Times are not good for construction projects: prices and interest rates are rising, the economic situation is uncertain.

Therefore, it is considered unlikely in the real estate industry that a private investor would currently take the risk of building a multifunctional hall for sports and concerts.

There were considerations for properties at the Kaiserlei and at the airport.

Nothing came of this due to a lack of political support.

Experts say it's too late now.

Gunter Murr

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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"The multifunctional hall has never failed at the location," says Sports Director Mike Josef (SPD).

He now favors a building site at the stadium in the city forest.

In September, the city parliament decided to have an arena with a capacity of up to 15,000 visitors inspected.

"If we want to have top-class sport in Frankfurt alongside football, we need the hall," argues Josef.

Frankfurt could also become the venue for the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championships, for which Germany is applying.

No subsidy to private individuals

Above all, the problem of traffic development needs to be clarified, but the basis for decision-making also needs to be created for the future operator model.

So far, it was assumed that the hall would be built by a private investor without subsidies and operated jointly with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The coalition agreement between the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt expressly states that the city will not provide any direct or indirect subsidies.

Josef thinks this is correct with regard to an investor: "Why should we give money to a private person?"

In the coming months, Josef wants to present various models.

He does not rule out that the city will play a stronger role than previously discussed.

He believes it is possible that the city will build the arena itself and refinance the investment by leasing it to an operator - similar to the stadium, which is owned by the city and operated by Eintracht.

According to Josef's assessment, the argument in favor of this solution is that this is the only way that the interests of sport can be guaranteed.

Because for a private operator, concerts are always more lucrative than basketball or ice hockey games.

If the city does not exercise any influence, conflicts arise.

This is shown by the experience in other cities with multifunctional arenas.

In Hamburg, for example, separate halls for basketball and handball are planned,

although there is already a multifunctional arena in the form of the Barclays Arena at the Volksparkstadion.

However, with a capacity of 15,000 spectators, this is too large for most games.

Josef, on the other hand, argues: once a good infrastructure is in place, viewer interest also increases.

The show the success of Eintracht.

Existing halls outdated

The head of the sports department points to another aspect that he believes justifies greater municipal involvement: both the ice rink on Ratsweg and the ball sports hall in Unterliederbach are showing their age and are only poorly suited for professional sports.

They would have to be replaced in the foreseeable future.

Even a pure sports hall cannot be had for less than 100 million euros.

Investments of 180 million euros are expected for the multifunctional arena, plus around 50 million euros for infrastructure.

Similar to the stadium, Josef is counting on the state to participate in the investment.

"Many events are currently bypassing Hesse," he is asking for support.

In Munich, where the 12,500-seat SAP Garden is currently being built in the Olympic Park, this question does not arise.

The hall is fully financed by the beverage manufacturer Red Bull.

From 2024, the main users will be the EHC Munich ice hockey team and the FC Bayern basketball players.

In addition, the city of Munich has agreed with the operator that 8,000 hours a year are available for popular sports.