Facts & Figures

True Royal Blue supporters always stand together. Preferably in the North Curve Standing Section, if the team plays a home match. The stand’s design ensures a transformation in no time and it can even be converted into a seating area depending on the event.
During the stages of stadium construction steps were taken to meet all applicable UEFA and FIFA requirements. According to these regulations, only a stadium with a seated capacity may be used to host international sporting events. For this reason, the design of the North Curve and the Visitors‘ Section allows their rapid transformation with mobile seats. Only an experienced team manages to transform the 16,309 standing places into 8,778 seats, as this is mainly manual work. After the roadblocks and the handrails have been disassembled, the members of our Technical Team can install the mobile seats.

Deep in the catacombs of the stadium is the “holy of holies” of FC 04 Schalke: the players’ changing rooms. When the players enter the spacious area about 90 minutes before the kick-off, they can already find their jerseys, shorts, socks and shoes. The 250-square-metre cabin section includes changing rooms, storage units, showers and toilets. After the derby, the professional footballers can relax in the pool or just rest and recharge their batteries, e.g. having a piece of cake, some fruits or a drink. Two further sections house the Medical Department and the facilities for the head trainer and the assistants.
The changing facilities of the opposing team are similarly large. Up to four teams can be accommodated there. Right next door are the referees‘ rooms and the doping control area. Even the ball boys have their own little space at the VELTINS-Arena.

What would football be without beer? For many, far less interesting. The beer, perfectly chilled, is delivered to the VELTINS-Arena not in crates or barrels, but through a three-mile pipe. This beer pipeline, unique in Europe, was specially planned for the VELTINS-Arena. It supplies the kiosks, the business club and all gastronomic areas with fresh VELTINS pilsner. The beer comes directly from the four cooling facilities in the stadium catacombs, where up to 52,000 litres can be stored. From the central pipeline the beer reaches the dispensing units via docking sites (points) and goes finally into the mug of the thirsty visitors. In order to ensure perfectly chilled beer even at the remotest kiosk, the pipe is covered by advanced insulation materials and is cleaned and serviced on a regular basis.

Undoubtedly, the most characteristic feature of the VELTINS-Arena is the unique “sunroof”, making it a convertible among arenas. The roof, a prominent feature of the VELTINS-Arena, can be seen from afar. The closing roof is also one of the special stadium advantages. No matter whether it is raining or sunny, the visitors are always protected. It only takes 30 minutes until the open-air venue becomes an all-weather activity area. In addition, the two sliding roof wings can be completely opened or closed. Only a 2 ft. wide slot remains above the pitch, allowing the fresh air to circulate and preventing the rain from dropping in due to the innovative design. The thin membrane layers also protect against rain, but at the same time allow enough daylight coming into the arena. The grandstand lighting and 212 floodlights provide plenty of light for evening events. However, not only the visitors benefit from the smart design. The convertible roof offers planning reliability for the event organisers in any weather conditions, 365 days a year.

Europe’s largest video cube has an area of 10.6 m x 7.2 m = 76.32 m² per side and is therefore more than twice the size of the previous cube model. The distance between the luminous dots (pixels) responsible for the resolution decreased from 22 to 10 millimetres compared to the previous model. The VELTINS-Arena visitors can check the enormous displays for up-to-date information on the current score, statistics, time and match scenes, experiencing a whole new quality dimension.

Unique in the Bundesliga: a football pitch that can be easily moved away, if necessary. What is more, it can be completely removed mechanically from the indoor space. The VELTINS-Arena is the place to experience many unforgettable emotional moments. The fact that even the football pitch is mobile, makes our venue unique. Placed on a 118 metre long and 79 metre wide tub, the pitch can be moved over a distance of 340 metres (back and forth, in a bidirectional manner). The main idea is simply brilliant: the mobile pitch works like a drawer. It takes 6 to 8 hours before each game to move the 11,000 tons tub piece by piece, together with the grass, to its destination. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, Teflon-coated steel rails are embedded into a secondary level where the mobile pitch can slide. Four hydraulic presses provide the necessary drive, pushing the pitch about half a meter forward per movement. If there are no match days, the lawn is stored outdoors so that it can grow naturally.

If, on your next visit, the arena appears larger than you remember, the reason may be the innovative construction of the South Curve. The South Curve of the VELTINS-Arena holds a technical secret to be revealed at second glance only: It is movable and also handles the moving of the playing field.
Thanks to the complex metal construction, part of the lower tier can be folded down and positioned under the upper tier. On a length of 16 metres, the grandstand is then moved backwards by a hydraulic drive. This process, which takes about 16 minutes, creates space for 5,000 additional visitors at concerts.

“Your ticket, please.” This sentence is not often heard in the VELTINS-Arena, as the venue access is under full automatic control. At six entrance areas, visitors enter through electronic turnstiles. They automatically regulate access to the correct section by checking the barcodes on the tickets. This system makes ticket counterfeiting and double ticket use impossible.

Baptisms, weddings, ecumenical services: The chapel at the VELTINS-Arena is more than just a place of peace and reflection. Over 2,000 children have been baptised and 1,000 weddings and anniversaries celebrated here. The community has commemorated the deceased, prayed and lit candles for the victims of catastrophes.

The chapel is a sheltered space of peace, joy, prayer and spiritual experience in the midst of our arena. Inaugurated on 12 August 2001, it was the first chapel of its kind in Germany. It is centrally located in the arena, next to the players’ changing facilities. Meetings of people from all over the world and spiritual talks also take place in the simple, inviting venue. This is a place for thought-provoking questions and for connecting people. It is an ecumenical meeting point beyond the denominations. The chapel is a place of devotion and it is therefore appropriate to dress and act respectfully in it.