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The Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena, the home stadium of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim first opened in 2009 with an opening ceremony and a friendly game between the home side and a selection of players from across the Rhine-Neckar region. The first official game occurred a week later when TSG played Energie Cottbus in the Bundesliga with the home side christening the stadium with a 2 nil win. Prior to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena the club played a the tiny Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion which had a capacity of just 6,350, and following a promotion to the Bundesliga the German Football League (DFL) found that Dietmar-Hopp failed to meet the requirements of the league. This forced Hoffenheim to temporarily play in the Carl-Benz-Stadion in Mannhei, until they could resolve their stadium situation. After all options were considered, Construction began on a new €60 million stadium in 2007 with the location carefully chosen next to the A6 in Sinsheim as to make it as accessible as possible for fans, and 22 months later Hoffenheim had a modern set of facilities capable of generating enough revenues to maintain their place in the top flight of German football. In July 2011, the naming rights were sold to the Wirsol Solar AG company based in the Rhine-Neckar region and the stadium became known as Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena. In the same year, the arena was put forward as one of nine venues for the Fifa World Cup for Women, and it hosted three group games which was a good introduction to International football, and a few months later the men’s team played Uruguay in a sold out match which saw Germany win 2-1.

DRIVING The stadium can be accessed from the E50/A6 stretch of the Autobahn by exiting at 33b Sinsheim-Süd. The Rhein-Neckar-Arena can be reached from any direction as the A6 stretches horizontally across the region, and is connected to other vertical motorways such as the A81 Eastwards and the E35/A5 to the West. The address is as follows: Dietmar-Hopp-Straße 1, 74889 Sinsheim Car Parks Once you have arrived you will find plentiful parking within the grounds of the stadium which makes driving really easy, although do expect it to fill up more and more right until kick-off. Make sure you get to the Arena a minimum of 1 hour before kick-off to avoid a massive ball-ache. TRAIN The closest train station to Rhein-Neckar-Arena is Sinsheim Museum/Arena which is located around 15 minutes east of the stadium. Served by regional commuter services from places such as Hoffenheim and Heidelberg, additional services are usually put on for putners durng matchdays. Additionally once you have exited the station you have the choice of either making the journey by foot or hopping on the special shuttle bus service. This is free for those who have a valid ticket for the day’s match, and thus is extremely popular. AIRPORTS Although there are quite a few airports within Baden-Württemberg and technically less than 40km away from Hoffenheim, the majority of them are either for national flight carriers or private aviation purposes. This makes Stuttgart Airport the nearest international option, and it is approximately 100km South East of the city. Mannheim City Airport may also be an option, but you would have to catch a regional connecting flight which isn’t for everyone.