海角视频

Stadiums sit at the intersection of sport, place and identity. At their best, they are far more than venues for 90 minutes of football. They are critical pieces of social infrastructure, economic anchors and catalysts for long-term urban regeneration.

Across Europe, that role is coming into sharper focus. Many cities are facing a common set of challenges: ageing stadium stock, rising expectations from fans and communities, increasing pressure on public investment, and a need to demonstrate tangible social value. In Germany, where much of the current stadium portfolio鈥檚 most recent upgrades date back to the 2006 World Cup, this moment of renewal presents a clear opportunity. Two decades on, as football fans around the world are enjoying the 2026 World Cup, we have been taking a closer look at how the sports stadium market is changing.

Cities such as Berlin, where the Olympiastadion remains a historic but ageing asset, and Friedrich鈥慙udwig鈥慗ahn鈥慡portpark, with its new and inclusive urban sports district, illustrate the varied challenges of modernisation and long-term viability. Meanwhile, projects in cities like Freiburg, with the recently opened Europa-Park Stadion, highlight how newer developments are embedding sustainability and community integration from the outset.

The question is no longer simply how to modernise stadiums. It is how to reimagine them as integrated parts of the city and extend their purpose 鈥� creating places that work harder, for more people, every day of the year and would be an urban destination; a 鈥渢hird place鈥� for the community and city.

Over the past two decades, international stadium projects have helped redefine what is possible. From the Emirates Stadium to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Everton鈥檚 new Hill Dickinson Stadium, the model has shifted from standalone venues to drivers of district-scale transformation. For example, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms part of a 鈧�1.4 billion (拢1.2 billion) regeneration programme and has contributed 鈧�398m (拢344m) in GVA and supported more than 3,700 jobs in its surrounding area鲁. The stadium is not simply a destination, but a focal point for investment, employment and community activity.

Michael Salvo, 海角视频鈥檚 director of European sport and entertainment, observes that this shift reflects a wider market evolution rather than a series of isolated projects: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a growing recognition that a stadium is not simply a building project. It can be the catalyst for so much more,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he whole masterplan around a stadium is most impactful when it is mixed, fully-integrated and usable by the wider city and society. There needs to be a real place-making element to a successful stadium project. Critically, this applies as much to the evolution of existing stadia as it does to new developments, where the opportunity often lies in unlocking latent value through better integration and use.鈥�

Rob Amphlett, who leads 海角视频鈥檚 UK Sport and Entertainment sector, and led the Tottenham project for 海角视频, says stadium developments in the UK are rarely now standalone projects[1] and 海角视频鈥檚 engineering experts are key to realising their true value. 鈥淏ringing in the right expertise at an early stage is key to realising the full potential for the community, club and wider economy,鈥� he says.

He makes the point that stadiums are more than buildings 鈥� they鈥檙e symbols of identity. 鈥淐lubs are born out of their communities,鈥� Amphlett says, 鈥渁nd increasingly, their brand is rooted in that community.鈥�

In Liverpool, Everton FC鈥檚 new home at Bramley-Moore Dock, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, is reshaping the waterfront to the north of the city centre. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more than just a stadium,鈥� says Lloyd Baker, who led 海角视频鈥檚 work on the project. 鈥�It鈥檚 a strategic move that unlocks regeneration across a whole tranche of the city.

鈥淚 believe the regeneration we鈥檙e now seeing along the northern waterfront in Liverpool, around Everton鈥檚 new stadium, has been speeded up by 20 years or more as a result of the stadium being delivered and acting as a real catalyst for investment.

What does this mean in the German context?

The answer is more nuanced, reflecting a different urban and political starting point. In Berlin, the conversation is not about a single solution, but about how multiple futures can be brought together. Within the Olympic Park, this includes both the potential for a new, football-specific stadium, as well as the reimagining of the existing Olympiastadion as a major civic and heritage asset. The strategic question, therefore, is how these opportunities can be aligned within a broader vision for the park as a whole 鈥� one that strengthens the role, relevance and long-term viability of both venues. This has wider significance in the context of Berlin鈥檚 potential Olympic bid, where the ability to demonstrate a coherent, future-facing vision for the park could unlock additional investment and reinforce its role as a nationally and internationally important destination. 

That includes improving connectivity, activating surrounding spaces and exploring how the wider campus of sports, culture and education facilities could be brought together into a more coherent whole. Proposals such as Hertha Berlin鈥檚 potential new stadium add another dimension, raising the possibility of integrating modern infrastructure within an established civic landscape, rather than starting from scratch.

Berlin鈥檚 documented ambitions in its Urban Development Concept / Berlin Strategy 2030 focus on being a dynamic, innovative, green and socially inclusive city, with priorities such as housing delivery, economic growth, climate action, mobility and quality of life. By positioning the Olympic Park鈥檚 redevelopment as a hub for sport, culture and everyday civic life, Berlin can directly align stadium investment with its wider growth ambitions around innovation-led jobs, tourism, housing and sustainable urban regeneration.

You鈥檙e designing a piece of city infrastructure that has to work on match day and on every other day of the year.

Lloyd Baker, 海角视频 partner and discipline unit leader

At the same time, Berlin is also developing a very different model at Friedrich鈥慙udwig鈥慗ahn鈥慡portpark. Here, the ambition is explicitly about creating a new, inclusive urban sports district, combining a 20,000-seat stadium with community facilities, sports halls and public space. The contrast is instructive. Berlin is effectively telling two stories at once: how to extend the life and civic value of a historic stadium, and how to deliver a new generation of integrated, community-focused sports infrastructure in the heart of the city.

Hamburg points to a third approach. At Volksparkstadion, recent discussions  has focused on maintaining international competitiveness through technical upgrades. But the longer-term opportunity lies in thinking beyond the stadium itself. With major development planned in the surrounding area, there is clear potential to evolve the wider Volkspark into a multi-use sports and leisure district. In this context, the stadium becomes less of a standalone venue and more of a catalyst within a broader piece of city-making. Hamburg can use stadium investment to advance its broader goals around sustainable growth, everyday recreation and inclusive economic opportunity set out in its urban development and climate strategies.

From destination to neighbourhood

Increasingly clubs are also seeing the economic and social value of investing in the 365-day activation of a stadium, rather than it standing unused between football matches.

Baker emphasises that this broader role needs to be understood from the outset: 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got an asset that holds a lot of people and gives plenty of space to move around. Why would you only use that for one or maybe two days a week? We support clients to deliver stadiums that work all-year round and give the community more than the football. You鈥檙e not just designing a venue. You鈥檙e designing a piece of city infrastructure that has to work on match day and on every other day of the year.鈥�

This distinction is critical. Evidence from across the world shows that for successful stadia, it is the integration with housing, commercial development, transport and public realm that enables true long-term impact. Greater London Authority鈥檚 report The Regeneration Game: Stadium-led regeneration in London, for example, reviews schemes like the Emirates Stadium, Wembley and the Etihad/City of Manchester Stadium and explicitly frames stadiums as catalysts when embedded in wider mixed-use and transport strategies[2].

The report underlines that stadiums generate the greatest value where they anchor wider, mixed鈥憉se regeneration 鈥� and it backs this up with some hard numbers from recent London schemes. It highlights, for example, how Arsenal鈥檚 move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium almost tripled match鈥慸ay revenues (from roughly 鈧�42m [拢37m] to more than 鈧�104m [拢90m] a year[3]), while the surrounding scheme delivered thousands of new homes, with a significant proportion designated as affordable housing. At the Olympic Park, it emphasises that the stadium is part of a 225 hectare transformation including new neighbourhoods such as East Village, extensive green and public spaces and major transport upgrades, rather than a standalone venue, even as it cautions that the broader economic 鈥渦plift鈥� relative to other forms of development is still contested.

Across Germany, a generation of stadiums last substantially upgraded for the 2006 World Cup is now entering a new phase of reinvestment, creating a significant opportunity for cities to rethink their long-term role. The question is no longer simply how to maintain or modernise these venues, but how they can be repositioned as active parts of the urban fabric that act as a catalyst for urban regeneration. Evidence from the UK and elsewhere shows that the greatest impact is achieved where stadiums are integrated with housing, commercial development, transport networks and public realm, allowing them to support economic activity and social use beyond matchdays. In a German context, where many major stadia are located at the edge of cities, this does not necessarily mean large-scale new development, but rather a more deliberate focus on connectivity, programming and place-making. The next cycle of upgrades therefore represents an opportunity not just to improve individual assets, but to unlock wider urban value by embedding them more effectively within the life of the city.

Olympic ambitions as a catalyst for long-term urban development

This is as much about social outcomes as it is about commercial return. Dr Sebastian Seelig, a 海角视频 partner in Germany and expert on urban planning, believes German stadium projects can build on the global experience, particularly in how venues are embedded within the wider city.

He also sees a broader opportunity emerging as several cities, including Berlin, Munich and the Rhein-Ruhr Region, develop concepts for a potential future Olympic bid. 鈥淢ajor events can act as a catalyst,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut the real value lies in what they leave behind. Whichever city is put forward, there is an opportunity to rethink stadium assets not just as venues for competition, but as active, integrated parts of the urban fabric long after the Games have finished. The acceleration of investment and pace of transformation that major events like the Olympics can drive is significant; the real test is whether those plans are explicitly framed as catalysts for delivering the host city鈥檚 wider growth ambitions and tangible benefits for its citizens, rather than as standalone, time-limited spectacles.鈥� 

He highlights the importance of this long-term perspective: 鈥淭he most successful projects are the ones that feel like part of the neighbourhood, not something dropped into it.鈥�

鈥淕ermany can gain insight from the projects in other countries in this regard. UK cities tend to have a more and more holistic view on sports venues and how they can be weaved into the city fabric and urban development as a whole. In Germany there is still more of an approach to develop green field sites on the edge of the cities, which can make this integration with wider urban regeneration and transport links much more challenging. But there is a real opportunity to make sure the next generation of stadia upgrades are truly integrated in their urban contexts and better able to be usable non-matchday assets.

鈥淚n Germany, for sure we have some great stadia, but most of them are not in the city, but are located at the edge of the city, which brings challenges around transportation. If you think about the Allianz Arena, for example, in Munich, that is really far away from the city centre. You basically have to travel 30 or 40 minutes by underground. They had to build a new underground to the stadium. Even from the underground, you have to walk 15 minutes to the stadium. So, it’s not a really good experience. If cities want to maximise the value of these infrastructure assets, making it more attractive for non-matchday activities, a strong integrated mobility concept is a critical lever.鈥�

There needs to be a real place-making element to a successful stadium project. The opportunity often lies in unlocking latent value through better integration and use.

Michael Salvo, 海角视频’s director of European sport and entertainment

At Berlin鈥檚 Olympiastadion, the dynamic is similar. While the stadium benefits from established public transport connections, its location within the wider Olympic Park means the journey beyond the station and the arrival experience itself can still feel fragmented, particularly outside major events. Strengthening these connections offers a clear opportunity to support more regular, everyday use.

鈥淥ne of the reasons a strong mobility concept is a critical lever, is the availability of land and land price in the cities,鈥� Seelig explains. 鈥淏ut there are also probably more fundamental topics of cities seeing sports and events not as a positive thing for a neighbourhood, but more as a thing that disturbs people living there and disturbs their everyday life. That’s also a topic in Germany.鈥�

For stadium assets to be truly integrated, the positive impacts on urban regeneration of quality stadium projects will need to be better understood.  The integration can take many forms. At Tottenham, the stadium hosts concerts, NFL games and community programmes. At Everton, the stadium has become a catalyst for the wider revitalisation of Liverpool鈥檚 waterfront. At Wrexham, the new Kop stand is part of a broader effort to reconnect the club with its town as well as preparing it with the infrastructure for future success in the Premiership.

Rob Amphlett points to the importance of this holistic approach: 鈥淪tadiums transform communities, when they are part of a much bigger, long-term vision.鈥�

At Tottenham, this has been reflected in the integration of heritage assets and the development of community programmes through the club鈥檚 foundation. The stadium has also taken on a wider civic role, hosting health services and public events[4]. This reinforces the need for strong governance, early engagement and clear frameworks for delivering community benefit.

This wider civic role is tangible: in 2021鈥�22 alone the stadium attracted 1.6 million visitors and provided a hub for nearly 9,000 Covid鈥�19 vaccinations and more than 40,000 outpatient appointments, alongside affordable housing delivery and a portfolio of targeted community programmes such as jobs fairs and youth interventions[5].

If Premier League projects demonstrate the value of 365-day activation, the question for Germany is how that principle translates to very different spatial conditions.

For stadia located on the edge of cities, such as Berlin鈥檚 Olympiastadion or Hamburg鈥檚 Volksparkstadion, the opportunity lies in extending activity beyond event days by programming the wider landscape. At Olympiapark, this could mean strengthening the site as a year-round public sports campus, integrating school use, community sport and health-focused activity alongside its role as a major events venue. There is also scope to expand its educational role, building on the site鈥檚 historical significance to create a more permanent cultural and learning destination.

At Volkspark, the starting point is different. The surrounding park is already heavily used for recreation, but the connection to the stadium remains relatively weak outside matchdays. Applying a more holistic approach suggests introducing complementary uses that anchor daily activity. Sports medicine, training facilities, workspace linked to sport and health, or conference and event functions could all contribute to making the stadium part of everyday life in the district.

In denser urban settings, the challenge shifts again. At grounds such as Hamburg鈥檚 Millerntor-Stadion, the identity and community connection are already strong, but the opportunity is to translate that into physical, everyday uses. Integrating social spaces, community services and cultural functions into the stadium edge could transform it from a matchday destination into a daily civic presence within the neighbourhood. 

Across both contexts, the underlying principle remains consistent. The value of a stadium is no longer defined by how it performs on matchday alone, but by how actively it contributes to the life of the community in the periods between events.

Embedding social value from the outset

If stadium-led regeneration is to deliver meaningful outcomes, social value cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be embedded in the earliest stages of planning and design. This shift in perspective affects every aspect of a project. It informs how spaces are configured, how they can be used outside of events, and how they connect to surrounding neighbourhoods. Making access genuinely inclusive to all is a critical element of ensuring an open and welcoming environment. For social value to be delivered, it must be delivered for all.

Ben Channon, 海角视频鈥檚 head of Inclusive Environments, reinforces this point, drawing on experience from inclusive design work in a range of venues: 鈥淲e can go so much further than compliance,鈥� he says. 鈥淕ood inclusive design will be a key aspect of the quality of the experience for fans and a way of setting a stadium apart.鈥�

Truly inclusive designs should cover a range of considerations 鈥� including cultural requirements and neuro-inclusive best practice.

鈥淲e understand the challenge for many people of going into a crowded place,鈥� Ben says, 鈥渁nd the design and management interventions we can make, to ensure their time there is a more inclusive and supportive experience.鈥�

While accessibility remains an important component, the broader message is about designing for a wide range of users, needs and experiences. When done well, this improves outcomes for everyone. It also strengthens the long-term viability of the asset. Inclusive, flexible environments attract wider audiences, support diverse uses and reduce the need for future retrofitting. 

Germany already has a strong foundation for social value in sport, shaped by supporter culture and governance models such as the 50+1 rule. The opportunity is to make that social role more explicit and measurable within stadium projects themselves.

At Olympiastadion, recent upgrades have begun to move in this direction[6], improving accessibility and inclusivity through additional wheelchair provision, barrier-free facilities and clearer wayfinding. The next step is to build on this progress by defining the stadium鈥檚 wider civic role. This could include expanding access for community sport, developing educational programmes linked to the site鈥檚 history, and setting clear targets for participation and engagement that underpin future investment.

In Hamburg, HSV and the city have already started to articulate social value through sustainability reporting and community initiatives. As plans for the wider Volkspark evolve, there is an opportunity to align physical development more closely with these objectives. That means linking stadium investment to measurable outcomes, whether in education, employment or inclusive access to sport.

Inner-city examples offer a complementary perspective. Clubs such as St Pauli have built strong identities around inclusion and community engagement. The challenge for future development is to embed these values more directly in the physical fabric of the stadium, through dedicated spaces for community groups, social enterprises and outreach programmes.

In this sense, Germany is not starting from zero. But translating existing cultural strengths into spatial and measurable outcomes remains a key step in maximising the long-term value of stadium investments.

Community, identity and belonging under one roof

Beyond economics and operations, stadiums play a powerful role in shaping identity. They are places where collective experiences are formed and where communities come together.

This dimension is particularly important in regeneration contexts. Football clubs are often deeply embedded within their local areas, with long-standing emotional and cultural connections. New stadium or retrofit projects are often building on decades, sometimes more than a century, of history and identity connected with a venue. That has to be respected.

The most successful projects are the ones that feel like part of the neighbourhood, not something dropped into it.

Dr Sebastian Seelig, 海角视频 partner and Cities team director

The sector鈥檚 focus on urban and social regeneration around stadium projects has been developing for decades. This reinforces a broader lesson from stadium-led regeneration: while high-profile venues can catalyse investment and reshape perception, their social and economic impact is contingent on integration with housing, employment, and infrastructure that delivers tangible benefits for local communities.

The international examples illustrate what can be achieved when stadiums are positioned as catalysts for regeneration. In Germany, the lesson is slightly different. It is about how to evolve existing assets in a way that strengthens identitywhile expanding their role in the city and delivering more value for citizens.

This is particularly evident in projects such as the planned redevelopment of Friedrich鈥慙udwig鈥慗ahn鈥慡portpark and Alba Berlin鈥檚 ambitions for a new arena. In both cases, the focus extends beyond the venue itself. Rather than delivering standalone facilities, these schemes are framed as part of wider urban sports ecosystems, combining elite sport with community facilities and public space. The ambition is not just to host events, but to create places that are actively used and valued by local residents every day.

A similar shift can be seen in the growing focus on sports campuses. In Frankfurt, for example, the expansion of the wider arena and sports infrastructure points towards a more integrated model, where stadiums sit alongside training facilities, leisure uses and other amenities as part of a collective destination.

These examples highlight a broader direction of travel. In Germany, the future of stadium development is unlikely to be defined by large-scale new builds alone. Instead, it will be shaped by how effectively cities can retrofit, integrate and programme existing assets as part of wider urban strategies. 

The most successful projects will be those that recognise a simple but powerful truth: a stadium鈥檚 value lies not only in what it hosts, but in how it contributes to the life of the city and the citizens around it. 

Three principles for future-ready stadium destinations in Germany

As European cities look to renew their stadium infrastructure, the international stadium projects offer an evidence base to reference and build on.  

Three principles stand out:

Unlocking integration

To be effective catalysts of wider regeneration, stadiums should be part of a wider urban strategy, connected to transport networks and supported by mixed-use development.

Unlocking activation

Year-round use is essential, both for financial sustainability and for creating vibrant, active places.

Unlocking social value

Community outcomes must be embedded from the outset, supported by clear governance and long-term stewardship.

For Germany, these principles sit alongside a distinctive context. The 50+1 ownership model in Germany, which ensures external investors can鈥檛 wrestle control of a club from its fans, alongside the strong supporter culture and emphasis on community identity mean that stadiums already play a central social role. The challenge, and the opportunity, is to build on this foundation. To create venues that are not only modern and efficient, but deeply integrated within their cities and communities.

As Salvo notes: 鈥淪ometimes, what makes a stadium truly successful, is what happens when the game is not happening. That wider insight and understanding is where our teams are able to truly transform a project and take it to the next level 鈥� helping clients unlock the full potential of their assets as integrated, high-performing parts of the city.鈥�

This article is part of a series. Read the next part here: The Retrofit Decade: Why Germany鈥檚 next stadium boom is about modernisation

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[1] The regeneration game: How stadium projects are transforming communities – 海角视频

[2] https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/Regeneration%20Committee%20report%20-%20The%20Regeneration%20Game_0.pdf

[3] https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/arsenal-lucrative-emirates-stadium-deal-plan-expansion-two-years-wembley/blt94a36997adfcf76f

[4] An analysis of Tottenham Hotspur’s socio-economic contribution to the local area, EY, December 2023

[5] ibid

[6] https://www.einpresswire.com/article/750832949/olympiastadion-berlin-the-ultimate-stadium-experience-for-everyone