Work in every nook and cranny

The departure of the cranes meant the official start of the installation of the undersoil heating. Before the pipes could be laid and drainage dug the top layer of soil had to be removed. From the pitch you can see, with the exception of the terraces, holders being fixed to the stands, and in two weeks blue seats will start being fixed to these.

There is serious work going on all four floors inside the west stand as well. While the painters decorate the walls the floors of the Business Area are also getting colour, in the form of dark brown tiles. Meanwhile the kitchen and sanitary areas have got flagged floors.

If you look through the glass facade from one of the floors into the main entrance you will see that the first footballer has made his way into the stadium. A five metre high statue of a footballer with a ball at his feet has been placed in the middle of the roundabout at the entrance area. Made by artist Willi Schneider and weighing in at 30 tonnes, 1899 CEO Jochen A. Rotthaus has described the piece as "interacting perfectly with the stadium". Around the sculpture lorries have been placing a bitumen-gravel mix that will become the roundabout and parking spaces.