30,000 – that’s how many spectators the Volkswagen Arena can hold. Or not? The Lower Saxony Bundesliga club clarifies and presents a fresh advertising measure with which it wants to secure the favor of the fans in the future.
So how many spectators fit into the Volkswagen Arena? IMAGO/Beautiful Sports
The same number is found everywhere in the official descriptions: 30,000. This is the capacity of the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. According to official information, this is the number of spectators in the stadium whenever VfL was able to announce that its home games were “sold out”. However, the truth is different, as Michael Meeske, the club’s managing director, now reports.
How many places are there really in Wolfsburg?
In order to achieve better access and more comfort here and there in the venue, which opened in 2002, some areas have been remodeled. Also, places with a particularly limited view of the field were completely “taken out of the system”. After the renovation of the stadium control center, the new size was calculated three years ago to “real” exactly 28,917 seats, according to Meeske.
“Honestly, you never know for sure if there are actually that many people in there.” Because of course there are also “lap areas” for small children in Wolfsburg who come to play with their parents. And of course there is also the “no show” effect – triggered by those who buy tickets but then don’t show up for various reasons.
Vario seats, terrace deck and comfort seats
How long the newly announced capacity will remain depends on the forthcoming renovation work. Vario seats, which convert standing areas into seating blocks for international matches, may be subject to replacement. This also happens throughout the stadium with the seat shells, which have a maximum “lifespan” of 30 years. In addition, there are considerations in the club to install a terrace deck with bar tables, catering and a view of the lawn, as well as comfort seats, as known from the cinema.
In order to lure more people into the stadium, but above all to bring them closer to the club’s various activities, VfL is launching a fresh seasonal campaign which, in contrast to previous national and international versions, is aimed particularly at the regional population this time.
“Wolfsburg, as we love it”
Under the courageous and proud motto “Wolfsburg, the way we love it”, an attempt is made to convey a sense of identification with the city and its dominant sports club to potential customers on various poster motifs. The focus is on the immediate surroundings: “An hour’s drive from Wolfsburg. That’s a good area for us,” said Michael Meeske.
Pictures and slogans are shown that are partly likeable, but partly also self-ironic and provocative – motifs from the fan meeting and family day, a victory over the big rival Eintracht Braunschweig with the title “Hated by tradition” or – suitable as a large welcome poster at the stadium – a stylized castle with wolf and waves, as they once adorned the steering wheels of VW vehicles, redesignated with the name “The first division fortress in Lower Saxony”.
Of course, the Volkswagen Group also plays an important role. According to a statement, the “success triangle of city, factory and association” stands for cohesion, quality of life and identification. According to market research, says Meeske, there are around “500,000 people latently interested in football” in the target catchment area in eastern Lower Saxony and neighboring Saxony-Anhalt, one fifth of whom are clearly more inclined towards competition in the vicinity of Hanover, Braunschweig or Magdeburg.
VfL the “most likeable club in the region”
Of the remaining 400,000, only 100,000 to 150,000 have taken advantage of offers ranging from Bundesliga matches to football clubs and other VfL campaigns with any degree of regularity. “So you still have 250,000 to 300,000 people who are interested in football, have nothing against you, but are not with you yet,” says Meeske, explaining the potentially untapped potential. A representative survey on which Prof. Dr. Juppi Lee, head of corporate development at Wolfsburg, points out that VfL is the “most likeable club in the region” among those interviewed.
Will this lead to the message “28,917 – sold out” more frequently in the future? The popularity, according to Dr. Lee, could possibly be explained by the fact that the men are in the first division. But: “The second component is that we have women. We are not only regionally present, but nationally and have expanded our popularity in Braunschweig, Hanover and Magdeburg.”
2023-08-10 20:20:43
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