Stadion am Sommerdamm

The ground does not have one of those sweeping glass fronts you see in newer builds. What you see is a concrete grandstand with a curved roof that looks like it was thrown open, and it sits under the shade of mature trees. The concrete steps are bare, no seats, just rows of grey slabs where people sit when there is a match. Along the curved side, the track is a reddish colour, and it separates the pitch from the short terrace where the spectators stand.

The capacity is a matter of which set of rules you are looking at. The city of Rüsselsheim lists the official number as 4,200, but when the stadium hosted a UEFA U19 Championship match in 2017, the limit was suddenly 2,500. It was not a structural change, but a safety regulation: the all-seater requirement for the tournament meant a large portion of the standing areas were closed off.

The building itself is not the only thing that draws the eye. The main stand is covered, but the rest of the terracing is open to the sky, and the trees are planted right on the edge of the concrete. You can see the green netting of the throwing cage in the distance, which keeps the athletics and football spaces distinct.

It is home to SC Opel Rüsselsheim, though the pitch is shared with other sports. The natural grass is marked for football, but the complex also holds a hockey field and training pitches with artificial turf. The atmosphere here is shaped by that mix of open-air stands and the shadows cast by the trees.