BayArena

Lore & Background

The stadium was originally known as Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, named after a former chairman of Bayer AG, the club's founders. Its original capacity was 20,000. In 1986, a rebuilding project began to convert it into a modern facility; the project continued over the following decade and was completed in 1997, creating a modern all-seater stadium with a capacity of 22,500. The stadium was renamed BayArena in 1998. The former name was then used for the youth team stadium next to it. In 1999, a hotel attached to the stadium was completed, with some rooms having a view of the pitch. The stadium complex also includes a restaurant, which also overlooks the pitch, and conference facilities. The city of Leverkusen originally bid to become a venue for the 2006 World Cup, with an expanded BayArena as the site. However, the city, Bayer Leverkusen, and the German organizing committee soon agreed that expanding BayArena to the FIFA-mandated minimum 40,000 capacity for World Cup matches would not be practical, and the city withdrew its bid. Instead, it was agreed that BayArena would be the main training facility for the German national team during the 2006 finals. Jürgen Klinsmann, former national coach, however decided against Leverkusen and opted for Berlin as the main training facility. As compensation, BayArena would supposedly host two national matches, though they were never played. On 30 March 2007 Bayer AG agreed on the extension of the stadium to a capacity of over 30,000. Construction works began end of 2007 and were expected to be finished at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. On 30 September 2008, BayArena was selected as one of nine venues to be used during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup to house three group and one quarterfinal match. As the new stadium design was planned in the 80s, it was based on the design of the then Ruhrstadium in Bochum. A steep single-tier football stadium without a running track with seating for 35,000 spectators. The stadium was intended to be constructed section by section over time in order to save costs and grow with the demands of the club, starting with the east stand in 1986, the west in 1989 and the north in 1991. In the middle of the rebuild, the demands of modern football stadiums changed.