1.FC Union Berlin have sold over 49,000 new shares in Stadionbetriebs AG, a holding company set up by the Bundesliga club to support the redevelopment of the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
The company will have a share capital of more than €30m (£25m). Union Berlin announced in November that it would be selling shares to fans for €500 each. This came after the club had earlier detailed the capital increase scheme with a view to raising up to €60m for the stadium redevelopment project.
The club announced this week that the subscription period for new shares in the holding company had been completed. Existing shareholders in the club were able to exercise their subscription rights from November 26, before members, sponsors and partners of the club were invited to become ‘co-owners’ of the stadium from December 10.
The club itself subscribed for 40,000 shares. An additional 900 other existing shareholders of the club expressed an interest in acquiring stadium shares, and applied for around 1,500 in total. More than 5,900 new shareholders were added, acquiring around 7,900 shares altogether.
After the capital increase, 1.FC Union Berlin announced that there is likely to be a change in the shareholder structure, meaning that a total of around 61,850 shares will be subscribed for. The club is expected to hold 75.75% of the shares, while the free float, consisting of existing and new shareholders, will likely total 24.25%.
Club president Dirk Zingler said: “We have taken a very important step towards our goal of preparing the Stadion An der Alten Försterei for the next generations. Thanks to a very robust balance sheet and equity structure, the stadium AG is well equipped for the future. I am delighted that so many Union fans have chosen to take this route and personally invest in their stadium. We will continue to pursue this path and push ahead with plans for the new Alte Försterei.”
Last July, Zingler revealed that the club’s stadium redevelopment project would be delayed by at least a year. Construction work on the Alten Försterei had been due to take place during the 2025-26 season, with Union to move to the Olympiastadion during this time. A move to the Olympiastadion is now likely in 2026-27.
Under previously detailed plans, the stadium was set to see its capacity rise from the current 22,000 to around 37,500. The club is now planning a capacity of 40,500, including 32,500 standing places and 8,000 permanent seats.
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