Amid ongoing discussions about the renovation or expansion of Grünwalder Stadium, the question keeps arising whether its capacity could be increased beyond 20,000 seats. However, the city of Munich has made its position clear.

Journalists raise concerns over the city’s decision

Currently, the maximum capacity is 15,000 seats, and increasing it to more than 18,105 is generally not possible. The initiative Sechzig im Sechzger responded to Mayor Reiter's statements. In the renewed discussion about the stadium, which reignited after Mayor Dieter Reiter's comments, the Sechzig im Sechzger initiative reached out to the mayor via Instagram a few weeks ago to express their concerns.

Football fans, while waiting for important decisions regarding sports facilities, often look for other sources of entertainment, such as online games. Erik King has created a special guide explaining everything you need to know about no deposit bonus offers and how they work in online casinos.

According to Sechzig im Sechzger, despite prior announcements, the reasons why a stadium capacity of around 18,000 seats should be the final solution have not been presented in a clear and transparent manner. It is also still unclear on what terms and for how long TSV 1860 Munich would remain tied to the renovated Sechzger Stadium. The city has mentioned market-based rent, but it remains unclear how changes in construction costs might affect the final rental terms. Additionally, it has not been explained how TSV 1860 Munich should send a signal to the city regarding the project's implementation. Furthermore, no exit clause or possibility to modify the rental agreement has been presented in case the stadium fails to meet the minimum requirements of the relevant federation during the contract period.

Up to now, it has not been explained why the city’s plans do not take into account whether the renovated Sechzger Stadium will be suitable for Bundesliga matches. The city has also not provided clear reasons why short-term improvements to the current state—such as increasing the capacity, removing obstructive fences, providing adequate wheelchair spaces, installing a video screen, etc.—would hinder a later larger reconstruction of the stadium.

© groundhopping_damenklo

City Explains the Situation

These concerns were also supported by the sechzger.de portal, which contacted the city of Munich for clarification. A representative from the city of Munich responded a few days later, unfortunately addressing only one of the raised aspects. According to the city authorities, the expansion variant with 18,105 seats aligns with the current decisions. A positive preliminary building permit for the construction has been issued and remains valid. The existing stadium lacks the necessary building potential due to the limited space in the built-up urban area, which makes it impossible to meaningfully increase the number of spectator seats. The 18,105-seat capacity is the only one that can be considered as a renovation of the existing structure.

In the past, the stadium’s capacity was higher than the current 15,000 seats, but each new construction permit, the conversion of standing places to seating, the creation of new stands, or the addition of emergency exits led to the expiration of previous building permits, which reduced the capacity. Therefore, the capacity limit of 18,105 seats has been confirmed, and the other raised issues remain unresolved. In response to a question about the possibility of immediately increasing the capacity, the city of Munich pointed out that the Grünwalder Stadium requires significant renovation. The last modernization was planned for a period of 10 years, and this period has now passed. Work is needed in various parts of the stadium, which currently prevents allowing more than 15,000 spectators.

© CR-Fotos.de