Bundesliga: SV Darmstadt 98 open their new training centre, funded by the sponsor Merck

SV Darmstadt 98 (Bundesliga) have opened their new training centre, which will host the club's youth teams, on 28/03/2016.

The work on the training centre, which was estimated at €2m, was funded by Merck, a German pharmaceutical and chemical company, headquartered in Darmstadt (south of Frankfurt, in the state of Hesse). Merck, which was founded in 1668 and is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world, obtained the naming rights of the training centre. Since 2014, Merck has also owned the naming rights to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor (17,000 seats), the stadium of SV Darmstadt 98.

"The Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor puts us in an advocacy role for sport in Darmstadt and the region. Yet it is equally important for us that young people have the best opportunities for growth in the long term. Therefore, we have signed a five year contract for the training centre, with the option to extend by an additional five years," said Kai Beckmann, member of the board of directors of Merck, on 28/03/2016.

• SV Darmstadt 98 were promoted to the Bundesliga for the 2015-16…