The Palau de Congressos in Barcelona is primed and ready to host the Global Sports Forum this Wednesday 7 March 2012, with numerous personalities from the world of sport, including former football star Eric Cantona and London 2012 chief Lord Sebastian Coe, among the guests joining Mayor of Barcelona and host Xavier Trias. Also attending the three-day event at the request of the organisers will be Ulrich Wolter, Managing Director of DFB Consulting & Sales Services.
The former General Coordinator of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Organising Committee is one of several experts, including Shaun Dawson (CEO of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority), Marcel Cordes (CEO of Sport+Markt) and Philippe Auroy (Acting CEO of Stade de France), asked to speak as part of the "Stadium developments - at the heart of the experience" forum.
In the following interview, Wolter discusses the key factors behind Germany's remarkable stadium development programme and recommends concrete measures to avoid so-called white elephants.
DFB.de: What is it that makes German stadiums so special?
Ulrich Wolter:Germany boasts a very privileged stadium landscape, offering fans a 360-degree experience. The extensive supporting programmes we've come to know from the World Cups are now a standard feature of Bundesliga matchdays. The fact that our league attracts Europe's highest average attendances (over 42,000) is a consequence of our arenas offering the highest standards in comfort and safety. Furthermore, the Bundesliga's stringent licensing requirements for infrastructure and safety help to maintain those high standards.
DFB.de: Germany has hosted four FIFA events over the past seven years. How much have these tournaments contributed to the current array of stadiums?
Wolter: If we group the 2005 Confederations Cup, the 2006 World Cup, the 2010 U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2011 Women's World Cup together, that's a total of 20 German host cities which have hosted FIFA events over the past few years. The tournaments resulted in some great stadiums, as well as tailor-made solutions to suit the respective host cities and clubs. The Allianz Arena in Munich and the Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim are two very different stadiums, but they each appeal to their necessary target groups. Even cities like Leipzig, which hasn't had a Bundesliga club for many years, were able to make the most of the World Cup to promote the RB Leipzig project in the regional leagues. Of course there are many German stadiums which haven't hosted World Cups which nonetheless boast a great infrastructure.
DFB.de: Hosting a World Cup presents stadium operators and host cities with some major financial challenges. Does the investment pay off in the long term?
Wolter: The involvement of cities and stadiums is a key part of any major sporting event. Ultimately the host cities are one of the Organising Committee's most important partners, but both host city contracts and stadium rental contracts present numerous hurdles during the planning stages of a World Cup with regard to refinancing. Thanks to the smooth cooperation of host cities and stadium operators, we were able to implement the official requirements and avoid any unnecessary costs. In addition, we applied a certification process to almost all the stadiums to ensure a long-term reduction in energy consumption. Let's also not forget that thanks to the economic success of the 2006 and 2011 World Cups, the DFB was able to compensate for all organisational costs incurred by the stadium operators.
DFB.de: So there were no white elephants...
Wolter: Correct. Germany is a great example of how to avoid white elephants. Sustainable stadiums are an essential part of a World Cup. Of course there are no magic recipes, but it's certainly important to consider the sustainability requirements of the host cities and implement the official requirements as precisely as possible. It's not easy for a country to hosting a major sporting event for the first time to find a happy medium, but that's where our experience comes in.
DFB.de: So is the German stadium model exportable?
Wolter: Of course other nations and event organisers can profit from the experience of the DFB and German stadium operators. They can also avoid the mistakes we made over the last few years. Our goal at DFB Consulting & Sales Services is to adapt our solutions from the World Cups in Germany to meet local infrastructural requirements and in doing so find the optimum solution.
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The Palau de Congressos in Barcelona is primed and ready to host the Global Sports Forum this Wednesday 7 March 2012, with numerous personalities from the world of sport, including former football star Eric Cantona and London 2012 chief Lord Sebastian Coe, among the guests joining Mayor of Barcelona and host Xavier Trias. Also attending the three-day event at the request of the organisers will be Ulrich Wolter, Managing Director of DFB Consulting & Sales Services.
The former General Coordinator of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Organising Committee is one of several experts, including Shaun Dawson (CEO of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority), Marcel Cordes (CEO of Sport+Markt) and Philippe Auroy (Acting CEO of Stade de France), asked to speak as part of the "Stadium developments - at the heart of the experience" forum.
In the following interview, Wolter discusses the key factors behind Germany's remarkable stadium development programme and recommends concrete measures to avoid so-called white elephants.
DFB.de: What is it that makes German stadiums so special?
Ulrich Wolter:Germany boasts a very privileged stadium landscape, offering fans a 360-degree experience. The extensive supporting programmes we've come to know from the World Cups are now a standard feature of Bundesliga matchdays. The fact that our league attracts Europe's highest average attendances (over 42,000) is a consequence of our arenas offering the highest standards in comfort and safety. Furthermore, the Bundesliga's stringent licensing requirements for infrastructure and safety help to maintain those high standards.
DFB.de: Germany has hosted four FIFA events over the past seven years. How much have these tournaments contributed to the current array of stadiums?
Wolter: If we group the 2005 Confederations Cup, the 2006 World Cup, the 2010 U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2011 Women's World Cup together, that's a total of 20 German host cities which have hosted FIFA events over the past few years. The tournaments resulted in some great stadiums, as well as tailor-made solutions to suit the respective host cities and clubs. The Allianz Arena in Munich and the Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim are two very different stadiums, but they each appeal to their necessary target groups. Even cities like Leipzig, which hasn't had a Bundesliga club for many years, were able to make the most of the World Cup to promote the RB Leipzig project in the regional leagues. Of course there are many German stadiums which haven't hosted World Cups which nonetheless boast a great infrastructure.
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DFB.de: Hosting a World Cup presents stadium operators and host cities with some major financial challenges. Does the investment pay off in the long term?
Wolter: The involvement of cities and stadiums is a key part of any major sporting event. Ultimately the host cities are one of the Organising Committee's most important partners, but both host city contracts and stadium rental contracts present numerous hurdles during the planning stages of a World Cup with regard to refinancing. Thanks to the smooth cooperation of host cities and stadium operators, we were able to implement the official requirements and avoid any unnecessary costs. In addition, we applied a certification process to almost all the stadiums to ensure a long-term reduction in energy consumption. Let's also not forget that thanks to the economic success of the 2006 and 2011 World Cups, the DFB was able to compensate for all organisational costs incurred by the stadium operators.
DFB.de: So there were no white elephants...
Wolter: Correct. Germany is a great example of how to avoid white elephants. Sustainable stadiums are an essential part of a World Cup. Of course there are no magic recipes, but it's certainly important to consider the sustainability requirements of the host cities and implement the official requirements as precisely as possible. It's not easy for a country to hosting a major sporting event for the first time to find a happy medium, but that's where our experience comes in.
DFB.de: So is the German stadium model exportable?
Wolter: Of course other nations and event organisers can profit from the experience of the DFB and German stadium operators. They can also avoid the mistakes we made over the last few years. Our goal at DFB Consulting & Sales Services is to adapt our solutions from the World Cups in Germany to meet local infrastructural requirements and in doing so find the optimum solution.
