Supporters Trust: Polzin and HSV stars back stadium expansion! | OneFootball

With the introduction of the “Supporters Trust,” HSV is breaking new ground in the sports business. Now, further details are coming to light.

According to club president Henrik Köncke, the cooperative, whose founding assembly is set to take place at the Volkspark on May 5, is “so far unique in professional football.” The aim is to structurally involve the club’s own supporters while also pushing forward important infrastructure projects.

“It is a fundamental basis for everything we are doing now,” Köncke explained in an interview with HSV.de. The project was developed over several months by a working group. At its core is the desire of many fans “to take an even more active role in the path we have chosen and, beyond membership, also contribute on a structural level.”

Photo: IMAGO

Numerous HSV legends are on board!

A strong signal is also coming from the team itself. Head coach Merlin Polzin, parts of his coaching staff, and several professional players are among the around 100 founding members. With a minimum contribution of 887 euros, they secure cooperative shares and thus indirectly become shareholders in their own club.

Polzin himself describes the dynamic within the team as follows: “When the Supporters Trust project manager presented the entire idea to us in the dressing room a few weeks ago, from the mission to the upcoming founding, that feeling of ‘together we achieve more’ was immediately there.” The fact that so many are taking part is a clear sign “that we also want to contribute off the pitch.”

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In addition to current figures, club legends and fan representatives are also supporting the initiative. Köncke cited Horst Hrubesch, David Jarolim, Collin Benjamin, and vice president Laura Ludwig as examples. “The broad range of support is truly special. Just as diverse as our club is, the commitment to the Supporters Trust is equally diverse,” the president said.

After the formal founding, the capital raised is to be invested specifically in infrastructure projects such as the planned expansion of the Volksparkstadion. “This includes, among other things, increased capacity, expanded sanitary facilities, improved sightlines, and better catering. Once the necessary approvals are in place, work on the capacity expansion is to begin immediately, with the aim of reaching a capacity of more than 58,000 fans at the Volksparkstadion over the course of the coming season,” said Köncke. “In the long term, it could become more than 60,000 seats.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.