By Ben McFadyean.
1. FC Magdeburg, who are managed by former Hamburger SV coach and US Soccer Federation head scout Christian Tietz, are fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga. Six points behind league leaders 1. FC Köln and with four games to go, the club are getting first-division-worthy, both on and off the pitch.
Although the club are struggling in the final stretch of the promotion battle, and the 5-0 loss on Saturday to relegation-threatened Preussen Münster was the worst performance of the season by a margin, there is promising news behind the scenes.
Training conditions at the club’s training centre adjacent to the 27,000-capacity Avnet Stadion have been a matter of fervent debate for several seasons.
The training complex, which features grass and artificial pitches and is used by youth teams as well as the first team, has been a source of frustration.
The low point came in mid-February, shortly before the home game against promotion favourites 1. FC Köln, the pitch was covered in snow and frozen, making training impossible. Despite the resounding 3:0 win, this was not the first time conditions had been unacceptable a change was needed.
Urgent renovation was needed. The key stumbling block, as at many clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen, Mainz 05, FC Cologne, Hertha Berlin, and SC Freiburg, is that the stadium and training complex are owned by the city council.
Upgrades and renovations, such as the multi-million update of the home of the Borussia Dortmund U23’s ground, the 9,999 capacity Stadion Rote Erde, which was finished last season, need to be negotiated with the decision-makers in the council.
The situation is easier for clubs like Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg, who own their own stadia. In the case of VfB Stuttgart, they are 40% owners and therefore also have more ability to make decisions.
The clubs whose grounds are council-owned pay rent to the local authorities and also have to accept the council renting the grounds for other sports at times to increase revenue for the local council.
Whilst this also means that clubs do not have to bankroll the grounds, it also means that they cannot rely on a ground sale in times of difficulty, and even naming rights need to be negotiated and revenue shared.
The scene is set for the upgrade of the 1974 European Cup Winners trophy winners from the former East Germany, Magdeburg.
The hugely popular club, who have an outstanding fan base across the region of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, have a near-capacity average attendance of 25,000, putting them among the top 10 highest in 2. Bundesliga.
Alongside the outstanding season they are having on the pitch, the revenue is a strong negotiating position when it comes to the upgrade.
As announced this week and reported in Bild Sport on Friday, the city of Magdeburg, the capital of the state capital with 250,000 inhabitants, will be funding the construction of new training pitches and a new youth performance centre with an initial budget of €1.5m.
The centre will then be leased back to the club under a long-term lease, a common method in German football. Speaking to Bild, CDU city councillor and former FIFA referee Bernd Heynemann confirmed the city’s support: “With this investment, we are laying the foundation for top-class football in Magdeburg from the professionals to the youth teams.”
The club’s Managing Director, Martin Geisthardt, underlined the importance of the investment for the 3-time East German champions: “This upgrade is of central importance to us. The inclusion of under-soil heating means we can also now train under top conditions in winter,r which is crucial for the club.”
Construction start is planned for the summer and will feature, in addition to new buildings, a new drainage system.
The partnership with local councils ensures revenue sharing and stability for football clubs, which is a model worth emulating across football in a time when club finances are increasingly under strain.
The facilities will be first class, now what remains is for the club that play in blue and white to gain their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga.
With two games to go in the 2. Bundesliga Magdeburg have realistic hopes of a 3rd place finish, although with four other teams, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Paderborn, and notably newly-promoted Eleversberg, in the mix, the race will go down to the last match.
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