Südweststadion

Südweststadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany and was built in 1950. The stadium could hold up 41,383 people. After the renovation in 2007, the maximum capacity was limited to 6,100 people. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is occasionally used has home ground by FSV Oggersheim. The stadium hosted several important matches, such as four international matches of West Germany, two West German Cup finals and the Bundesliga championship match.

Südweststadion
Panoramic overview Südweststadion
Full nameSüdweststadion
LocationLudwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Coordinates49°28′6″N 8°26′29″E
OwnerLudwigshafen am Rhein
Capacity6,100
Record attendance82,000
Field size103 x 67 metres
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1946 - 1950
Opened11 November 1950
Renovated2007
Tenants
FC Arminia 03 Ludwigshafen (1952 - 1979)
SV Waldhof Mannheim (1983 - 1989)
FSV Oggersheim (2005 - 2009)
1. FC Kaiserslautern (incidental) [1]

History

In 1937 the first stadium was constructed on the site of the current Südweststadion. The new stadium was named after Adolf Hitler and could hold 14,000 people. During the Allied bombings of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen am Rhein during World War II, the stadium was completely damaged and a new stadium had to be built. In 1946 the new foundations for the stadium were constructed and on November 11, 1950 the stadium was inaugurated. During that time it was considered to be one of West Germany’s most modern stadiums [2] and several important West German matches were held at the stadium. When it was announced that West Germany would host the 1974 World Championship Football, the city of Ludwigshafen applied first as candidate venue at the organization committee. The committee finally favored Frankfurt’s Waldstadion instead of the Südweststadion. Between 1983 and 1989 SV Waldhof Mannheim played her Bundesliga matches in the Südweststadion. After that, the stadium fell into disrepair. In 2007, the stadium was partially renovated.

Concerts

During the ‘80s the stadium hosted several concerts of Elton John, Peter Maffay, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Eros Ramazzotti, Bon Jovi, Herbert Grönemeyer und Bruce Springsteen. On August 30, 1992, Michael Jackson made a stop at the stadium as part of his Dangerous World Tour.

Regular tenants

FC Arminia 03

The football club FC Arminia 03 Ludwigshafen played most of her matches from 1952 till 1979 in the stadium. In 1979 the club moved to another terrain. From 2013 the club plays in the stadium occasionally.

SV Waldhof Mannheim

When SV Waldhof Mannheim promoted to the Bundesliga in 1983, the club played from 1983 till 1989 in the stadium. Their own ground didn't meet the high security demands from the DFB.[1] The club from the neighboring city Mannheim played 102 matches in the stadium and moved back to their old ground in 1989, when the club relegated from the Bundesliga.

FSV Oggersheim

In 2005 FSV Oggersheim began using the stadium. After their promotion to the Regionalliga in 2007, the stadium was partially renovated. The Municipality of Ludwigshafen invested 1,5 million Euro ter beschikking to modernize the stadium. A big part of the stadium was closed, due security reason. FSV Oggersheim left the stadium in 2009.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

1. FC Kaiserslautern played several home matches in the stadium. Due to the large capacity of tf the stadium, the club played several home matches during the '50s and '60s in the stadium.[1] In 1978/79 1. FC Kaiserslautern played their last two matches in the stadium, when their Fritz-Walter-Stadion was redeveloped.

Important matches

Final West German championship

In 1952 the stadium hosted the first final match of the West German championship.[3]

West German Cup Finals

The same hosted to DFB Pokal finals:[3]

International matches

The West German national team played four friendly matches in the stadium.[3]

№ Date Match Result Spectators
1.21 December 1952Germany  -  Yugoslavia3-270.000
2.27 April 1960Germany  -  Portugal2-141.383
3.29 April 1964Germany  -  Czechoslovakia3-441.383
4.1 June 1966Germany  -  Romania1-041.383
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References
  1. http://www.martijnmureau.nl/index.php/vergane-glorie/379-vergane-glorie-suedweststadion-ludwigshafen, 10 November 2014
  2. Die Rheinpfalz - Region - 18. Juni 2007
  3. http://www.dfb.de, (5 November 2014)
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