Late on Monday evening, the board of management of Werder Bremen GmbH & Co KG aA voted unanimously for the conversion of the Weser Stadium into a true football arena. On Friday, March 7th 2008, the board of management of the ‘Bremer Weser Stadion GmbH’ (BWS) came to a similar conclusion. With that, the original plan to increase the stadiums capacity to 50,000, is now no longer an issue. For those responsible, the decision was met with satisfaction: "Bremen will get a very attractive football arena which will stand out in Germany", explained Willi Lemke, chairman of the board of Werder Bremen GmbH & Co KG Aa.
The initial plan to add a third tier and a completely new roof was deemed unrealistic, heavily due to the sky-rocketing price of steel and the related financial risk involved. The costs will now be limited to a maximum of €60 million. "Our absolute top priority is economically stable and responsible negotiation", said Werder business manager Manfred Müller, who is convinced that the new arena will find massive appeal: "We will not be able to increase the capacity of the current stadium but the construction plans, which have now been settled, make great sense. We wish to remain competitive and to do so we need a modern arena with more convenience and an increased event quality."
During the re-construction, the east and west stands will be drawn closer to the playing pitch. In addition, the extension of the roof will mean that there will be more canopied places and the stadium will receive an enveloped photovoltaic-system. As many fans have wished, the characteristic floodlight masts will remain in place: "The totally renewed Weser Stadium will be at the highest technical level after the re-construction is completed whilst maintaining its very special charm", added Manfred Müller on the vision of the planners.
The BWS and, with them, Werder Bremen will have to carry the costs of construction to 100% themselves. There will be no influx of public funding. Due to the unexpected re-planning, a date for the start of construction is as yet unclear but it will definitely take place this year.