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Instead of a groundbreaking ceremony, a swing with the baseball club: (from left) Jonathan Felch (chairman of the support association), Hans Frank (TSV chairman), mayor Volker Grab, head of the baseball department Peter Hunke, mayor Michael Dambacher, Jonathan Conzelmann and Andreas Hunke (Virngrund Elks), Civil engineering department manager Susann Howedank and Jürgen Schaal from Gartenbau Moser. © Königer, Gerhard
The former Bundeswehr Hungerberg sports field is being prepared for the Bundesliga for the Virngrund Elks.
Ellwangen On October 3rd, a memorable anniversary will be celebrated: 30 years of baseball in Ellwangen. And until then, the Virngrund Elks, the baseball department of TSV Ellwangen, will have a splendid baseball stadium where they can play their Bundesliga games.
Although the Elks have been offering top-class sport for a long time, up to now they have only had a temporary place to offer: the hard court at the Waldstadion had been prepared with effort and a lot of their own effort as a temporary venue for second division games. There was no green lawn there, and the clouds of dust in the persistent drought were accepted grudgingly.
Around ten years ago, the plan arose to expand the hard court into an artificial turf playing field for football and baseball. The project was repeatedly delayed for various reasons and the solution, which was actually only intended as an alternative accommodation, to play baseball at the Hungerberg sports field, ultimately emerged as the best option for the Elks.
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After the local council released the funds for the renovation last year, work has now begun on expanding the sports field into a baseball field. On Friday, club and administrative leaders wielded baseball clubs instead of spades, while a bulldozer was already clearing the grass.
“It was a long road,” said Mayor Michael Dambacher. The money from the city treasury is well spent. Especially since the department is making a major contribution to the new playing field with working hours worth 75,000 euros or more.
The baseball field will be equipped with seating steps for fans along the embankment. © Königer, Gerhard
Just building the square will cost around 270,000 euros, with floodlights adding another 100,000 euros. The development of electricity and water will cost another 100,000 euros, reports civil engineering department manager Susann Howedank. The lines are laid from the Kleffelteich and continue into the future new city district of Ellwangen-Süd, which is why the costs can only be partially attributed to the baseball field.
Andreas Hunke is the man at the Elks who is responsible for building the pitch. You can see the relief that a permanent playing field suitable for the Bundesliga is finally being built. It wasn’t easy on Hungerberg either, because the sports field was surrounded by a tartan track, some of which had to be removed. The department has already done this itself, and the fence around the playing field was also built by itself, partly with material from the old hard court.
Baseball at Hungerberg: construction of the field has begun. © Königer, Gerhard
An access road for construction vehicles was created on Saverwanger Kirchenweg, which leads directly past the baseball field, which will later be retained as access for visitors as well as the fire brigade and emergency doctor. Changing rooms and sanitary facilities are in the immediate vicinity of the Hungerberghalle.
“The baseball field will also be available for school sports in the future,” explains Hunke, explaining why the money for the renovation is well spent. Buchenbergschule, St. Gertrudis and others have already expressed concrete interest in giving physical education classes here. The route here is shorter than to the Waldstadion. In addition, the long jump pits and the shot put field will remain intact.
Now the Elks are hoping that enough rain will fall for the new turf and that the first home game of the new season can be played on the new baseball field at the end of June.
2024-03-04 07:57:22
#Ellwangen #baseball #arena #expanded
