The Diggers Roll in Again:
Construction Starts on the Alte Försterei's Training Centre
July 2025 will be remembered as a significant period in the history of 1. FC Union Berlin. The groundbreaking for the new training center between the Stadion An der Alten Försterei and Hämmerlingstraße marks the beginning of a new phase for the players, who will benefit from the best training conditions possible, and the club as a whole.
One professional department – two teams
With the establishment of the Alte Försterei training centre, Union are also entering new territory in creating equal conditions for all their professional players.
“Our approach is one professional department, two teams, and we are implementing this through our new training center with the utmost consistency," said Union's president, Dirk Zingler, on the memorable occasion. "Both professional teams, men and women, will train here and will find everything they need to play successful football. For us, this is another milestone that will sustainably shape our club. For football, it means a further step towards normality, as the joint use of training facilities by men and women is already commonplace in many other sports. I wish for this every day in football as well.”
Groundbreaking in mid-July
The first preparatory construction measures have already taken place in recent days with the creation of a construction road to access the construction areas. Access and from the construction site will take place from the Straße An der Wuhlheide over the stadium lands.
For the 14.07.2025 and 21.07.2025, the start of construction for the approved projects, officially named “Construction of a sports functional building” and “Construction of a parking garage” have been registered with the relevant authorities of the State of Berlin and the district of Treptow-Köpenick. While the building will rise from the open space between the current main training pitch and the parking spaces at the Sporthalle Friedenstraße, the parking garage will replace the former training area next to the stadium. A new training field with standard pitch dimensions will be constructed on the roof of the parking garage.
Foundation work, which will last until the end of July, will be followed in August by the start of structural work signalled by the appearance of cranes. The completion of both structures is planned for this winter. Subsequently, the interior construction of the sports hall and the construction of the training pitch will begin.
