As of next season, Werder Bremen will play at home in the wohninvest WESERSTADION. The Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH signed a partnership agreement this week with wohninvest, a commercial real estate company from Fellbach, near Stuttgart. The 10-year contract, which also includes naming rights, will run until 30th June 2029 and will bring nearly €30 million to the Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH.
The agreement comes after several rounds of discussion. From the start, both sides were motivated to come to an agreement and to preserve the rich tradition of the Weserstadion name. To that end, the official name of the stadium will be wohninvest WESERSTADION.
“We’re excited, after 10 years of working with EWE, to have found another strong partner for the Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH who will make it possible to continue to host large-scale events such as Bundesliga matches in this stadium,” said Martin Günthner, the chairman of the board of the Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH.
Werder chairman Klaus Filbry, who also sits on the board, is looking forward to the cooperation: “wohninvest is a partner who believes in Werder. The agreement will give us the financial freedom needed in order to continue to develop our one-of-a-kind home as well as to grow our club to continue to compete with the best clubs in Germany. It was important for us to find a partner who identified themselves with us, not just based on personal interest, but also with the name of the Weserstadion.”
Harald Panzer, the CEO of wohninvest, is proud that their investment will give Werder the necessary support needed in order to continue to grow. “We have been partners with Werder for a year and have a box within the stadium. During that time, we got to know those in charge of Werder as serious and competent partners. We share the goal of bringing Werder to the top and of building the proper framework to do so. Over the past decades, Werder have built this stadium into one of the finest in all of Germany. Now, we want to help crown this achievement. This is a place full of emotions, and it should continue to be the place to come to watch thrilling, high-level football matches. We’re certainly anticipating that this will increase our commercial presence in Germany. But, we’re also excited to have ensured the continued existence of the name ‘Weserstadion.’ ”
After EWE AG ended their contract as Werder’s stadium partner in 2017, the club spent two years searching for a new, creative ways to finance the modernisation of the stadium. This past year, Werder accepted the responsibility of covering their funding shortfall, which significantly reduced the amount of money available to the club. The city contibuted a loan to the club.
