Handball world record for eternity?
The impressive backdrop at the German European Championship opener
Status: 10.01.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Heiner Brand is tipping for Germany to triumph at the European Championships in their own country
Former national handball coach Heiner Brand can hardly wait for the home European Championships to start. “The tension is increasing for me, I’m looking forward to this tournament,” said the 1978 world champion. His European champion tip: “Germany.”
Germany opens the European Handball Championship against Switzerland. The game couldn’t have a more dignified setting, with over 53,000 fans watching the game in the Düsseldorf Arena – a world record. The atmosphere is electric.
The cheers were deafening as the team ran onto the field. There was loud applause in the Düsseldorf stadium, each player was celebrated individually by the spectators. This arena had seen 53,586 fans many times before, but only for football. The spectators who cheered so loudly did not come to see Fortuna kick, but rather to see the German national handball team play in the opening game of the European Handball Championship against Switzerland (click here for the live ticker).
53,586 fans set a world record in Düsseldorf
Those: dpa/Federico Gambarini
The impressive backdrop in handball means a world record. 53,856 fans – never before have so many spectators watched a handball game. The old record was also set in Germany; in 2014, 44,189 fans made a pilgrimage to the Frankfurt football arena for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen game against HSV Hamburg.
“We are really looking forward to this setting. That is very impressive. Now we realize what that will be like. We’re just looking forward to the game,” said national coach Alfred Gislason before the throw-off on ZDF. Because of the closed roof, the noise was already gigantic at the opening ceremony. “Thank you for this record setting,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in his short opening speech.
EM makers took risks
The mood increased every minute and reached its peak when Juri Knorr scored the first goal for the Germans and the team took the lead. Early in the game it was clear that those responsible for the European Championship had achieved something big with the opening game in the stadium.
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They took risks for this. “Renting the Düsseldorf Arena just for the opening match day is many times more expensive than renting a hall. The technical expenditure that we have in the football stadium on January 10th alone is around 750,000 euros,” said the chairman of the board of the German Handball Federation (DHB) Mark Schober in an interview with WELT.
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The multifunctional arena in Düsseldorf, which has a closable roof, is predestined for the record game like few other stadiums in Germany. The turf was removed from the stadium for the game. Instead, like at concerts, panels were laid on which the handball field was then placed. An additional grandstand was built around the field. Only a few stadiums in Germany have such requirements.
To make the spectacle possible, additional stands with a capacity of more than 9,000 seats were built; around 25,000 parts were required. 250 loudspeakers, 50 amplifiers, 500 movable lamps and 30 laser systems ensured a unique experience at the opening ceremony.
