Almost three years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the opening of the Oberspree training centre (TZO) was celebrated today (12 July 2024) at Bruno-Bürgel-Weg 63 in Berlin-Köpenick.

The first training sessions on the freshly laid artificial and natural grass pitches took place last autumn, with the interior design of the building completed in spring 2024. In addition to sports function rooms, the TZO also houses the boarding school and the office of the youth performance centre (NLZ) as well as the offices of Union’s women's and girls' and sports promotion departments.

The total cost of the new building is €25 million, of which €11.5 million comes from the Berlin state and federal budget. Union are contributing €13.5 million to the overall financing.

"An ultra-modern sports facility has been created on an area of around 37,000 square metres, which will be used as a training and competition facility by people between the ages of three and 80," said Lutz Munack, member of the executive committee and managing director of youth and amateur football at 1. FC Union Berlin. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who made the project possible and realised it. Our club now has the best training and learning conditions for girls and boys in all age groups and we are very proud to be able to call the TZO our own."

"Sport and exercise are healthy, and they strengthen team spirit and fair play. With the Oberspree training centre, a modern sports facility has been created in Berlin-Köpenick with the support of the federal government – one which also helps climate adaptation with its green roof areas,” said Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Construction.

“The facility not only benefits Union’s young players, but also the girls and boys from the neighbouring daycare centres and primary schools,” she continued. “With our SJK funding programme, the federal government has been supporting the refurbishment of municipal facilities in the areas of youth, sport and culture since 2015. In this way, we are promoting social interaction and creating places where people can come together,"

"Football has been an integral part of Berlin as a sporting metropolis for over 100 years,” said Iris Spranger, Senator for the Interior and Sport in Berlin, meanwhile. “1. FC Union Berlin are an institution and it is impossible to imagine the city without them. Their sporting development with promotion to the Bundesliga and participation in the Champions League, the expansion of the Alte Försterei, the club's social commitment and the impetus given to women's football and youth work are exemplary. With the modern Oberspree training centre, the Eisernen are consistently continuing along this path. Berlin has every right to be proud of this."

Oliver Igel, District Mayor of Treptow-Köpenick, too, had this to say on the opening celebrations. "The new performance centre offers young football talents optimal conditions for their development. It is an investment in the future of football. 1. FC Union Berlin are working closely with schools in the region to attract talented athletes to football. This will make the Oberspree training centre a magnet for young talent from all over Berlin and Brandenburg. I am sure that something great has been created here for football in our city."

While this morning's celebrations were relatively small, Union’s new home for women's, youth and amateur football will be open to all interested parties on Saturday and Sunday. Information about the open weekend can be found here.

The construction of the new youth training centre of 1. FC Union Berlin e.V. was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family and by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community as part of the federal programme "Renovation of municipal facilities in the areas of sport, youth and culture".