,720 (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 65,718 (officially seats only). It is Germany's biggest stadium and the sixth biggest stadium in Europe. The stadium established the European record in average fan attendance in 2004–2005 with a total of almost 1.4 million fans. The supporters' enthusiasm increasingly produces over 50,000 sold season tickets. Regularly 24,454 fans on the famous terrace called Südtribüne, fill the largest still existing standing area in European football. Famous for the intense atmosphere it breeds, the stadium has been nicknamed "The Opera House of German Football", "The Temple" or, referring to the faithful Südtribüne, "Yellow Wall". The Westfalenstadion hosted matches of the 1974 World Cup with Zaire, Scotland
, Sweden
, Brazil
and later finalists Netherlands
. It hosted several matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
national teams of Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Germany
, Poland
, Togo
, Switzerland
, Japan
, Brazil, Ghana
and the subsequent World Cup holders Italy
. In the semi-final they were the first to beat Germany in an international match played at Dortmund.
Various national friendlies and qualification matches for World and European tournaments have been played there as well as matches in European club competitions. BVB lost to Juventus
in the UEFA Cup finals of 1993, only to win the UEFA Champions League
final against them in Munich in 1997. Dortmund hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
between Liverpool F.C.
and Deportivo Alavés
.
("Stadium Red Earth"). Following the historic triumph in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1966 (Dortmund was the first German team to win a European club title), it became clear that the Stadion Rote Erde was too small for the increasing number of Borussia Dortmund supporters. The city of Dortmund, however, was not able to finance a new stadium and federal institutions were unwilling to help.
In 1971, Dortmund was selected to replace the city of Cologne
, which was forced to withdraw its plans to host games in the 1974 FIFA World Cup
. The funds originally set aside for the projected stadium in Cologne were thus re-allocated to Dortmund. However, architects and planners had to keep an eye on the costs due to a tight budget. This meant that plans for a 60 million DM oval stadium featuring the traditional athletic facilities and holding 60,000 spectators had to be discarded. Instead, plans for a much cheaper 54,000 spectator football arena, built of pre-fabricated concrete sections, became a reality. Ultimately, the costs amounted to 32.7 million DM, of which 1.6 million DM were invested in the refurbishment of the Stadion Rote Erde. The city of Dortmund, initially burdened with 6 million DM, only had to pay 800,000 DM, and quickly profited from the stadium's high revenues.
In the 1974 FIFA World Cup
, the Westfalenstadion hosted 3 Group games and 1 Final Group game, during which the stadium was almost always filled to its maximum capacity of 54,000.
On the 2 April 1974, Borussia Dortmund officially moved into their new home and has played in the Westfalenstadion ever since. Having been relegated
in 1972, the BVB was the only member of the 2. Bundesliga
(second Division) to host the 1974 World Cup games in a completely new stadium. In 1976, after promotion to the Bundesliga
, Borussia Dortmund played its first game in Germany's highest division in their new home stadium.
. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena was called FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund during the World Cup.
Six games were played here during the World Cup of 2006, including Germany's first loss ever at the stadium, a 2–0 defeat against Italy. Also, Trinidad and Tobago played their first ever World Cup match at the stadium, against Sweden.
Originally the corners between the four grandstands remained empty, the spectators appreciated the extensive roof, which covered over 80% of the stands. The Eastern and Western stands housed the stadium's 17,000 seats, while the 37,000 standing places were housed in the Northern and Southern stands.
The first expansion plans are dated back to 1961, although the funding required was not available until October 4th, 1971 when the city council decided to rebuild the stadium between 1971 and 1974 for the FIFA World Cup
. As part of the extensions an additional roof was added around the stadium that weighed 3000 tons.
The original capacity of 54,000 was reduced in 1992 due to UEFA
regulations. As the standing rows on the entire Northern, the lower Eastern and the lower Western grandstands were converted into seats, the capacity shrank to 42,800. With 26,000 seats (of which 23,000 were covered), the seating in the Westfalenstadion now outnumbered the standing rows.
After Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 1995, the Westfalenstadion was expanded yet again. In the first private venture stadium expansion in German history, the two main grandstands, the Eastern and the Western blocks, received a second tier. Covered by a new roof-construction, each section housed an additional 6,000 seats. Thus, the stadium's capacity was restored to the original 54,000, of which the majority (38,500) were now covered seats. Following Dortmund's 1997 UEFA Champions League victory, success and an ever growing number of enthusiastic fans made it necessary to enlarge the Westfalenstadion yet again. The Southern and Northern grandstands were enlarged this time, boosting the total capacity to 68,800 spectators. The Southern standing ranks ("die Südtribüne", where the home team's supporters gather) became the largest free-standing grandstand of its kind in the whole of Europe, with a staggering capacity of 25,000.
Now it is considered one of the biggest and most comfortable stadiums in Europe. The last renovation was made for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The stadium has a glass front, under soil heating (allowing matches in winter) and the biggest terraced stand. It is Germany’s largest stadium capacity of 81,264. There are two video screens inside the stadium which are 48 square meters in size. The third screen on the outside of the north stands is smaller, measuring 28 square meters.
Since 1 December 2005 Westfalenstadium carries the name of Signal Iduna Park—under an agreement which lasts until June 2016.
When Germany won the World Cup bid in 2000, it became clear that Dortmund's Westfalenstadion, would play a leading role in hosting the tournament. However, as the Westfalenstadion failed to fulfill FIFA
requirements for hosting semi-finals, it had to be enlarged a third and last time. Four new stands were built to fill the corners between the existing grandstands, raising the seating capacity
for international games from 52,000 to 67,000. Additionally, the new corner elements provide seating and catering to VIP guests, increasing the total number of VIP seats to 5,000. In order to provide the new sections with an unblocked view of the field, the existing interior roof supports were removed and replaced by exterior pylons, which were painted yellow to suit the BVB colors. During the course of those renovations, construction workers found an undetonated 1,000–pound (450 kg) bomb dropped by an Allied bomber in World War II
that was only about one metre below the halfway line on the pitch. Bomb disposal experts had to evacuate the stadium and surrounding neighbourhood in Dortmund, which as part of Germany's industrial centre was bombed heavily, before taking an hour to defuse the device.
The Stadium now hosts up to 80,720 fans (standing and seated) for league matches, and 65,718 seated spectators for international games. For these, the characteristic Southern grandstand is re-equipped with seats to conform with FIFA regulations.
, was sold to a real estate trust in 2002 when the club was facing serious financial problems. After the Westfalenstadion was in the possession of the financier-son and million-devisee Florian Fuchs for about two years, it was sold back to a real estate trust with Borussia Dortmund intending to repurchase the stadium gradually up to 2017. However the club was not able to pay the regular rates in spring 2005 and the holders of the trust agreed in cutting back the asset's interest rates and allowed the club to pay the rates after financial reorganisation. Because of these measures, bankruptcy of the club was avoided and the future of the facility was secured. In 2006 Borussia Dortmund became the new owner by buying the stadium back with the help of a credit from Morgan Stanley.
In order to reduce debt, the naming rights to the stadium was sold to an insurance company Signal Iduna. From December 2005 until June 2016, the stadium will be known as the "Signal Iduna Park". However, during the FIFA World Cup in 2006, the stadium was called "FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund", since FIFA controls all naming rights in connection with the World Cup.
Signal Iduna Park can be reached with the Dortmund Stadtbahn
(light rail) lines U42 (Theodor-Fliedner-Heim Station), U45 (Stadion Station), U46 (Westfalenhallen Station and also Stadion). The U45 and U46 are unique in that they serve the special station, Stadion, that is open on game days only. Additionally Deutsche Bahn
serves the Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park
station with both regularly scheduled and special game-day trains. This station can be reached using regional RB trains from Dortmund Central Station
, as well as from other cities in the metropolitan area, such as Hagen
, Iserlohn
, and Lüdenscheid
. However, some supporters, especially the ultràs, usually alight the U42 and S4 at the Möllerbrücke
station and walk to Signal Iduna Park through the Kreuzviertel via Lindemannstraße or Arneckestraße.
The stadium can be reached from Dortmund Airport
by taking the shuttle bus to the Holzwickede/Dortmund Airport train station, taking train RB59 towards Dortmund Central Station and getting out at Signal Iduna Park.
By car the stadium can be reached via the B 1 Ruhrschnellweg and B 54. Parking is also available at Dortmund University of Technology, where shuttle busses take fans to the stadium.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
football team playing in the German Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
.
The stadium is officially named Signal Iduna Park under a sponsorship arrangement lasting from December 2005 until June 2016, giving naming rights to the Signal Iduna Group, an insurance company. The older name Westfalenstadion derives from the former Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n province of Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, which is part of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
federal state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. It is one of the most famous football stadiums in Europe and was elected best football stadium by The Times for its renowned atmosphere.
It has a league capacity of 80,720 (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 65,718 (officially seats only). It is Germany's biggest stadium and the sixth biggest stadium in Europe. The stadium established the European record in average fan attendance in 2004–2005 with a total of almost 1.4 million fans. The supporters' enthusiasm increasingly produces over 50,000 sold season tickets. Regularly 24,454 fans on the famous terrace called Südtribüne, fill the largest still existing standing area in European football. Famous for the intense atmosphere it breeds, the stadium has been nicknamed "The Opera House of German Football", "The Temple" or, referring to the faithful Südtribüne, "Yellow Wall". The Westfalenstadion hosted matches of the 1974 World Cup with Zaire, Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and later finalists Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
. It hosted several matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
national teams of Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
, Brazil, Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
and the subsequent World Cup holders Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. In the semi-final they were the first to beat Germany in an international match played at Dortmund.
Various national friendlies and qualification matches for World and European tournaments have been played there as well as matches in European club competitions. BVB lost to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the UEFA Cup finals of 1993, only to win the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final against them in Munich in 1997. Dortmund hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
2001 UEFA Cup Final
The 2001 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Alavés of Spain on 16 May 2001 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2000–01 edition of Europe's secondary cup competition, the UEFA Cup. Liverpool were...
between Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
.
History
Plans to construct a new stadium were drawn up in the 1960s, as the need arose to expand and refurbish the traditional ground of Borussia Dortmund, the Stadion Rote ErdeStadion Rote Erde
Stadion Rote Erde is a 25,000 capacity football and athletics stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as home to Borussia Dortmund II....
("Stadium Red Earth"). Following the historic triumph in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
1966 (Dortmund was the first German team to win a European club title), it became clear that the Stadion Rote Erde was too small for the increasing number of Borussia Dortmund supporters. The city of Dortmund, however, was not able to finance a new stadium and federal institutions were unwilling to help.
In 1971, Dortmund was selected to replace the city of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, which was forced to withdraw its plans to host games in the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. The funds originally set aside for the projected stadium in Cologne were thus re-allocated to Dortmund. However, architects and planners had to keep an eye on the costs due to a tight budget. This meant that plans for a 60 million DM oval stadium featuring the traditional athletic facilities and holding 60,000 spectators had to be discarded. Instead, plans for a much cheaper 54,000 spectator football arena, built of pre-fabricated concrete sections, became a reality. Ultimately, the costs amounted to 32.7 million DM, of which 1.6 million DM were invested in the refurbishment of the Stadion Rote Erde. The city of Dortmund, initially burdened with 6 million DM, only had to pay 800,000 DM, and quickly profited from the stadium's high revenues.
In the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
, the Westfalenstadion hosted 3 Group games and 1 Final Group game, during which the stadium was almost always filled to its maximum capacity of 54,000.
On the 2 April 1974, Borussia Dortmund officially moved into their new home and has played in the Westfalenstadion ever since. Having been relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
in 1972, the BVB was the only member of the 2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
(second Division) to host the 1974 World Cup games in a completely new stadium. In 1976, after promotion to the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, Borussia Dortmund played its first game in Germany's highest division in their new home stadium.
2006 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena was called FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund during the World Cup.
Six games were played here during the World Cup of 2006, including Germany's first loss ever at the stadium, a 2–0 defeat against Italy. Also, Trinidad and Tobago played their first ever World Cup match at the stadium, against Sweden.
| Date | Time(CET) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-10 | 18.00 | 0–0 | Group B 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group B Play in Group B of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 20 June 2006. England won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Sweden. Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago failed to advance.Detailed results of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group B... |
62,959 | ||
| 2006-06-14 | 21.00 | 1–0 | Group A 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group A Play in Group A of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 20 June 2006. Germany won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Ecuador. Poland and Costa Rica failed to advance.Detailed results of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group A... |
65,000 | ||
| 2006-06-19 | 15.00 | 0–2 | Group G 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group G Play in Group G of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on June 23, 2006. Switzerland won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with France. South Korea and Togo failed to advance... |
65,000 | ||
| 2006-06-22 | 21.00 | 1–4 | Group F 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group F Play in Group F of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 22 June 2006. Brazil won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Australia receiving runner-up in the group... |
65,000 | ||
| 2006-06-27 | 17.00 | 3–0 | Round of 16 | 65,000 | ||
| 2006-07-04 | 21.00 | 0–2 (ITA) | Semifinals | 65,000 |
Layout
Situated directly opposite the Stadion Rote Erde, the Westfalenstadion is composed of 4 roofed grandstands, each facing the playing field on the East, South, West and North sides. The Eastern and Western stands (Ost- und Westtribüne) run the entire length of the field, while the breadth is covered by the North and South stands (Nord- und Südtribüne).Originally the corners between the four grandstands remained empty, the spectators appreciated the extensive roof, which covered over 80% of the stands. The Eastern and Western stands housed the stadium's 17,000 seats, while the 37,000 standing places were housed in the Northern and Southern stands.
Expansions
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. As part of the extensions an additional roof was added around the stadium that weighed 3000 tons.
The original capacity of 54,000 was reduced in 1992 due to UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
regulations. As the standing rows on the entire Northern, the lower Eastern and the lower Western grandstands were converted into seats, the capacity shrank to 42,800. With 26,000 seats (of which 23,000 were covered), the seating in the Westfalenstadion now outnumbered the standing rows.
Now it is considered one of the biggest and most comfortable stadiums in Europe. The last renovation was made for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The stadium has a glass front, under soil heating (allowing matches in winter) and the biggest terraced stand. It is Germany’s largest stadium capacity of 81,264. There are two video screens inside the stadium which are 48 square meters in size. The third screen on the outside of the north stands is smaller, measuring 28 square meters.
Since 1 December 2005 Westfalenstadium carries the name of Signal Iduna Park—under an agreement which lasts until June 2016.
When Germany won the World Cup bid in 2000, it became clear that Dortmund's Westfalenstadion, would play a leading role in hosting the tournament. However, as the Westfalenstadion failed to fulfill FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
requirements for hosting semi-finals, it had to be enlarged a third and last time. Four new stands were built to fill the corners between the existing grandstands, raising the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
for international games from 52,000 to 67,000. Additionally, the new corner elements provide seating and catering to VIP guests, increasing the total number of VIP seats to 5,000. In order to provide the new sections with an unblocked view of the field, the existing interior roof supports were removed and replaced by exterior pylons, which were painted yellow to suit the BVB colors. During the course of those renovations, construction workers found an undetonated 1,000–pound (450 kg) bomb dropped by an Allied bomber in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
that was only about one metre below the halfway line on the pitch. Bomb disposal experts had to evacuate the stadium and surrounding neighbourhood in Dortmund, which as part of Germany's industrial centre was bombed heavily, before taking an hour to defuse the device.
The Stadium now hosts up to 80,720 fans (standing and seated) for league matches, and 65,718 seated spectators for international games. For these, the characteristic Southern grandstand is re-equipped with seats to conform with FIFA regulations.
Owners
The property of the Westfalenstadion, originally belonging to the city of Dortmund and later sold to the club Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
, was sold to a real estate trust in 2002 when the club was facing serious financial problems. After the Westfalenstadion was in the possession of the financier-son and million-devisee Florian Fuchs for about two years, it was sold back to a real estate trust with Borussia Dortmund intending to repurchase the stadium gradually up to 2017. However the club was not able to pay the regular rates in spring 2005 and the holders of the trust agreed in cutting back the asset's interest rates and allowed the club to pay the rates after financial reorganisation. Because of these measures, bankruptcy of the club was avoided and the future of the facility was secured. In 2006 Borussia Dortmund became the new owner by buying the stadium back with the help of a credit from Morgan Stanley.
In order to reduce debt, the naming rights to the stadium was sold to an insurance company Signal Iduna. From December 2005 until June 2016, the stadium will be known as the "Signal Iduna Park". However, during the FIFA World Cup in 2006, the stadium was called "FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund", since FIFA controls all naming rights in connection with the World Cup.
Transport
Dortmund Stadtbahn
The Stadtbahn Dortmund is a light rail system in the German city of Dortmund and is integrated in the Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn network. Its network consists of eight lines which pass the city centre in underground tunnels and belongs to the VRR transport union. Opened 1984, it consecutively replaced...
(light rail) lines U42 (Theodor-Fliedner-Heim Station), U45 (Stadion Station), U46 (Westfalenhallen Station and also Stadion). The U45 and U46 are unique in that they serve the special station, Stadion, that is open on game days only. Additionally Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
serves the Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park
Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park station
Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park is a railway station on the Dortmund–Soest railway situated in close proximity to Signal Iduna Park stadion in Dortmund in western Germany. The station was called Dortmund Westfalenhalle before December 2006. It is served by regional railway lines of Deutsche Bahn.-...
station with both regularly scheduled and special game-day trains. This station can be reached using regional RB trains from Dortmund Central Station
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for the city of Dortmund in Germany.The station's origins lie in a joint station of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn which was built north of the city centre in 1847. That station was replaced by a new station, erected in 1910 at the current site....
, as well as from other cities in the metropolitan area, such as Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, Iserlohn
Iserlohn
Iserlohn is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region.-Geography:...
, and Lüdenscheid
Lüdenscheid
Lüdenscheid is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Lüdenscheid is seat of the administration of the Märkischer Kreis district...
. However, some supporters, especially the ultràs, usually alight the U42 and S4 at the Möllerbrücke
Dortmund Möllerbrücke station
Dortmund Möllerbrücke is a railway station on the Welver–Sterkrade railway situated in Dortmund in western Germany. It is served by the S4 line of Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn. A Dortmund Stadtbahn underground station is located next to the station....
station and walk to Signal Iduna Park through the Kreuzviertel via Lindemannstraße or Arneckestraße.
The stadium can be reached from Dortmund Airport
Dortmund Airport
Dortmund Airport , is the international airport located east of Dortmund, Germany. Its slogan is Näher als man denkt . Since 2006 it has been carrying the name "Dortmund Airport 21", in reference to the fact that Dortmund's utility company, DSW21, is its major shareholder...
by taking the shuttle bus to the Holzwickede/Dortmund Airport train station, taking train RB59 towards Dortmund Central Station and getting out at Signal Iduna Park.
By car the stadium can be reached via the B 1 Ruhrschnellweg and B 54. Parking is also available at Dortmund University of Technology, where shuttle busses take fans to the stadium.