German football club builds cemetery for its fans

True soccer fans remain faithful to their team until the day they die, but that's not long enough for the supporters of top German club Hamburger HSV. It's building a cemetery for fans right next to the stadium.

The club laid the foundation stone on Sunday for the graveyard which will be adorned with an entrance gate in the shape of a goal.

It is the first dedicated football cemetery in Germany and is located just a few metres away from the Nordbank Arena stadium where the club plays its home matches.



"We'll have room for 300 to 500 graves," Christian Reichert, a member of HSV's managing board, said. He said he had already received 15 requests to reserve a plot. "The oldest is 85 years old, the youngest 27." The kick-off for burials is next year.

The graves will be arranged in a semi-circle on three ascending levels to resemble a football stand.

HSV supporter Ernst Schmidt, an 81-year-old widower, said he may reserve a plot even though he has already made arrangements to be buried alongside his wife. "I'm going to enquire whether it's possible," Schmidt told reporters. "I've been an HSV fan for 57 years. My life, it's only football."