The Ultras Gelsenkirchen collect donations for the preservation of the last floodlight mast of the Park Stadium. Now the costs are exploding. Is the project about to end?
In February, the Ultras Gelsenkirchen a huge project. In coordination with the FC Schalke 04 they wanted to bring the last remaining floodlight mast of the park stadium to light up again. Is the project now on the brink?
The project was ambitious from the start. The fans of S04 bring together to restore the floodlight tower and actually make it shine again. But now the costs have exploded. “Before the final ‘go’ at the start of the project, the calculated costs for implementation were around 150,000 euros,” the Ultras wrote in a statement on their website. “In several preliminary talks with the responsible people around our club, the implementation was checked and we started selling the Parkstadion scarf.” support through donations.
Schalke: Price explosions endanger floodlight mast project
But although the support and response from the Schalke club family has been “overwhelming” since the beginning of the project, they are now faced with a huge problem. Because the prices for the individual trades have exploded since then. “Due to the current socio-political developments and in particular the associated enormously increased costs for raw materials, working materials and energy prices, we were literally hit in the past few days when we received the new final cost calculation,” wrote the “UGE”. “Thus, the costs due to the developments described no longer amount to 150,000 euros but now to almost 240,000 euros. A price increase that was not thought possible and at the same time an unbelievable sum, which put us in shock for a brief moment.”
The mast has not been in operation since moving to the arena in 2001, and three of the four spotlights have already been dismantled. Does the same fate threaten the last one? “After taking a deep breath, however, it quickly became clear to us that giving up was not an option for us. Despite this setback and the difficult circumstances, we are determined to continue to implement this project together with you,” say the Ultras. “Even if this requires an enormous effort, which cannot be mastered without the unconditional solidarity of all Schalke players. We are firmly convinced that we can manage the restoration of the last floodlight mast together. The last remaining symbol of our historic second home ground where we once won the UEFA Cup is too important.”
That’s why there will be a “large number of new Parkstadion scarves” and the opportunity to donate at the “UGE” stand at the start of the S04 season next Sunday. So that at some point the last mast of the Parkstadion can shine on the Berger Feld again and be recognizable from afar as a landmark even in the dark.
