Stadium

The stadium, now called HSH Nordbank Arena, is the jewel in HSVs crown. It holds 57000 when full, and when the crowd are in full voice it is said to be like a lion's roar.

In fact the local airport have complained about the noise. 

The old 'Volksparkstadion' stadium on the same site was replaced in phases between 2nd June 1998 when demolition started until August 2000 when the last part of the roof was put in place. The stadium was then re-named AOL-Arena after the stadium naming rights were sold to the internet giants. That was quite an innovation in Germany at the time, long after English fans had grown accustomed to visiting places like the Reebok Stadium, Britannia Stadium and Cellnet Riverside Stadium

There are 2 tiers round the whole ground. The lower tier is called A Rang, while the upper tier is split between B Rang and C Rang. The 4 stands are imaginatively called Nordtribune, Sud tribune, Osttribune and Westtribune. I'm sure you need no translation from me!

The main body of the home support is found in the Nordtribune A Rang which is a standing terrace holding 10000. It is here that, for big games, the supporters put on a "Choreo" - a display of banners designed to inspire the team to great heights. This area is normally sold out to season ticket holders, but you may be able to get tickets for cup matches. In European and International matches, the terrace is transformed into a seated area.

The family stand is found in the corner of Sudtribune and Osttribune, while the away supporters are held in in the corner of the Sudtribune and Westtribune.

Throughout the stadium in the concourses, there are the normal variety of food and drink outlets. Behind the Nordtribune is a supporters meeting point with bigscreen TVs and a Supporters Club stall selling merchandise and away travel tickets etc.

During the World Cup 2006, the arena (temporarily re-named FIFA WM Stadion Hamburg to protect the sensibilities of FIFA Sponsor Yahoo) hosted Argentina 2 Ivory Coast 1, Ukraine 4 Saudi Arabia 0, Ecuador 3 Costa Rica 0 and Czech Republic 0 Italy 2 in the first round of matches and Italy 3 Ukraine 0 in the quarter finals. So at least the Italians can hold fond memories of their time in the Hansestadt during 2006.

Inside the stadium is found the the HSV Museum, a retail store, and a fan-restaurant called "Die Raute" which are all open on non-match days.

To get to the stadium, take S3 or S21 train to Stellingen. From there it is a short walk through a very beautiful park to the stadium (follow signs for Arenen) On matchdays, or when events are being held at the nearby Colour Line Arena, a regular shuttle bus takes you from Stellingen station to the stadium.

In 2007, the stadium changed its name from AOL Arena after the sponsors pulled out. In their place stepped HSH Nordbank and so the stadium took on a new name. Opinion amongst supporters was divided at the time AOL took over - tradition dying hard for football fans - but by 2007, nobody seemed to mind too much when HSH Nordbank took over the naming rights.

for more details, please visit the stadium website http://www.hsv-hshnordbank-arena.de/