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Krefeld. A group of around 450 fans of KFC Uerdingen want to lend a hand with the renovation of the stadium. The city of Krefeld has taken up and supported a corresponding initiative by the “Grotenburg Supporters”. After the legal and organizational hurdles have been cleared, the voluntary work on the construction site should start as early as the beginning of June. “This commitment of the fans goes far beyond the purely symbolic. For the city, the commitment has a high ideal, but also material value. A stadium that is being refurbished with the help of the fans is a better stadium, ”explains Mayor Frank Meyer.
The KFC Uerdingen is also “proud, grateful and impressed”, as press spokesman André Schahidi put it. The KFC spokesman emphasizes that the fans’ action is creating a real spirit of optimism at the moment: “We can now look positively into the future with everyone involved.” This is all the more true when on Saturday, May 22nd, the decisive third division game in Mannheim brings the longed-for relegation. In any case, the mayor firmly believes: “When it comes down to it, the Uerdingen people have always prevailed.” As a lucky charm for the game, he presented a pennant from the city of Krefeld, which is now going to Mannheim with the team.
Rescheduling is 100 percent complete
The renovation of the stadium will be implemented regardless of the future league membership of the KFC Uerdingen. As Rachid Jaghou, Head of Central Building Management, explains, after the final Council decision in March, all rescheduling is 100 percent complete. When the building permit and the funding commitment are available, the individual trades are put out to tender. “We expect construction to start in September and work to be completed in April 2022,” says Rachid Jaghou. He estimates that the total cost of the renovation of 16.3 million euros will be reduced by a low six-figure amount thanks to the support of the fans.
“Right after the first contact with the initiative, we had a really good feeling and tried to make the operation unbureaucratic,” stresses Rachid Jaghou. Around 20 volunteers can work on the construction site at the same time. First of all, they should, among other things, clear pavement and dismantle fences and railings. The Education Center for the Construction Industry (BZB) supports the city of Krefeld in training and instructing volunteers.
Many of the helpers are “from the field”
Many of the “Grotenburg Supporters” are specialists anyway: Their ranks include road and sewer builders, site managers, fitters, reinforced concrete workers, roofers, carpenters, locksmiths, bricklayers, painters, plumbing technicians and other craftsmen. “We are simply delighted that we can now actively help the city and KFC Uerdingen. Krefeld needs professional football, ”say Martin Kühr and Marius Savic, who are part of the initiative’s six-person management team. The construction helmets and safety vests for their missions, printed with the logo of the “Grotenburg Supporters”, are already ready. The renovation of the Grotenburg is now entering its decisive phase – and the fans are right in the middle of it instead of just being there.
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