The club isn’t in a condition to fund its own ground, but the city may be, especially if EU funding is provided. New football venue might be ready by 2018 – JenaTV.de reports.

It wasn’t the first time, but it seems now talks over a possibility of complete revamp for the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld are closer to fruition than before. Mayor of Jena met with FC Carl Zeiss officials to discuss possibilities for the investment.

Carl Zeiss, currently in 4^th tier of German football, isn’t able to finance such a move on its own. Despite being a rather recognized club, its financial condition is very bad with insolvency being avoided barely last year.

Most probable solution is funding divided between the city of Jena and European Union development programs. This, however, would mean that the future stadium would have to serve multiple purpose and not be dedicated to Carl Zeiss alone, as this could be interpreted as public help to a private entity, which is prohibited for EU funding.