Volksparkstadion

Lore & Background

The first stadium on the site was Bahrenfelder Stadion, inaugurated on 13 September 1925 with a match between FC Altona 93 and HSV. After a long break, the stadium was rebuilt between 1951 and 1953, opening as Volksparkstadion on 12 July 1953, named after its location at Altona Volkspark. Most building materials came from the ruins of Eimsbüttel. The new stadium held up to 75,000. In 1963, HSV moved into the Volksparkstadion. The stadium was demolished and replaced with a new arena rotated 90°, inaugurated on 2 September 2000 when Germany played Greece. The building permit was issued on 30 April 1998. The stadium has had several naming rights: AOL Arena (2001), HSH Nordbank Arena (2007), Imtech Arena (2010), and reverted to Volksparkstadion in June 2015. A clock added in 2001 was taken down after the 2018–19 season and replaced with the stadium's coordinates.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hum to life over the Elbe mist. A Tuesday night in November, the Volksparkstadion packed to the brim for a Germany qualifier. The St. Pauli end erupts as the players emerge from the tunnel, green and white shirts catching the light. Someone in the lower tier has a hand-painted banner reading 'HAMBURG STEHT AUF' unfurling slowly. The referee's whistle cuts through the cold air, and for ninety minutes the river city holds its breath, the concrete tiers groaning with every challenge, every near-miss. When the final whistle blows, the roar is not polite—it is the sound of a working-class district claiming the national team as its own, just for one night.

Reader's Guide

The stadium's nearest railway station is Stellingen railway station, served by S3 and S5 lines of the Hamburg S-Bahn and AKN railways. A free bus shuttle service is provided during matches or major events from Stellingen and Othmarschen stations. There are several large car parks around the stadium. The A7 runs close by, accessible via exit Hamburg-Volkspark. The stadium is a UEFA category 4 venue, eligible to host UEFA Europa League and Champions League finals. Capacity is 57,000 for club matches, reduced to 51,500 for international matches when standing sections are converted to seated areas.

Did You Know?

• The record attendance at Volksparkstadion was 57,000 for Hamburger SV's victory over Bayern Munich (1–0) on 30 January 2009.
• The stadium hosted the 2010 UEFA Europa League final, where Atlético Madrid beat Fulham 2–1.
• The stadium hosted the heavyweight unification boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye on 2 July 2011.
• The stadium hosted the German leg of Live Earth on 7 July 2007, with artists including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Cat Stevens.