Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Union Berlin announce €38m plan to take stadium capacity to 37,000

Union Berlin have announced plans to increase the capacity of their Alten Forsterei stadium from 22,012 to around 37,000 by 2020.

The €38 million reconstruction work, due to begin in 2019, will mean the stadium has a standing capacity of 28,692 -- just short of the 29,400 at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.

Seating capacity, meanwhile, will be increased to more than 8,000 seats to meet German Football League requirements for top-flight football.

Union want the Alten Forsterei, built in 1920 and set in the woods of Kopenick, a Berlin suburb, to "keep its character and remain unique."

In a statement on the club's official website, president Dirk Zingler said: "It was important to us that this historic place for our club grows to meet future requirements. We want a tight stadium with standing terraces."

The second-tier club narrowly missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time ever last season, finishing in fourth place.

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