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The SGL Arena opened on the 26th July 2009 with the original name of Augsburg/Impuls Arena following on from a construction period of 2 years which involved both public and private enterprise. The naming rights to the FCA’s home ground were sold in the 2011/2012 season to SGL Carbon who are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon and graphite based products. The construction was staggered in two phases with the first phase in 2007 creating an arena capable of seating 19,060 spectators with a further 11,034 standing. The next phase then commenced the year after bringing the stadium’s capacity up to the current configuration of 30,000 plus but due to financial issues the exterior is yet to be modelled. The original plan was to have a glass façade around the exterior and then aluminium tube construction both of which could be illuminated but neither have been in consideration since February 2009. Augsburg arena was constructed by HBM stadiums at a total cost of around 45 million euros and it is recognized in Germany as being one of the most cost-efficient stadiums averaging approximately 1,300 euros per seat. Whilst the shiny external façade would have increased the aesthetics of the ground, it would appear that the accountants have won on this occasion. The SGL Arena replaced Augsburg’s previous Rosenaustadion which could not meet the demands of top flight football after the club gained promotion in 2006, and there is the potential to expand the stadium to 50,00 if the club continues it’s ascent of the league table.

DRIVING From the North you will travel along the A8 (Munich-Stuttgart) and exit onto the Bundesstraße 17 motorway which has a signposted exit to the Stadion. From the South your starting road is the A96, although the B17 road and exit onto the Stadion still applies except you will be travelling Northwards and it will appear on your right hand side. The address for satnav is as follows: Bürgermeister-Ulrich-Straße 90, 86199 Augsburg Car Parks There are three large car parks located to the left of SGL Arena which form a trapezium when looking directly from above. With over 1,000 spaces you can usually be guaranteed a space however you should still get there early to avoid disappointment. TRAIN Augsburg Hauptbahnhof is the main train station of the city and was featured in the 2004 film The Bourne Supremacy with Matt Damon’s character parking his car outside and leaving a bag in a locker once inside. The centrally location railway station in the city is well connected to the rest of the country and Europe with a total of 11 tracks and 9 platforms. TRAM For up to two hours before kick-off on matchday, there is a special tram service which departs from Augsburg’s main railway station and goes direct to the stadium. It takes just 20 minutes to get there, departs every 5 minutes and is free of charge for those in possession of a ticket to the match. When there isn’t a match on but you still want to visit for either the Stadium tour or club shop then you can take Tram 13 from the city centre (Moritzplatz or Rathausplatz) in the direction of Haunstatten West and get off at Landesamt für Umwelt which is approximately 15 minutes walk from the stadion. AIRPORTS AND FLYING There is a regional airport named after the city of Augsburg located towards the North East of the city and although there have been plans to expand it to allow commercial flights, nothing noteworthy has happened yet. Luckily Bavaria has other flight options with Munich Airport being the best known alternative, although Allgäu Memmingen Airport is popular for low-budget airlines with both options connected to Augsburg via a variety of ground transpiration options such as Buses and Train.