Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde – stadium description

What were SV Elversberg's first facilities?

The football club SV Elversberg (founded in 1907 under the name Germania) had its first pitch since 1918. Around 1925, the club leased the area near the so-called Kaiser’s lime (Kaiserlinde) where it built its new stadium. From 1930 onwards, the club owned the stadium.

The facility was used until the 1980s and never had a proper grass field. Today, its site is a residential area clustered around the Willi-Neu-Ring street, and one of the few remnants of the stadium is the name of the street running south from the former field location - Sportplatzstraße.

When was the new SV Elversberg stadium built?

In 1982, construction began on a new stadium located a short distance from the old ground. The stadium was opened in the summer of 1983. One of the key innovations was a natural grass pitch, which the previous venue did not have. Initially, it was a rather modest facility with a capacity of around 2,000 spectators.

In 1996, the grandstand was extended to a size of 5,000 fans, in subsequent years further work was carried out, including the construction of a covered stand with 440 seats.

In 2002, the stadium was extended with new standing sections, which increased its capacity to 7,000 spectators, a new VIP section and floodlights. On 24 April 2003, the venue hosted its first youth national team match (in a friendly under-19 match, Germany beat England 3:2).

How has SV Elversberg’s stadium been expanded since 2013?

In 2013, SV Elversberg secured promotion to the 3. Liga, reaching the national level for the first time in its history. The club immediately began the reconstruction of the stand on the Lindenstraße side (south-western side) in order to adapt the stadium to league requirements.

Works began in June, and the lower tier of the new stand was completed just four months later, in October 2013. The upper tier – including VIP boxes as well as the roof structure – was completed by 2015, but due to identified deficiencies it required additional modifications, and it was not granted approval for use until 2020.

This resulted in the construction of a new main stand (with the opposite stand previously serving this role), and the stadium’s capacity increased to 10,000 spectators. At the end of 2015, a pitch heating system was installed at the stadium.

In December 2015, the reconstruction of the ultras stand (behind the southern goal) also began. The new stand was opened in October 2016. In 2019, a large parking area was put into use behind the stand on the opposite side.

In 2022, SV Elversberg once again earned promotion to the 3. Liga, and just a year later secured promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. These sporting successes contributed to the continuation of the stadium expansion project, which focused on the construction of two additional modern stands – behind the northern goal and opposite the new main stand.

The new stand behind the northern goal was built between 2024 and 2025, while the structure opposite the main stand has been under construction since spring 2025 and is scheduled for completion in 2027. It should also be noted that in 2026, SV Elversberg achieved a historic promotion to the Bundesliga.

As a result of the works carried out since 2013, the stadium will feature three new modern stands. Taking into account the reconstruction of the ultras section in 2016 (as well as its roofing at the turn of 2022 and 2023), this effectively represents a complete redevelopment of the venue.

The SV Elversberg stadium expansion project and a construction progress report can be viewed on separate pages

What is the connection between the SV Elversberg’s stadium and the Kaiserlinde?

The stadium takes its name from the nearby lime tree ('Kaiserlinde'). It was planted on 15th April 1913 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Over the years, the tree has grown to a significant size and has been given the status of a natural monument. Even when the pharmaceutical company Ursapharm acquired naming rights for the arena in November 2014, the name "an der Kaiserlinde" was not removed.

On the morning of 31st March 2015, however, the tree was knocked down by the storm Niklas and had to be removed by the authorities. On 28 January 2021, a new lime tree was planted in the same place.