With Heidenheim FC, the Salzburg-based Axess AG has succeeded in acquiring a further customer from the German football landscape.

This aspiring Baden-Wuerttemberg club has played in the 2nd national German division – which professional media often call the strongest second division in the world - for the past three seasons. Following their sporting promotion, Heidenheim’s FC also invested in extending their home grounds. 15,000 visitors were able to take their places in the VOITH Arena in Heidenheim for the first time in April 2015. For the 2017/18 season there is now to be a new, modern access management system which can process the mass of visitors efficiently and quickly. The club is basing this on the Axess smart STADIA & ARENA SOLUTIONS.

With promotion, the economic challenges for modern football clubs also grow. Division rules, a rising fan base and increased attention require a club to invest in corporate structure and infrastructure. The German football landscape – whether it’s the 1st or 2nd division – leads the way internationally as a good example in this respect. Sustainable management and clever investment alongside international sporting success – that’s what they’re known for,

"Zweite Bundesliga" and the extension of the VOITH Arena

As champions of the 3rd division in the 2013/14 season, Heidenheim FC succeeded in being promoted into the 2nd division of the German football league - the so called "Zweite Bundesliga". Parallel to this, Heidenheim had the good sense to start planning to extend the VOITH Arena to 15,000 seats during the season. It was then possible to inaugurate the stadium with the extended capacity in the spring of 2015 for the game against Ingolstadt FC. From a sporting point of view, the first season went very well with a respectable 8th place (out of 18). Last season, Heidenheim FC was even able to land in the upper third in 6th place.

New access management in 2017/18

The German national leagues are not only strong economically and sportingly – the attendance figures are constantly high and rise year on year. Last season, the "Zweite Bundesliga" was able to attract an average of almost 22,000 visitors per game into the stadia. A reliable access system is needed in order to be able to process such huge numbers quickly and efficiently. That’s why the responsible officials at Heidenheim FC decided to invest in this area and commissioned the Salzburg-based Axess AG to supply a complete system. Nineteen AX500 Smart Gate NGs are to be installed for the coming season. These space-saving gates can be lined up in several rows and each is equipped with a turnstile module with a panic mechanism. Due to its modular construction, the AX500 Smart Gate NG is simple to maintain. Future innovations can thus be easily integrated by simply replacing modules. Axess is also supplying 14 Axess HANDHELD 600. The menu-based software and the handiness of these devices make controlling access points and mobile ticket checking especially simple. Axess CLICS serves as a central interface and a basis for all hardware configuration. The intuitive, browser-based software offers a rapid overview of all relevant figures and data. The Axess DATACENTER forms the core of the Axess smart STADIA & ARENA SOLUTIONS. Heidenheim FC is being supplied with a complete on-premises solution with the latest IT hardware and the highest security standards.