FC Bayern Women excited for new era

Amidst a summer downpour, construction workers were braving the weather at dizzying heights in the basket of their crane to complete the modernisation of the floodlights at the Sportpark Unterhaching – one of many measures being implemented to mark the start of a new era, ahead of the official opening on 9 August with a friendly match between FC Bayern Women and Paris FC (book your tickets here). “We’re looking forward to our new home,” said Bianca Rech, director of FC Bayern Women, during a tour of the stadium. Step by step, the ground – located less than 15 minutes from Säbener Straße – is being refurbished. The stadium will host Women’s Champions League from this season, and by 2029 the women’s team will have moved completely from the FC Bayern Campus to the south of Munich, taking with them all their training and match operations, including the youth teams.

The aim is to create a training centre that sets the standard in Europe, explained Jürgen Muth, who, as managing director of Allianz Arena GmbH, is also in charge of the construction work in Unterhaching. Muth thanked the municipality of Unterhaching and SpVgg Unterhaching, who will continue to be based at the ground, for their excellent cooperation. Major developments to the stadium are regularly coordinated with the fourth-tier club and its president, Manfred Schwabl. FC Bayern acquired the sports complex at the end of last year, and planning has been in full swing ever since. Muth and his team, Rech and the architects have also visited the training centres of Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City in preparation.

The Sportpark “offers us entirely new opportunities to further develop women’s football. FC Bayern is sending a clear signal here as to how strongly it supports women’s football,” Rech explained. The Women’s Euros will take place in Germany in 2029, “and our club is once again taking a pioneering role by investing in infrastructure and vision,” said the FCB director. “We will be able to accommodate more spectators and reach new fans. This will be the next big step for us in becoming even more professional, at a whole new level and standard. We’re getting a stadium with a training centre that is truly unique in this form.”

In order to meet UEFA’s requirements and better fulfil the club’s own standards, not only will the floodlights be upgraded – and, according to Muth, converted to sustainable LED lighting at the same time – but the dugouts on the touchline will be repositioned, parts of the stands will be refurbished and the nets behind the goals replaced. Furthermore, a new pitch will be laid in early September. All Women’s Champions League matches will initially be played at the Sportpark up to this winter. Current plans state that the Allianz Arena will always remain an option for any potential knockout matches against top opposition.

FC Bayern Women returned for pre-season on Monday: