FC Hansa Rostock would like to start work on the new floodlight masts at the Ostseestadion in January 2025. This was announced by the third-division soccer club on its website. FC Hansa thus confirmed the further delay to a schedule that had initially envisaged the start of construction in spring and then late fall 2024.
The striking floodlight masts are an emotional topic in Rostock that moves many fans and members of the last champions of the former GDR top division. They were inaugurated in 1970 during the GDR era at a home match against 1. FC Magdeburg. Many fans see the 56-metre-high, 34-tonne masts as a symbol of the city.
Operating license ends soon
However, the operating license for the lighting system expires at the end of 2025. And instead of installing a new LED system in the roof structure, as planned at the Weser Stadium in Bremen, for example, FC Hansa already had a large majority of 72.1 percent in favor of a different plan at a general meeting in 2019: to dismantle the old floodlight masts and rebuild them true to the original.
The Rostock club has budgeted around three million euros for this construction project. According to a report in the "Ostsee-Zeitung" (Tuesday), the financing is still not secured. Hansa fans have started a fundraising campaign for the faithful replica. They have also demonstrated several times at home matches for the city of Rostock and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to contribute to the costs.
Despite the uncertain financing of the delays to the start of construction, FC Hansa emphasized in its announcement: "All of the construction measures listed will be completed by 31 July 2025 - provided that there are no unplanned complications with the ground work."
Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
