The stadium located in Bochum is set to be completely revamped, allowing it to host international sporting events in the future. The Bochum City Council has decided to start work on the redevelopment of the facility in spring 2023.

Lohrheide Stadium is about to change

Lohrheidestadion, a multi-use venue in Wattenscheid district of Bochum, was inaugurated in 1954. Its major tenant is SG Wattenscheid 09, who have played there since the 1965/66 season. Local club TV Wattenscheid also uses the facility for athletics. Over the years the stadium has been redeveloped several times, growing from very small slopes around the track to a stadium with floodlights, two covered stands and a respectable capacity of 16,233 spectators.

In 1992, after SG Wattenscheid's promotion to the Bundesliga, the most important renovation was carried out. A new main stand was then erected. In 2002, another redevelopment took place before the German Athletics Championships, costing around €5 million. Thanks to this and improvements to the playing field in 2010, the venue was able to become the official training venue for the 2011 Women's World Cup. Since then footballers from various clubs and athletes train there on a regular basis.

© philmensch (cc: by-nc)

Lately plans have been prepared for a complete redevelopment of the stadium, which are focused on athletics. The facility will also be expanded and given an elegant appearance. The aim is to transform the open sports facility into a rich venue that can host both national and international events. Once the upgrade work is complete, it will be the only venue in North Rhine-Westphalia able to host major open-air athletics events. Until then try grabbing ggbet promo code 2023.

What does Lohrheide Stadium upgrade plans include?

The redevelopment plans include enlargement of the auditorium, so the venue can provide 16,387 covered audience spaces – 8,367 of them standing and 8,020 seats. The north and south stands will be covered and a new roof will be installed on the east one. The west sections will be reconfigured to accommodate 38 wheelchairs, facilities for visually impaired supporters and seating for 800 invited guests.

© Hellmich Unternehmensgruppe / HPP Architekten

New changing rooms at the gymnasium, a new cold room and an athletics training facility will be built. A new soundproof wall behind the south stand will ensure that residents in the vicinity of the stadium are not disturbed by background noise during events. New parking spaces will also be created.

The modernization of the arena is being realized through a sports facility construction subsidy, and a sports and exercise area in the south-western part of revamped Lohrheide Stadium is also being funded with a proportionate purse from the urban development subsidy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The investment is expected to cost €55 million. The Bochum City Council has decided to start the renovation work in the first quarter of 2023 and it is expected to last until the summer of 2025.