Freiburg given green light to build new stadium
Freiburg - SC Freiburg have been given the go-ahead to build a new stadium after a local referendum saw a majority vote to pass the motion.
Important yardstick
1 February will be regarded as an historic day in the history of the Baden-Württemberg club after 58.2 percent of local residents voted in favour of plans to construct a new stadium on the outskirts of the city.
"I just want to say thanks," said SC Freiburg's president Fritz Keller. "I can promise you that SC are going to be good neighbours in their new surroundings, as they have been over decades on the
Schwarzwaldstraße
." Freiburg presented plans for a new stadium in the Wolfswinkel district of the city as their current Schwarzwald-Stadion is seen to be hindering the club's growth. Special dispensation has been granted to the club each season to continue playing in a
ground where the pitch is almost five metres too short for European football
.
'Chance of a bright future'
Freiburg have therefore long been seeking a move to a new state-of-the-art arena, and the final hurdle towards the realisation of that dream was overcome at the weekend. Freiburg's players reminded the city's residents to go out to vote by placing a 'Yes' slogan on their shirts for Saturday's
4-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt
. "The Freiburg citizens have overwhelmingly demonstrated that they want to give SC Freiburg the chance of a bright future," said city mayor Dieter Salomon. Almost half of eligible voters had their say on Sunday. Plans for a new stadium can now be carried forward, although several bureaucratic steps still need to be taken before the diggers can move in. However, the ball could be rolling in Freiburg's new home from 2019. The club announced the new on their official Twitter account on Sunday. The tweet below reads:
YES! We have won the referendum! The path towards a new stadium is now clear! Thanks Freiburg!
