Schwalbe-Arena

Where the old Steinmüller works once stood in the centre of Gummersbach, a new kind of noise has taken root since 2013. The arena was built to replace the Eugen-Haas-Halle, a cramped hall where the local handball club had grown too large, and the move was made to give the team something that could actually hold them.

The space is defined by its floors. They are not grass but a mix of parquet and PVC. The seating is arranged in a tight bowl around the court, with the upper tiers rising steeply to make room for the standing areas that can be put up for the bigger matches. There are eight boxes along the side, small private rooms that sit above the action.

VfL Gummersbach claims the arena as their home, and the sound they make when they play is different from what they used to produce. The club has used the ground for Bundesliga matches and for training, but the space is also used for larger gatherings. Concerts have been held on the same floor, with the handball goalposts taken away to make room for a stage, and the capacity adjusted to fit a different kind of crowd. The lights in the roof change from the bright white of a sporting event to the warm wash of a performance, but the structure remains the same.

The entrance is marked by a large blue sign that reads O2 World, a ghost of a previous life for the building before it became the Schwalbe-Arena. The name now comes from a bicycle tyre maker that bought the rights to the building, and the letters are fixed to the facade in a way that suggests permanence. The building has not changed much since it opened, and the concrete around the perimeter remains wet in the rain, reflecting the grey sky above.