Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach has installed a new wireless network infrastructure based on Wi-Fi 7 and 6E from network provider Extreme Networks across the Borussia-Park complex. The system connects the stadium, hotel, training facilities, and additional campus venues in a single unified network.
Borussia Mönchengladbach has fundamentally overhauled the network infrastructure at Borussia-Park. Working with Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR), the club has installed Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E access points throughout the stadium complex. The new system is designed to ensure fast, stable, and wide-area connectivity on matchdays and beyond.
One Campus, One Network
Borussia-Park encompasses far more than the Bundesliga stadium with its more than 54,000 seats. The campus includes the club-owned Borussia-8-Grad hotel, multiple training pitches, retail, healthcare, office, and hospitality spaces, as well as the FohlenWelt, the club’s official museum. All of these areas are now connected via Extreme Networks’ unified network platform.
With the new infrastructure, the club has consolidated voice, operational, and guest traffic onto a single platform. Systems that were previously operated separately now run over the same network. For the IT team, this translates to reduced administrative overhead and centralized management of diverse services.
Matchday Operations in Focus
The deployment specifically uses access points from the Extreme 4020, 5020, 4060, and 5050U/D model lines, all leveraging the 6 GHz band via Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. Compared to older standards, these technologies offer significantly higher data rates and lower latency at high device densities — critical parameters in a sold-out stadium with tens of thousands of simultaneously active mobile devices.
The infrastructure supports applications such as mobile ticketing and cashless payments at concession stands, in-venue audio and video systems, and live-streaming services. A separate guest Wi-Fi network allows visitors to access the internet inside the stadium without interfering with internal operational traffic.
Frank Fleissgarten, CIO/CSO of Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach GmbH, explains the requirements: “To reliably support thousands of fans at every home game as well as a growing number of connected systems, we need a high-performance and dependable network infrastructure. Extreme enables fast, resilient connectivity and smooth processes across Borussia-Park. This allows us to reliably run critical services — from payment systems and VIP hospitality to access control. At the same time, the infrastructure remains flexibly scalable and provides the foundation for introducing additional digital offerings.”
AI-Powered Network Management
A key element of the solution is the integration of AI-powered analytics and automation. Through a cloud-based management platform, the club’s IT team gains real-time visibility into network status, automated fault diagnostics, and data-driven insights. This is intended to reduce operational effort and detect issues before they affect live operations.
By converging wired networking, wireless infrastructure, and cloud management on a single platform, the vendor says operators gain a unified view across all network segments. System administrators can manage communication services, inventory systems, and security functions through a common interface.
Preparation for Future Applications
The club views the new infrastructure not as a closed project but as a foundation for additional digital services. Smart parking systems for the hotel and stadium, EV charging infrastructure on site, and biometric access and service features are cited as potential use cases. Timelines and scope for these have not yet been communicated.
Thomas Mehrfort, Head of Sports & Venues EMEA at Extreme Networks, frames the project strategically: “Borussia Mönchengladbach is deliberately developing its stadium and infrastructure into a versatile, multi-use destination — making robust and reliable connectivity increasingly important. The combination of modern wireless infrastructure, switching, and centralized management gives the club a scalable network base that simplifies operations, enables digital fan experiences throughout the venue, and lays the groundwork for future developments.”
Market Context
Extreme Networks is listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker EXTR and, by its own account, serves numerous sports and entertainment venues worldwide. The partnership with Borussia Mönchengladbach is part of a broader trend in European professional soccer, where clubs are upgrading their stadium infrastructure with digital services and fan experience improvements in mind. Technically, the 6 GHz band used by Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 offers more and wider channels than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, reducing interference and supporting stable connections for large numbers of simultaneous users.
Dr. Jakob Jung is Editor-in-Chief of Security Storage and Channel Germany. He has been working in IT journalism for more than 20 years. His career includes Computer Reseller News, Heise Resale, Informationweek, Techtarget (storage and data center) and ChannelBiz. He also freelances for numerous IT publications, including Computerwoche, Channelpartner, IT-Business, Storage-Insider and ZDnet. His main topics are channel, storage, security, data center, ERP and CRM.
Contact via Mail: jakob.jung@security-storage-und-channel-germany.de