The Arenas of EURO 2024: An Overview

The Arenas of EURO 2024: An Overview

The UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany is just around the corner, and preparations are in full swing. Unlike the 2006 World Cup, which triggered a comprehensive stadium construction boom, this time the focus is mainly on modernization.

The turning point in 2000

The year 2000 marked a turning point for German stadium infrastructure. With the World Cup bid awarded on July 6, 2000, a wave of construction began: Athletic tracks were removed, VIP boxes were installed, and roofs were added. By 2004, several Bundesliga clubs had to play their games on construction sites. Approximately 1.5 billion euros were invested in the construction of the twelve World Cup stadiums.

Benefits from earlier investments

Today, both clubs and cities benefit from these investments. The work for EURO 2024 focuses on modernizations to bring the stadiums up to date technically and in terms of comfort. Except for Düsseldorf, all host cities were already involved in 2006, and stadiums like the Allianz Arena and SIGNAL IDUNA PARK remain internationally sought after.

Sustainable stadium design

The UEFA EURO 2024 promises not only sporting highlights but also progress in the sustainable organization of sporting events. A central concern for EURO 2024 is the sustainable design of the stadiums. The Climate Fund is an innovative project and an essential part of the ESG strategy for UEFA EURO 2024, presented in June 2023. This strategy serves as a guide for environmental, social, and governance issues. It aims for targeted investments and measures that contribute to the successful execution of the tournament and position EURO 2024 as a model for sustainable sporting events and a driver for sustainable development in Germany and Europe.

Example Berlin

One example is Berlin: The Senate is providing 61.1 million euros, including 24.9 million euros for sustainable investments in the Olympic Park and Olympic Stadium. Berlin is also participating in a project for security equipment of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). As part of that, more than three million euros are allocated for drone defense.

Use of Ed Controls at EURO 2020

Our software solution Ed Controls was part of the last EURO in the Netherlands. At EURO 2020, Ed Controls was used in the Johan Cruijff Arena. Ballast Nedam, one of the founding companies of the Arena, made good progress with the renovation of the stadium. In the spring, the east side of the stadium was completed, preparing a large part of the building for the EURO. The project aimed to improve the quality for visitors and optimize the spectator experience. Quality monitoring and inspections were conducted using Ed Controls. One spokesman of Ballast Nedam told us in an interview: “Changes are constantly being made to this project. The advantage of Ed Controls is that all these changes are immediately recorded. This allows one to always access the current state of the work. An efficient way to jointly monitor the state of affairs.”

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