Stadion am Böllenfalltor – historical stadium description

What is the history of the old Stadion am Böllenfalltor?

The history of this stadium begins in 1919, when the predecessor of today's SV Darmstadt 98 was created after a merger between two teams. The larger club needed a new stadium and a site in the south of Darmstadt was chosen for its construction, close to which the campus of the technical university is now also located. When it opened, the venue held around 8,000 spectators, largely in the wooden main stand.

The stadium survived the Second World War, after which it was used by American soldiers as a baseball venue. Between 1950 and 1952, berms were built to the north, east and south, increasing the capacity to 25,000.

In 1975, a new main stand, 80 metres long, was erected. As the club was soon promoted to the Bundesliga, the east stand was raised in 1978 and new floodlights were built in 1981.

In 2014, the pitch was fitted with a heating system. By enlarging the space around the playing field, the athletics track was also removed. In autumn 2016, new temporary stands were built behind the goals. Although by design this was only a temporary solution, it became the nucleus for the creation of the new stadium.

When was the new Stadion am Böllenfalltor built?

The possibility of building a new Stadion am Böllenfalltor was investigated as early as the turn of 2012 and 2013. Various locations were considered, but in the end it was decided to rebuild the existing facility. According to the 2015 plan, four new stands were to be built.

The 2018 concept envisaged the adaptation of the temporary structures behind the goals, which were built in 2016. Thus, only two new stands were required along the pitch. The plan was accepted for implementation and the demolition of the east stand began in December 2018. The new one was ready in February 2020 (the lower rows were already made available to fans in August 2019).

The new main stand was the last to be built. The old one was demolished between August and October 2020 and the new one was commissioned in December 2022 (full completion took place in 2023). The old Stadion am Böllenfalltor was thus replaced by a completely new facility, although the floodlighting masts were still retained from the old arena.