Since 2019, Weserstadion has been known as "Wohninvest Weserstadion." However, this will soon change. In May of this year, Wohninvest, a real estate company, filed for bankruptcy in the district court in Stuttgart. This marks the end of the collaboration between the two entities. What’s next?

No threat

The contract signed in 2019 was supposed to last until 2029, a full 10 years. Wohninvest secured the naming rights to Werder's stadium, combining the company’s name with the original name of the stadium. The club earned €3 million annually from this partnership, but according to German media reports, these payments have been suspended for almost a year. If you are also concerned about your financial liquidity, be sure to check out casinos that offer $10 deposit and enjoy high winnings. I do not expect Werder to receive any money from Wohninvest this season, said Hans-Jörg Otto, managing director of Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH (BWS), as quoted by butenunbinnen.de. However, the operation of the stadium is not at risk. Werder has long anticipated the potential bankruptcy of its current sponsor.

© Bin im Garten (CC BY 4.0)

Looking for a new partner

For BWS, it is very important to continue utilizing the revenue potential of the stadium name and to find a new partner for this purpose, said Otto. The company Infront has already been tasked with searching the market for potential successors who would qualify to purchase the stadium naming rights. The collaboration with the real estate company from Baden-Württemberg ends on July 1 of this year.

According to Werder's estimates, the search for a new sponsor could take from six months to a year. In the meantime, much to the delight of many fans, the stadium will once again be simply called Weserstadion. However, the club realizes that selling the full naming rights has significantly greater financial potential than partially relinquishing these rights.

© Stephan Hoogerwaard

What Will the Stadium Be Called?

Werder cannot afford nostalgia. It is still unclear which option the potential new sponsor will choose. The possibility of combining the company’s name with the stadium’s name again cannot be ruled out. It is uncertain whether this option would provide Werder Bremen with sufficient funds to meet its obligations. The operating company managing the stadium is currently in debt to the tune of about €50 million, with its ownership split 50% by the city of Bremen and 50% by Werder. However, according to information from German media, preliminary talks about a new stadium sponsor have been ongoing for several weeks.

One thing is certain: as with Wohninvest, the new deal will spark protests against the new name – likely even more intense if the name Weserstadion completely disappears. Werder’s decision-makers are aware of this. At that time, the acceptance rate for the Wohninvest solution among fans was around 98% or higher, emphasizes Werder's managing director Klaus Filbry. The protests came primarily from the most die-hard fans. Nevertheless, the overall acceptance of the ‘Wohninvest Weserstadion’ name was very high because we retained the historic name.