Stadion an der Hafenstraße

Stadion an der Hafenstraße, known as Stadion Essen until 2022, is a stadium in Essen, Germany. Located in the borough of Bergeborbeck, it has a capacity of 20,650 spectators.^[2] It is the home of Rot-Weiss Essen in the third-level men's 3. Liga and SGS Essen in the women's Frauen-Bundesliga and replaced Georg-Melches-Stadion.

Stadion an der Hafenstraße

Panoramic view, August 2012
Full name	Stadion an der Hafenstraße
Former names	Stadion Essen (2012–2022)
Location	Essen, Germany
Coordinates	51°29′12″N 6°58′35″E
Owner	City of Essen
Operator	SBG Sportstätten Betriebsgesellschaft Stadt Essen mbH
Capacity	20,650
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	April 1, 2011
Opened	August 12, 2012
Construction cost	64 million euro [1]
Architect	Plan Forward GmbH
Tenants
Rot-Weiss Essen (2012–present) SGS Essen (2012–present)
Website
www.stadion-essen.de

History

The stadium was officially opened on August 12, 2012, with a match between the under-19s of Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Dortmund (3-2). Afterwards the women's club SGS Essen played against 1. FFC Frankfurt. During the latter match, the Frankfurt players were replaced after 80 minutes by eleven male players from Rot-Weiss Essen.^[3]

The last stand was finished shortly before the start of the 2013/14 season. For this occasion, an opening match between Rot-Weiss Essen and Werder Bremen (0-2) was held on August 8 in front of 11,513 spectators.^[4]

The stadium was sold out for the first time on April 8, 2014, for the semi-final match of the Lower Rhine Cup between Rot-Weiss Essen and MSV Duisburg.^[5]

In November 2021, Rot-Weiss Essen purchased the rights to the stadium name. The stadium was renamed Stadion an der Hafenstraße in January 2022; the Georg-Melches-Stadion it replaced carried the same name from 1939 to 1964.^[6]

See also

• List of football stadiums in Germany
• Lists of stadiums

References

1. Wolfgang Kintscher (14 August 2015). "Bei den Kosten fürs Stadion Essen haben alle weggeschaut" (in German). WAZ. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
2. http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/europe/germany/nordrhein_westfalen/essen_stadion.shtml ^{[dead link]}
3. Stefan Kober (9 August 2012). "RWE-Herren spielen gegen SGS-Damen zur Eröffnung des neuen Stadions in Essen" (in German). WAZ. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
4. "Der Lieblingsgegner hat zugesagt" (in German). reviersport.de. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
5. Rolf Hantel (8 April 2014). "RWE verliert nach Elfmeterschießen gegen den MSV Duisburg" (in German). WAZ. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
6. "Im Namen der Hafenstraße!". rot-weiss-essen.de (in German). Rot-Weiss Essen. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2022.