RheinEnergieStadion
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| Full name | RheinEnergie Stadion (formerly Müngersdorfer Stadion) |
| Opened | 16 September 1923 |
| Capacity | 50,374 |
| Home of | 1. FC Köln (2nd Bundesliga) 1948-present Cologne Centurions (NFL Europa) 2004-present |
| Pitch size | 105 m x 68 m |
| 2006 FIFA World Cup Stadiums |
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The RheinEnergieStadion is the major stadium in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that is primarily used for football. It was built on the site of the two previous Müngersdorfer Stadiums. It is the home of the local Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln, and of the local NFL Europa team, the Cologne Centurions. The stadium is one of the 12 hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Stadium's name comes from a contract with the local power supplier RheinEnergie AG that will run out in 2009.
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[edit] History
Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the fortifications of Cologne were removed, thus allowing for the building of a new structure in the surrounding area. The new construction enabled the city to create 15,000 jobs. The new stadium was called the Müngersdorfer Stadion or the Kölner Stadion. This allowed Cologne not only to help stabilize the country but also to gain prestige and economic benefits for the city. The cost was tallied at 47.4 million Deutsche Mark but was omitted with the 1923 currency reform.
Following the completion of the stadium the city began to rise to prominence. Many major football matches were held at the stadium in front of huge crowds. The first international match was held on 20 November 1927, when the Germany national football team drew 2-2 with the Netherlands. Since then, the Germany team has played 19 times at the stadium and only one of those matches resulted in a loss. Another notable match was the first post-war game, which saw 1. FC Nürnberg beat 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2-1, in front of a crowd of 75,000.
One of the specialties of the Müngersdorfer Stadion was the track meets for non-professional sportsmen. In 1929 there were over 38,000 participants. However, in 1933 Jews were no longer allowed to take part. After the war the level of non-professional was never regained.
[edit] Recent matches of importance
In 2005 it was a venue for three first round games of the FIFA Confederations Cup including the opening match between Argentina and Tunisia. The game was won by Argentina 2-1.
The Müngersdorfer has been host to many important UEFA Cup matches. In UEFA Cup 1988-89, Bayer Leverkusen played against FC Barcelona, and Galatasaray against AS Monaco in the 1989 UEFA Cup. Borussia Mönchengladbach played both Arsenal and AS Monaco in the 1996 UEFA Cup. It also functioned as the home ground to second tier Alemannia Aachen in their 2004-2005 UEFA Cup campaign.
[edit] Awards
In July 2004, the RheinEnergie Stadion was awarded a bronze medal for distinguished sporting and leisure facilities by the International Olympic Committee.
[edit] Renovation
There have been two renovations, the first from 1972 to 1975 and once more in 2002 to 2004.
In 1974 the World Cup was held in West Germany and Cologne had wanted to be a host city. Their bid was approved and they soon began work on a new stadium that was to replace the now outdated Müngersdorfer Stadium. However, the city was unable to raise the money needed for a stadium of the desired size. The original plan was for an 80,000-seat arena which was planned to have cost 23.5 million Deutsche Mark. But the total kept growing. In the end, if the stadium had been completed, the cost would have amounted to 93.5 million. At the time the city was only able to provide an extra 6 million Deutsche Mark.
Following the World Cup, Cologne still wanted the stadium completed. Hence, on 12 November 1975, a 61,000-seat Arena was inaugurated with a match between 1. FC Köln and SC Fortuna Köln[1], 1. FC Köln winning 1-0.
The most recent renovation was completed in 2003. With the news of the prospect of bringing the World Cup back to Germany the city reacted. Building what is there today the RheinEnergie Stadion. Unlike the stadiums that came before it, there are no track and field facilities. This allows the spectators to be much closer to the pitch then they can be in a traditional multi-use stadium
[edit] Facilities
The capacity is 50,997 visitors during club matches and 46,134 for international games, when there are no standing spectators allowed. The entire field is lit with a floodlight system. In the north grandstand there is a museum dedicated to 1.FC Köln.
[edit] External dimensions
| Length | 220 m |
| Width | 180 m |
| Height to Roof | 33.25 m |
| Roof Area | 15,400 m² |
[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup
The stadium is one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena was called FIFA World Cup Stadium Cologne during the World Cup.
The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:
| Date | Time (CET) | Team # | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-11 | 21.00 | Angola | 0-1 | Portugal | Group D | 45,000 |
| 2006-06-17 | 17.00 | Czech Republic | 0-2 | Ghana | Group E | 45,000 |
| 2006-06-20 | 18.00 | Sweden | 2-2 | England | Group B | 45,000 |
| 2006-06-23 | 20.00 | Togo | 0-2 | France | Group G | 45,000 |
| 2006-06-26 | 21.00 | Switzerland | 0-0 (0-3 PEN) | Ukraine | Round of 16 | 45,000 |
[edit] External links
| Current Stadiums in NFL Europa |
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| Amsterdam ArenA | AOL Arena | Commerzbank-Arena | LTU Arena | Olympiastadion | RheinEnergieStadion | ||
