DFL/DFB Stadium Innovations Project Group

The DFB and the DFL have teamed up to pursue the goal of sustainably modernising the German stadium landscape. Together with and for the two umbrella associations of German professional and amateur football, we are creating the platform that brings together stadium operators and innovation providers.

The project

The Stadium Innovations Project Group comprises representatives of German professional football clubs and stadiums. Under the guidance of the DFL and the DFB, innovations in the field of stadium operation and management are being tested and evaluated. This includes assessments of infrastructure and services from other sectors and industries to determine any potential usefulness for sports facilities or for training sessions and/or league match operations.

HFP supports the DFL and the DFB in project management on the strategic and operational levels.

The challenge

  • Account for the extremely heterogenous stadium landscape in German professional football (Bundesliga to 3. Liga) and the varying degrees of innovation
  • Integrate and strengthen the existing innovation initiatives of some clubs, as well as those taken by the two umbrella organisations
  • Sensitise the relevant stakeholders in German professional football about the importance and necessity of innovation and investment despite recent adverse circumstances (such as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy price crisis)

Our solution

  • Introduce uniform project standards and templates (for all phases of an innovation project – from the application to the final report)
  • Standardise and monitor pilot projects across all phases of innovation testing
  • Organise regular project group meetings to ensure ongoing communication between clubs, innovation providers and project management

The result

  • Scalable, transparent and public application processes for innovation providers
  • A standardised and comparable result analysis of the product tests
  • Transparency in communication and exchange of knowledge and experience within the German club and stadium landscape as well as with the two umbrella associations