New working group to look into Parken and surrounding area development

A new joint working group is being set up to look into the prospects of developing both Parken Stadium and the immediate area around the ground in the future.

Parken Sport & Entertainment, the City of Copenhagen and the DBU (Danish FA) will assess how to develop the area around the stadium, and in particular between Parken and Østerbro Stadium.

Finding a potential new headquarters for the DBU is one of the objectives, while the working group will also examine the possibility of sustainable capacity expansion of the stadium.

PSE and the City of Copenhagen have set aside a total of 2m DKK for the work towards a joint plan that will also involve the local sports clubs in the area.
 
Parken and the area around the national stadium have for more than 100 years been central to the development of Danish football and sport in the city.
 
"Parken is a national gathering place and a place that means an incredible amount to many Danes," says Parken Sport & Entertainment's Chairman of the Board, Allan L. Agerholm.

"It is also a stadium that must keep up with the times, and we begin this collaboration with an open mind. We would like to look at modernisation and investment in the current framework, but it is too early to talk about what the new capacity could be. That is what the working group must now investigate.
 
“We are incredibly proud of Parken and we will use the best resources to ensure that Copenhagen and Denmark have a stadium at an international level. However, the development of Parken and the surrounding area is not a task we can undertake alone.

"Therefore, we are glad that the City of Copenhagen and the DBU have also committed themselves to looking at a comprehensive solution for the area, which will also benefit the many football clubs around the city, and Copenhageners."
 
The City of Copenhagen is also looking forward to starting work around Parken and the immediate areas of Fælledparken and Østerbro.
 
"Parken is one of our largest gathering places in Copenhagen," says the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Lars Weiss.

"A lot of us have taken unique football experiences home from Parken. Therefore, it is of course important that we make sure to develop our national station so that it is up to date and can form the framework for major sporting events in the future.

"At the same time, I hope that we can create more new sports facilities in the area around Parken - for the benefit of all the local sports clubs."

Employment and integration mayor Cecilia Lonning-Skovgaard is also pleased that concrete funds have now been set aside to get the project started.
 
"I am proud that the Liberal Party, through the agreement on the 2022 Budget, negotiated a feasibility study on development and construction in the area between Parken and Østerbro Stadium," she said.

"We are Copenhageners who dream of a new and bigger facility for both the national team and FCK, just as we want to help our local clubs with better facilities."
 
At the DBU, director Jakob Jensen is pleased that work is continuing on a modernisation of Parken as a national arena.
 
"For decades, Parken has been home to the men's national team and the setting for many great experiences - most recently at EURO2020 and this autumn's World Cup qualifiers," he said.

"We look forward to contributing to the work towards a modernisation of the national arena, but also to uncovering the possibilities for a new DBU headquarters next to Parken.

"The modernisation of Parken and our new headquarters, together with a new stadium and headquarters for DBU Jutland in Aarhus, as well as a new national training centre, form part of the DBU board's vision for the future framework for Danish football."
 
The working committee will consist of representatives from PSE, the City of Copenhagen and the DBU, while local sports clubs and other stakeholders will also be involved.