Facts & Figures

Real Schalke fans stand together. And at home matches, they prefer to do so in the standing area of the North Curve. The stand is a real quick-change artist and can even be converted into a seated stand depending on the event.

Even during the construction of the arena, care was taken to ensure that all international standards of the UEFA and FIFA soccer associations were met. This is because their regulations stipulate that international matches may only be played in seated stadiums. For this reason, the north curve and the guest area of the arena were designed in such a way that they can be transformed in an instant with mobile seats. It takes a well-coordinated team to turn 16,309 standing places into 8,778 seats, as the conversion is purely manual work. First, the breakwaters and railings are dismantled before the arena's technical department has the mobile seats installed.

Deep in the catacombs of the arena is the "holy of holies" of Schalke's professional footballers: the players' dressing room. When the players enter the spacious rooms around 90 minutes before kick-off, their jerseys, shorts, socks and shoes are already waiting for them. The 250-square-metre dressing room is home to the changing room, players' lockers, showers and toilets. After the game, the professionals can regenerate in the relaxation pool or replenish their energy stores with drinks, cake or fruit. Two further areas house the medical department and separate cabins for the head coach and support staff. Of course, the opposing team's cabins are similarly sized. Up to four teams can be accommodated here. Right next door in the catacombs are the extra rooms for the referees and doping control - and even the ball boys have their own little kingdom at Schalke.

What would soccer be without beer? For many, only half as enjoyable. In the VELTINS-Arena, however, it doesn't come well chilled from a crate or keg, but from a 5,000 meter long beer pipeline. The beer pipeline, which is unique in Europe, was specially developed for the VELTINS-Arena. It supplies the kiosks, the business club and all catering areas with fresh VELTINS. The beer comes directly from the four cooling centers in the arena catacombs, where up to 52,000 liters of beer can be stored. The beer then travels from the central pipeline via docking points to the taps and finally into the cups of the thirsty guests. To ensure that it comes out of the tap perfectly chilled even at the most remote kiosk, the pipeline is surrounded by state-of-the-art insulation materials and is of course cleaned and maintained regularly.

The most characteristic feature is undoubtedly the unique "sliding roof", which makes the VELTINS-Arena a convertible among arenas. The distinctive roof of the VELTINS-Arena can be seen from afar. The closable roof is also one of the arena's special advantages. Whether it's raining or sunny, spectators in the arena are always in the dry. It takes just 30 minutes to turn the open-air stadium into an all-weather arena. The two sliding wings of the roof can be opened or closed completely. All that remains above the pitch is a slit around 60 centimetres wide, which allows air to circulate but, thanks to the clever design, does not let any rain in. The thin membrane layers also protect against rain, but at the same time allow sufficient daylight into the arena. At evening events, the grandstand lighting and 212 floodlights provide plenty of light. However, it is not only the spectators who benefit from the clever design. The convertible roof offers event organizers planning security in any weather, 365 days a year.

Europe's largest video cube offers an area of 10.6 m x 7.2 m = 76.32 m² per side and is therefore more than twice as large as the previous model. The distance between the light points on the video cube, which are responsible for the resolution, has shrunk from 22 to 10 millimeters compared to the previous model. Spectators in the VELTINS-Arena can follow information such as the current score, statistics, time and match scenes in a completely new quality on the huge displays.

Unique in the Bundesliga: a pitch that can simply be pushed away when required. And it can even be completely removed from the interior. There are plenty of moving moments to be experienced in the VELTINS-Arena. However, the fact that the pitch is also mobile in a stadium is something that only exists here. Located in a 118 meter long and 79 meter wide trough, the turf can be moved over a distance of 340 meters (there and back). The underlying principle is as simple as it is ingenious and works like a drawer. In 6 to 8 hours, the 11,000-ton tub is moved piece by piece with the turf to its destination before each match. To ensure that this works smoothly, Teflon-coated steel rails are embedded in a secondary floor on which the tub with the turf can slide. Four hydraulic presses provide the necessary drive, which pushes the tub forward about half a meter per movement. Between match days, the turf is stored in the open air so that it can grow naturally.

If the arena seems bigger than you remember on your next visit, the ingenious construction of the south curve could be to blame. This is because the south curve of the VELTINS-Arena hides a technical secret that only reveals itself at second glance: It is itself movable and therefore also allows the pitch to be moved.
Thanks to a complex metal construction, part of the lower tier can be folded down and pushed under the upper tier. At a length of 16 meters, the stand is then moved backwards using a hydraulic drive. This process, which takes around 16 minutes, creates space for 5,000 additional spectators at concerts.

"Your ticket, please!": This sentence is rarely heard in the VELTINS-Arena, as access to the arena is already fully automated. Visitors enter the arena through electronic turnstiles at six entrance areas. The barcodes on the tickets automatically regulate access to the correct block. This prevents ticket forgeries and duplicate entry to a single ticket.

Baptisms, weddings, ecumenical services: The chapel in the VELTINS-Arena is more than just a place of peace and reflection. Well over 2,000 children have been baptized here, 1,000 weddings and anniversaries have been celebrated, the deceased have been remembered, prayers have been said for victims of disasters and lights have been lit.

The chapel at Schalke is a sheltered space of peace, joy, prayer and pastoral care in the middle of our arena. It was the first chapel of its kind in Germany and was inaugurated on August 12, 2001. It is centrally located in the arena next to the players' dressing rooms. Meetings with people from all over the world and pastoral discussions also take place in the simple, inviting chapel. It is a place for people's lives and questions. It is an ecumenical meeting place across denominations. It is therefore appropriate to honor the space of the chapel through appropriate behavior and dress.

The work in the chapel is accompanied by the Protestant pastor Ernst-Martin Barth - Hausfeld 8 - 45891 Gelsenkirchen (T 0209-72723 or M 0170-6283714) and the Catholic pastor Georg Rücker (M 0173-2954665).
The dates for your inquiries depend on the schedule of the VELTINS-Arena.