Bundesliga leaders 1899 Hoffenheim took possession of their new home ground on Saturday with a celebratory afternoon of sport and entertainment. Club patron Dietmar Hopp joined Baden-Wurttemberg minister president Gunther Oettinger and Mayor of Sinsheim Rolf Geinert to declare the Rhein-Neckar Arena officially open. After staging their home games in Mannheim for the first half of the season, the high-flying promoted club will now play in Sinsheim at the 30,150 capacity stadium, constructed from scratch at a cost of €60 million.

"Sinsheim has a wonderful stadium promising a fantastic atmosphere. We are really looking forward to staging matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 at the Rhein-Neckar Arena," commented OC President Steffi Jones. Apart from Sinsheim, the other host cities for the first FIFA Women’s World Cup on German soil are Augsburg, Berlin, Bochum, Dresden, Frankfurt, Leverkusen, Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg.

Special achievement
"This is another amazing day in the history of 1899 Hoffenheim football club. We’re extremely proud of this fantastic Arena. I’m delighted, because something very special has been created here," commented Hopp, surveying the new temple of football in the Kraichgau region. "I’d love to see the miracle of Hoffenheim go on for ever at this stadium. I hope we remain on the German footballing map for a very long time."

After a construction phase lasting just 17 months, Hoffenheim took on a Rhein-Neckar representative team in the inaugural match at the Arena, officiated by three-time World Referee of the Year Markus Merk (Otterbach). A capacity crowd at the stadium, situated just a few hundred metres from Hoffenheim as the crow flies, was treated to an entertainment programme and fireworks before and after the match.

"It brings butterflies to your stomach. We’ve worked towards this day for a very long time. The Rhein-Neckar Arena is a beacon and an inspiration to all football fans in the region. We’re extremely proud of this new landmark, which simply whets the appetite for a future full of sporting highlights," declared Hoffenheim chief executive Jochen A. Rotthaus, who oversaw construction of the Arena.

All season tickets sold
The team behind the project can be justifiably pleased with their achievement. In advance of the official opening, the club sold all 20,000 available season tickets for the rest of the current campaign and for next season. Some 1,500 Business Seats, costing €3,670 apiece, and the 40 executive boxes also sold out long ago.

Less well-to-do supporters have not been forgotten either, as the stadium incorporates a pub for fans. "We want people to feel at home here," Rotthaus remarked. Guided tours will shortly be on offer at the Arena, directly accessible from the adjacent A6 Autobahn and set to become a jewel in the stadium landscape at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011.

Other features at the ground include the steepest permissible rake for the 40 seating rows, bringing spectators in the upper tiers as close to the action as possible. The basement area includes a warm-up room equipped with artificial turf. For domestic matches, the Arena boasts 21,000 seats and 9,150 standing places, but can be reconfigured as a 27,000 all-seater stadium for international fixtures. The ground is regarded as a key component in building the 'Hoffenheim brand', according to general manager Jan Schindelmeiser.