90-7-90. Football history will be written this week as the final of the European club classic takes place right after the DFB Cup final. What makes the feat special is that it will take place in the same stadium in the same city, which is something that has never happened before.
First there is the DFB Cup final between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, afterwards the Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus will take place on 6th June. It’s a tough challenge, not only on the pitch, but also for all those working behind the scenes. DFB.de reports on the meticulous plans.
It sounds just like a motto, “It is hard to accomplish, but we will achieve it” says Michael Kirchner. In the office of the DFB project leader for organisation and event management, we see everything coming together. The plans are slowly starting to develop as the “Week of Football” is coming to life. In one week, incredible history will take place in a city that has seen it all. The fact that this is all taking place in Berlin, a city where 400,000 fans packed the streets for Germany’s fourth World Cup victory last summer is immense. But something of this stature has never been seen before.
Since their meeting with UEFA in early 2013, the DFB has started to plan vigorously for this football palooza. The 23rd final of the Champions League is the fifth final to take place in Germany. “I already told UEFA Preisdent Michel Platini after the 2012 final in Munich that we wanted to host another one as soon as possible. The fact that this happened in such a short space of time really shows the quality of our work,” explained DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach. DFB general secretary Helmut Sandrock followed up by saying that they aim to deliver “an organised final with plenty of emotion. UEFA took into account how far the DFB Cup final in Berlin has progressed in the past couple of years.”
Berlin celebrates one week of football
UEFA will also be playing out the final of their club competition on Saturday. There will be plenty of events going on throughout the week up until the big game. After the 72nd DFB Cup final on 30th May, the Olympiastadion must be re-prepared for the 6th June clash. The DFB will be fully organising their own final, and will also assist UEFA in organising the Champions League final. Preparation like this has previously happened back in 2010 and 2012. In 2010, the Europa League final took place in Hamburg, while the 2012 Champions League final was held in Munich.
The work of up to 1,500 helpers will begin right after the final whistle of the DFB Cup. Seats will need to be unscrewed and refitted for the 1,000 accredited journalists who will tell the story of the Champions League winners throughout the world. Additionally, 400 journalists, 150 photographers, and 300 TV personalities will be at the cup.
The numbers are massive, not only for the near 14.3 million viewers who will tune in for the Champions League, but also for the DFB Cup. The final will be shown in 189 countries, which is a record. “The football world will be glued on Berlin and the media interests in both finals are massive,” said DFB media director Ralf Köttker.
75,815 spectators, 12,000 VIP guests, 450 volunteers
Christoph Meyer is the project manager and press spokesperson for the Olympiastadion Berlin GmbH. "The logistics and costs of hosting the DFB Cup Final and Champions League Final are similar," he remarked. The effort is immense for all involved. Not only the 8000 VIP guests, with Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks, boxing World Champion, former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder and musicians Herbert Grönemeyer and Marius Müller-Westernhagen amongst the attendees last year, want to be well looked after, but so do all 75,815 spectators. Almost 8500 people, including 450 volunteers, will be working both with the public and behind the scenes at the final and accompanying events.
UEFA are expecting 12,000 VIP guests. A city of tents covering approximately 45,000m2 will be erected on Maifeld next to the stadium. Further temporary structures will be required within the stadium. UEFA, who have made a total of 70,500 tickets available for their final, will manage without the additional standing over the Marathon Gate from the DFB Cup Final. The teams won’t emerge from the same tunnel the DFB use (the Marathon Gate), instead opting for the player tunnel out of the main stand on the halfway line. It’s the same point where there will be a specially-built podium for the winners on the 30th May to be presented with the DFB Cup.
"We thought that there would be more synergies, but there are hardly any," said DFB project leader Kirchner. "We have to plan the events in parallel." 40 DFB workers out of the ticketing, security, marketing, merchandise, communications, IT, sponsoring, hospitality and protocol as well as transportation departments have been entrusted with the organisation of both finals. Around 60 employees will be on-site for the DFB Cup Final and 15 of them will stay the rest of the week up until the Champions League Final in Berlin.
Eight TV studios for Champions League Final
There will be eight temporary TV studios, the so-called “Pitch View” studios, on the Marathon Steps for the European Final. Two will already be in place for the Cup Final, while the remaining six will be set up during the course of the week. In addition, there will be two presenter platforms with four presenter positions and 16 additional positions on the sidelines. ZDF, the host broadcaster, will use 40 cameras to capture every second of the action. More than 165 million viewers in 200 countries watched last year as Real Madrid secured their long-awaited tenth title.
The TV stations’ broadcasting vehicles cover 10,000m2 in front of the Olympiastadion. Similarly to at the 2006 World Cup and the 2009 IAAF Athletics World Championship, there will be a cable bridge installed between the so-called TV broadcasting compound and the arena in order to ensure reliable transmission. "The one thing we have no lack of is space. We have vast areas to work with both inside and outside," remarked Olympiastadion project leader Meyer, who, along with his team, is responsible for ensuring that the conditions are perfect. It’s imperative that the pitch, newly laid in March, is still at the highest standard following the first final and that the floodlights switch on when it starts to get dark.
History will be written when the biggest game in European football is played just 168 hours after the biggest game in German club football. Even so, the work will then be far from over. Cologne will host the friendly against Jürgen Klinsmann’s USA just four days later. The week of football continues, just in a different location.
created by mmc/bb&kr
90-7-90. Football history will be written this week as the final of the European club classic takes place right after the DFB Cup final. What makes the feat special is that it will take place in the same stadium in the same city, which is something that has never happened before.
First there is the DFB Cup final between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, afterwards the Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus will take place on 6th June. It’s a tough challenge, not only on the pitch, but also for all those working behind the scenes. DFB.de reports on the meticulous plans.
It sounds just like a motto, “It is hard to accomplish, but we will achieve it” says Michael Kirchner. In the office of the DFB project leader for organisation and event management, we see everything coming together. The plans are slowly starting to develop as the “Week of Football” is coming to life. In one week, incredible history will take place in a city that has seen it all. The fact that this is all taking place in Berlin, a city where 400,000 fans packed the streets for Germany’s fourth World Cup victory last summer is immense. But something of this stature has never been seen before.
Since their meeting with UEFA in early 2013, the DFB has started to plan vigorously for this football palooza. The 23rd final of the Champions League is the fifth final to take place in Germany. “I already told UEFA Preisdent Michel Platini after the 2012 final in Munich that we wanted to host another one as soon as possible. The fact that this happened in such a short space of time really shows the quality of our work,” explained DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach. DFB general secretary Helmut Sandrock followed up by saying that they aim to deliver “an organised final with plenty of emotion. UEFA took into account how far the DFB Cup final in Berlin has progressed in the past couple of years.”
Berlin celebrates one week of football
UEFA will also be playing out the final of their club competition on Saturday. There will be plenty of events going on throughout the week up until the big game. After the 72nd DFB Cup final on 30th May, the Olympiastadion must be re-prepared for the 6th June clash. The DFB will be fully organising their own final, and will also assist UEFA in organising the Champions League final. Preparation like this has previously happened back in 2010 and 2012. In 2010, the Europa League final took place in Hamburg, while the 2012 Champions League final was held in Munich.
The work of up to 1,500 helpers will begin right after the final whistle of the DFB Cup. Seats will need to be unscrewed and refitted for the 1,000 accredited journalists who will tell the story of the Champions League winners throughout the world. Additionally, 400 journalists, 150 photographers, and 300 TV personalities will be at the cup.
The numbers are massive, not only for the near 14.3 million viewers who will tune in for the Champions League, but also for the DFB Cup. The final will be shown in 189 countries, which is a record. “The football world will be glued on Berlin and the media interests in both finals are massive,” said DFB media director Ralf Köttker.
75,815 spectators, 12,000 VIP guests, 450 volunteers
Christoph Meyer is the project manager and press spokesperson for the Olympiastadion Berlin GmbH. "The logistics and costs of hosting the DFB Cup Final and Champions League Final are similar," he remarked. The effort is immense for all involved. Not only the 8000 VIP guests, with Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks, boxing World Champion, former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder and musicians Herbert Grönemeyer and Marius Müller-Westernhagen amongst the attendees last year, want to be well looked after, but so do all 75,815 spectators. Almost 8500 people, including 450 volunteers, will be working both with the public and behind the scenes at the final and accompanying events.
UEFA are expecting 12,000 VIP guests. A city of tents covering approximately 45,000m2 will be erected on Maifeld next to the stadium. Further temporary structures will be required within the stadium. UEFA, who have made a total of 70,500 tickets available for their final, will manage without the additional standing over the Marathon Gate from the DFB Cup Final. The teams won’t emerge from the same tunnel the DFB use (the Marathon Gate), instead opting for the player tunnel out of the main stand on the halfway line. It’s the same point where there will be a specially-built podium for the winners on the 30th May to be presented with the DFB Cup.
"We thought that there would be more synergies, but there are hardly any," said DFB project leader Kirchner. "We have to plan the events in parallel." 40 DFB workers out of the ticketing, security, marketing, merchandise, communications, IT, sponsoring, hospitality and protocol as well as transportation departments have been entrusted with the organisation of both finals. Around 60 employees will be on-site for the DFB Cup Final and 15 of them will stay the rest of the week up until the Champions League Final in Berlin.
Eight TV studios for Champions League Final
There will be eight temporary TV studios, the so-called “Pitch View” studios, on the Marathon Steps for the European Final. Two will already be in place for the Cup Final, while the remaining six will be set up during the course of the week. In addition, there will be two presenter platforms with four presenter positions and 16 additional positions on the sidelines. ZDF, the host broadcaster, will use 40 cameras to capture every second of the action. More than 165 million viewers in 200 countries watched last year as Real Madrid secured their long-awaited tenth title.
The TV stations’ broadcasting vehicles cover 10,000m2 in front of the Olympiastadion. Similarly to at the 2006 World Cup and the 2009 IAAF Athletics World Championship, there will be a cable bridge installed between the so-called TV broadcasting compound and the arena in order to ensure reliable transmission. "The one thing we have no lack of is space. We have vast areas to work with both inside and outside," remarked Olympiastadion project leader Meyer, who, along with his team, is responsible for ensuring that the conditions are perfect. It’s imperative that the pitch, newly laid in March, is still at the highest standard following the first final and that the floodlights switch on when it starts to get dark.
History will be written when the biggest game in European football is played just 168 hours after the biggest game in German club football. Even so, the work will then be far from over. Cologne will host the friendly against Jürgen Klinsmann’s USA just four days later. The week of football continues, just in a different location.
