Continental-Arena – design description

Building a new stadium for Jahn has been on the table for a few years, but it wasn't until September 2013 that contractor was finally selected and approved, seeing the planning application filed in late November.

Should it be approved without problems, work may start in February with BAM moving to the site in southern outskirt of Oberisling already in January. From that moment the company will have 18 months exactly to deliver the stadium, suggesting late 2015 as opening date.

The design is thought to mimic classic English stadiums with four independent stands, each with distinctive red cover that also forms part of the façade cladding and is the stadium's most distinctive feature. Stands put close to the pitch are to have 21 rows on each side with no floodlight masts in corners to enable future expansion. Instead, there are to be 28 small masts atop the roof.

Capacity would initially be set at 15,000 with 18,000 maximum if the corners are filled eventually. Of that size 6,000 people will be standing, mostly (5,250) in the southern fanatic stand and also in the away section (750), north. Western main grandstand is to have 960 business seats with over 1,000 sqm of hospitality space behind it.

The stadium will easily be accessible from the city's southern bypass and will offer some 2,500 parking spaces. Overall cost was initially planned to stay below €30 million, but has grown to €52.7 million.