VIENNA SPORTS CLUB:

This time the renovation should really work out

This is what the new home of Wiener Sportclub should look like from the Alszeile in the future.(Bild: (c) ZOOMVP.AT)

International playability, photovoltaics and geothermal energy, green roofs and home to the women's national team. This is not the first time that there have been big plans for the conversion and renovation of the Wiener Sportclub facility. This time, however, they are actually to be implemented. Construction starts in the summer.

"It's not the first time we've been here, but I'm determined that it will be the last," said sports councillor Peter Hacker with a smile at the presentation of the new renovation plans for the sports club pitch in Vienna's Hernals district. In 2017, the City of Vienna had approved around six million euros for the renovation, a ground-breaking ceremony was held in 2020 and the demolition of the Kainzgasse stand brought the project to a standstill.

Seven more matches
The existing facility will now be used for seven more matches, with conversion and renovation work starting in the summer. The new stadium should be ready by the fall of 2026, with seating for 5,700 spectators nationally and 4,700 internationally in the three covered stands. "The Austrian Football Association is interested in giving the women's national team a home here," confirm Hacker and Sportclub Vice President David Krapf Günther. Federal funds could also be tapped into. For tactical reasons, the club does not want to comment on how high the costs will be at the moment. "A multiple of the sum from 2017," is still to be elicited from the city council. Around 30 million euros are rumored.

City Councillor for Sport Peter Hacker (left) and Sportclub Vice President David Krapf Günther (3rd from right) present the plans for the renovation.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

(Bild: (c) ZOOMVP.AT)

(Bild: (c) ZOOMVP.AT)

City Councillor for Sport Peter Hacker (left) and Sportclub Vice President David Krapf Günther (3rd from right) present the plans for the renovation.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

Until the new stadium with its photovoltaic system and the UEFA 2 criteria required for international matches (pitch size, floodlights, media, security, etc.) is ready to host matches, Sportclub will probably play its matches at the training center in Erdbrustgasse. Discussions are ongoing.

Once the infrastructure on Alszeile has been modernized, "we also want to follow suit in sporting terms and play in the highest possible league," says Krapf Günther. The next mammoth project.