Gelsenkirchen, a bleak town in the heart of the fading industrial Ruhr River Valley, has an unemployment rate above 22 percent -- the highest in western Germany -- and a population that has shrunk to 270,000 from 400,000 in recent decades.

It may seem an unlikely choice to host five World Cup matches but soccer is special in Gelsenkirchen and gives the town its identity and hope for an economic revival.

Nowhere are fans as loyal as they are here, in one of Germany's most attractive stadiums in what is arguably its ugliest city.

It is a world where tram drivers wear Schalke jerseys at work and the ubiquitous royal blue-and-white team colours hang as drapes from apartment blocks.

The club plays such an important role in people's lives that the arena is Germany's only stadium with its own chapel.

Hundreds of dedicated Schalke fans get married or baptise their children in the subterranean chamber under the Arena AufSchalke each year -- or drop by for a quick prayer before a big match. A local funeral parlour even offers coffins in the blue and white Schalke colours or Schalke urns for the truly devoted.

CULT STATUS

Enjoying cult status for their loyalty across Germany, Schalke fans are so dedicated that up to 10,000 show up just to watch training sessions and matches in the stunning new arena have been sold out for years.

A recent newcomer to Schalke, Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi found himself struggling earlier this season. After being booed off the pitch, he decided to make a pilgrimage to the angry fans in their beloved "Auf Schalke" tavern down the road from the arena.

After pouring out his heart for 80 minutes to the 500 men and women wearing Schalke colours from head to toe, Kuranyi, 24, jumped to his feet to sing the Schalke song "Wir sind Schalker" (We are Schalke). The boos were replaced by cheers.

The stadium, which has a retractable roof, has set standards for ingenuity with a moveable 11,500-ton pitch built on a 118-metre by 79-metre tray that slides out beneath the grandstand to give the grass direct exposure to sunlight.

In the heart of the Ruhr River area famed for its mines and industry, Gelsenkirchen has had a long rivalry with Dortmund, just 30 km to the east. Winning the heated derby against Borussia Dortmund is almost as important as the Bundesliga championship.

PIT CLOSURES

Gelsenkirchen was once known as the "city of a thousand fires" because of the mining but 40,000 coal and steel jobs were lost with the closing of 50 pits between 1991 and 1997, dealing a heavy blow and causing poverty to spread.

"We have become the representative example of structural transformation gone wrong," said Gelsenkirchen mayor Frank Baranowski. "We relied on the power of coal for far too long."

Local officials such as Baranowski have tried to blunt the impact of the mine closures with new business parks, a technical training centre and offers of support to local solar energy firms in the hope of making Gelsenkirchen a centre for solar power.

"You can still find some truly shabby streets in Gelsenkirchen, but a lot of positive developments are overlooked," said Frank Lamfried, head of the city's urban planning department.

"We're a World Cup venue city and everything's being rebuilt. It's helping us to overcome underdeveloped areas."

The Arena AufSchalke, which during the World Cup will have a capacity of 48,000, is one of the most important contributors to economic activity in Gelsenkirchen. Aside from soccer, the arena is used for concerts, events and even World Cup cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions.

The soccer club Schalke, which has a full-time staff of 200, is now one of the city's biggest employers.

Schalke managers report that they get up to 250 applications -- every day -- from people looking for a job.