SC PADERBORN 07
JANUARY 2024
Founded: Jun 1, 1985
Club Members: 8,053
Coach: Lukas Kwasniok
Captain: Ron Schallenberg
Landespokal Westfalen Winner: 9
Web Site: www.scp07.de
The current version of SC Paderborn was created in 1985 when Paderborn’s two existing clubs, TuS Schloss Paderborn and FC Paderborn, decided to merge to give the city a single team - TuS Paderborn/Neuhaus - before a name change in 1997 saw them become SC Paderborn 07. The driving force behind the merger was Schloss’ single-season Bundesliga.2 cameo in 1982-83 and it was felt that a unified club had better prospects of achieving success in German professional football.
The first two decades of newly formed SC Paderborn existence were largely unremarkable. Apart from a lone season in the fourth-tier, the club played in various incarnations of the country’s third-tier, initially Oberliga Westphalian and subsequently the Regionalliga West/Sudwest. Nothing much more happened for twenty years. However, in 2004-05 the club’s run to the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal was overshadowed by a huge match-fixing scandal when it emerged that the referee of the tie against Hamburger SV, Robert Hoyzer, had accepted a bribe to allow Paderborn to win. That same season the club finally achieved promotion to Bundesliga.2, the original reason for the club’s formation. Another period of unremarkable football ensued, but at least their place in the ranks of professional football was secure.
After a single promotion in three decades, Paderborn then went on a wild rollercoaster of a journey for the next few seasons. In 2013-14, promotion to the top division was achieved. However, this only lasted one season, as a last-place finish ensured a quick return to Bundesliga 2. From there, it went from bad to worse for Paderborn as they immediately dropped into the 3. Liga. Unbelievably, the slide didn't stop there and a third consecutive relegation, this time into the fourth-tier Regionalliga West, beckoned as they finished 18th for the third season in a row.
At this point fortune and good timing came to the rescue. TSV 1860 München, after years financial issues and skirting with insolvency, were stripped of their playing license for the 3.Liga by the DFB (German FA) and SC Paderborn were saved from ignominy in the ranks of the amateur game. Having plummeted the depths, the club now began climbing the league structure with vigour. Consecutive promotions saw them back in the Bundesliga for the 2019-20 season before the old habit of finishing 18th ensured another immediate return to Bundesliga.2, where they have resided ever since. In a remarkable period of seven years, their fans saw them achieve three promotions and experience three (almost four) relegations.
GROUND DETAILS
Ground Name: Home Deluxe Arena
Architect: Josef Ellebracht
Built: 2005 - 2008
Year Opened: 2008
Capacity: 15,000 (6,800 standing)
Wheelchair Spaces: 30
Construction Costs: €25m
Undersoil Heating: Yes
Running Track: No
LED Video Screens: 25m² x 2
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Pitch Size: 110m x 70m
Grounds:
Paragon Arena (2008 - 2009)
Energieteam Arena (2009 - 2012) *
Benteler Arena (2012 - 2022) *
Home Deluxe Arena (2022 - )
* Stadium Renamed
The 15,000-seater stadium, currently named the Home Deluxe Arena, has been the home of SC Paderborn 07 since 2008.
It became apparent around the turn of the century that the club’s previous home - the ageing 9,500 capacity Hermann Löns Stadion - would be unable to cope with the demands put on it if Paderborn were to achieve promotion to Bundesliga.2. The process of building a new ground was started in 2001 but it wasn’t until 2004, at the start of the season which culminated in such a promotion, that a suitable site was found. However, the construction of the stadium dragged on for another four years as various lawsuits and funding issues had to be overcome.
Eventually the club took possession of their new home in the summer of 2008 and it opened with a friendly against Borussia Dortmund (1-2) on 28th July. In 2012, a ten-year deal was struck with Benteler to name the stadium. When this expired, online retailer Home Deluxe became the new naming rights partner, again with a ten-year agreement.
The largely pre-fab stadium will never win any awards for character or style - just another of the single-tier, fully covered, box-shaped variety with a bank of obligatory VIP boxes dominating the West Tribüne (the main stand). There are two seated areas running along both sides of the pitch and standing areas behind each goal. The front rows of the lower tiers are about three metres above pitch level which can create some unusual sightlines but the view onto the pitch is generally good from all around the stadium.
Of the 15,000 capacity, 8,200 are seated and 6,800 are standing. Blocks N, O, P and Q in the Wilfried Finke Tribüne (Südtribüne), as well as C and D1 in the Nordtribüne are standing areas for the home fans. Blocks M and R are the seated areas. Away followings are given the north-east corner of the ground with Blocks E and F offering standing areas and a small number of seats available in Block G.
BUYING TICKETS
Ticket Office:
Website: www.scp07.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 180 6991818
Email: info@scpaderborn07.de
Average Attendance:
2022-2023: 12,203 (Bundesliga.2)
2021-2022: 6,184 (Bundesliga.2) *
2020-2021: N/A *
2019-2020: 11,038 (Bundesliga) *
2018-2019: 11,508 (Bundesliga.2)
* Season affected by COVID pandemic
Expected Ticket Availability
The easiest way is through the club’s website which has a direct link to the ticket shop, although non-German speakers should be aware that although the main site can be translated into English, the online shop can't.
Tickets can also be bought from the fanshop at the stadium and over the phone (+49 (0) 180 6991818).
Tickets should be easily available for most matches. However, tickets for the visits of Hamburger SV, 1.FC Kaiserslautern and FC Schalke 04; as well as those against local rivals - DSC Arminia Bielefeld, VfL Osnabrück - may be more of a challenge to get hold of. And should Paderborn get promoted back into the Bundesliga, then you can expect nearly all home games to sell out.
There's no overly-complicated approach to ticketing; and admission prices will depend on where you want to watch the action from. Broadly speaking, tickets bought in advance will cost full-paying adults €29-37 for seats and just €14.50 to stand on the terraces. Discounts are available for seniors, students, disabled people and children (aged 7-14 years). Paderborn will take an extra €1.50 off you if you prefer to keep things traditional by buying your ticket on a matchday at the stadium.
Information about visiting the Home Deluxe Arena for fans with disabilities can be found at:
www.bundesliga-reisefuehrer.de
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Stadium Address:
Wilfried Finke Allee 1
33104 Paderborn
BY CAR:
Leave the A33 at the Paderborn/Elsen exit, then drive towards Detmold/Bad Lipperinge. After 500 metres, take the exit on the right to Home Deluxe Arena. Alternatively follow the signs to Hoppenhof and from there you can reach the Home Deluxe Arena via the Wilfried Finke Allee. Park and Ride shuttle buses run between the Nixdorf car park (Riemekestraße 160, 33106 Paderborn) and the Arena every five minutes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
Bus 6 (Direction: Sande) runs from the city centre to the 'Arena/Alma Aue' stop outside the stadium. If you've arrived at the Hauptbahnhof, catch Bus 68 (Direction: Sande) to the 'Arena/Alma Aue' stop from here.
With a valid match ticket, the buses and trains of the Nahverkehrsverbund Paderborn/Höxter (NPH) transport network are free to ride around on for two hours either side of the match.
WALKING DIRECTIONS:
The Home Deluxe Arena is a couple of miles north-west of central Paderborn and according to Google Maps it will take you roughly 45 minutes to cover the distance on foot. Come out of the Hauptbahnhof exit onto Bahnhofstraße, turn left and take a right at the first road onto Rathenaustraße. Follow this road for about three quarters of a mile until it ends at the junction with Neuhäuser Straße. Turn left here and after 200 metres, go left onto Elsner Straße. From here, just continue along this road as it becomes Paderborner Straße and you'll reach the stadium after a mile.
FAN SHOP, MUSEUM & STADIUM TOURS
FAN SHOP:
SCP07 Fanshop in der Home Deluxe Arena (Wilfried Finke Allee 1, 33104 Paderborn; 9am-12pm & 3pm-6pm, Tue-Fri; 10am-1pm, Sat). The fanshop also opens its doors on home matchdays as follows:
-
4th February 2024: 11:30am - 4pm
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10th February 2024: 10am - 4:30pm
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17th February 2024: 10am - 3:30pm
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23th February 2024: 9am - 10pm
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3th March 2024: 11:30am - 4pm
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9th March 2024: 10am - 4:30pm
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15th March 2024: 9am - 9pm
A couple of mobile fanshops also set up on a matchday - with one on the stadium forecourt and the other under the Osttribüne. They open a couple of hours before kick-off and final sales are made about 30 minutes after the match ends.
FOOD & DRINK OPTIONS
The Home Deluxe Arena is built in the middle of nowhere and so with places offering booze and decent food in the immediate vicinity a bit thin on the ground, many fans head to the bars and restaurants in the centre of Paderborn beforehand. We recommend the Paderborner Brauhaus (Kisau 2, 33098 Paderborn) and Deutsches Haus (Kisau 9, 33098 Paderborn) which are popular meeting points for home fans and serve food if the beer sharpens your appetite.
At the stadium there are the usual options (Bratwurst, Currywurst, Leberkäsbrätchen, Pizza etc) on offer and the local beer of choice is 'Warsteiner'.
Everything can be settled up with cash or the usual contactless payment methods (credit/debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay etc).
OTHER CLUBS IN THE AREA
BUNDESLIGA: 1.FC Köln, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Bochum
BUNDESLIGA 2: FC Schalke 04, Fortuna Düsseldorf
3.LIGA: Borussia Dortmund II, DSC Arminia Bielefeld, FC Viktoria Köln, MSV Duisburg, Preußen Münster, Rot Weiss Essen, SC Verl, VfL Osnabrück
