Three months before the start of the 2024 European Football Championship (June 14 to July 14), preparations are in full swing in Iserlohn for an atmospheric soccer festival and for the stay of the Italian national team, which is setting up its team base camp in the Waldstadt with the Hotel VierJahreszeiten and the Hemberg Stadium.
Hemberg Stadium
The renovation work on the Hemberg Stadium was put out to tender shortly after the council's decision to modernize the pitch at the end of January and has now been awarded to a company.
The turf will be milled to a depth of twelve centimeters. A fine subgrade will then be created with sand, which will even out the unevenness on the site. Finally, the ground will be covered with turf and groomed.
The defective seat shells in the stands will be replaced, also with a view to the many soccer fans from Iserlohn and the surrounding area who want to see their idols up close during the Azzurri's public training sessions. In addition, a few depressions in the ground will be removed as part of the renovation work and the back of the stand will also be embellished as part of a children's graffiti project during the Easter vacations. The clubhouse will also be spruced up. For example, the rooms will be given a new coat of paint.
The Italian guests want to have the adjacent small pitch modernized at their own expense in the same way as the stadium pitch and use it primarily for training keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Project group
The "Euro 2024" project group set up by Mayor Michael Joithe under the leadership of head of the sports office Christian Kißmer and with representatives from city marketing, the public order office, cultural administration, press office, mayor's office, city sports association, Stadtwerke Iserlohn, the Iserlohn and Letmathe advertising associations and volunteers is working meticulously to ensure that Iserlohn presents itself well as host to the Azzuri and also gives all soccer fans in and around Iserlohn an unforgettable time at the European Championships.
A series of events are planned in Iserlohn and Letmathe, not forgetting the giant public viewing event that will take place on the Alexanderhöhe in cooperation with the municipal utilities. All matches with German and Italian participation will be shown there in the preliminary round, the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals with German and/or Italian participation and, of course, the grand final on July 14.
Venue Alexanderhöhe
The EURO 2024 project group deliberately chose this venue because it offers space for several thousand people and different target groups: Soccer fans who want to meet and celebrate in groups, groups of friends who love the community and want to enjoy the atmosphere with food and drink, but also parents with children who can experience something together and, if necessary, have the opportunity to stay a little apart with smaller children, but still have the screen in view. The safety aspect also played a major role in the decision to use the Alexanderhöhe as a spacious area.
Soccer festival in the city center
While the public viewing on the Alexanderhöhe is a celebration, the European Championship atmosphere and "pack watching" should not be neglected in the city center. The project group is therefore once again inviting all Iserlohn restaurateurs to organize their own small public viewings on televisions - both indoors and outdoors. Interested restaurateurs can contact the municipal public order office directly.
Program
The big soccer festival starts with an Italian Night (May 31 + June 1). On the public viewing days, there will be various "pre-game events" in the city center, from where a fan mile will lead soccer fans in the direction of Alexanderhöhe to watch the pack there. On June 13, the Letmathe advertising association invites you to a "Sauerland evening" in the Volksgarten and at Letnetti Platz with Sauerland specialties, German-Italian exchange and an international celebration with music. On their "Club Day" (June 15), the Iserlohn sports clubs present themselves in Iserlohn's city center with large playground equipment and many activities for young and old. The popular Peace Festival on Fritz-Kühn-Platz also takes place at the same time. "Benvenuta Italia" is the motto from June 20 to 22 on the Old Town Hall Square: Italian gastronomy, music, hands-on activities and a table football tournament invite you to visit. From June 27 to 30, the Iserlohn advertising association is hosting the event "WALD STADT DOLCE VITA feat. Weinsommer" in the city center (planned with Sunday shopping). Further offers from the Iserlohn advertising association, such as decorating the city center, are being planned. On July 4, Stadtmarketing and Werbegemeinschaft Iserlohn are jointly organizing the evening market in combination with "Donnerstags am Markt" and promise a few surprises for young and old, before the following weekend revolves around the IBSV shooting festival.
With two performances of "La Poesia - Andiamo", the city's cultural administration will bring an Italian theater atmosphere with dance acrobatics and music to the city on the day of the European Championship final (Sunday, July 14).
Throughout the European Championships, Iserlohn City Marketing is inviting visitors to take part in bilingual city tours. Activities with schools and daycare centers are also being planned, such as the creation of giant pennant chains or chalk activities in the city center. Even the youngest children are invited to take part in the month-long soccer festival. For example, they can demonstrate their soccer skills in so-called air pitches in the city center. Those who like soccer songs can join a "soccer pack singing" on various action days, for example at the "Sauerland evening" organized by the Letmathe advertising association on 13 June (further dates to follow).
Further or additional offers are being planned, but other idea providers are also welcome to participate and design events or campaigns. Funding within the framework of the City of Iserlohn's Disposal Fund is also conceivable here. It supports projects that improve the quality of life, attractiveness and frequency in the city center. So if you have a good idea - football-related or not - you are welcome to submit it to City Marketing (information at www.waldstadtpanorama.de).
The City of Iserlohn's business development agency will support Iserlohn's activities for Euro 2024 as an event and communication partner to the tune of 50,000 euros. The funds will primarily be used to strengthen inner-city retail and gastronomy. This was decided by the GfW Supervisory Board at its meeting on March 15. The city of Iserlohn is pleased to have a strong partner at its side for all measures and projects.
The city of Iserlohn will provide timely information about all events and activities in connection with the soccer festival. A website with all the information about the European Championships in Iserlohn is in preparation.
Photo: Presenting the Iserlohn event program for the European Football Championship 2024 (from left): Mike Kowalski (Stadtwerke Iserlohn), Dirk Matthiessen (Stadtmarketing), Kathrin Becker (Werbegemeinschaft Iserlohn), Paul Nowak (Werbegemeinschaft Letmathe), Christian Kißmer (Sportbüroleiter) and Martin Stolte (Städtischer Beigeordneter).
