Cover photo credit: PAUL KALKBRENNER X COPA
Berlin has just renamed a football ground after Paul Kalkbrenner, and at first glance it might sound like a strange mix – a fifth-division club and one of the city’s most famous electronic musicians. But when you look closer, it makes perfect sense.

The stadium belongs to Sparta Lichtenberg, the team Kalkbrenner played for as a kid. He grew up in that neighbourhood, and the same pitch where he once chased a ball will now carry his name: Paul Kalkbrenner Sportfeld. There’s something touching about that. It isn’t about glamour or big money sponsorships. It’s about roots. A local club paying respect to one of their own.
The renaming will be marked on September 26th with a ceremony and a charity match between Sparta and “Team Kalkbrenner.” It won’t be a big spectacle, more of a local celebration. That’s what makes it meaningful. It’s not about grand gestures – it’s about acknowledging that a kid from this neighbourhood went on to do something special, and that the connection is still there.

In October, Paul Kalkbrenner will release The Essence, his first album in seven years. The lead single, Ninety-Two, is already out, tying this hometown tribute to a new chapter in his career.
The news was first reported by Berliner Morgenpost.


