Murrayfield Stadium
Information:
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent ‘big screen’ in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one of the largest in the United Kingdom overall. The stadium is the home of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), and is primarily used as a venue for rugby union and hosts most of Scotland’s home test matches, as well as the Edinburgh Sevens, the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final, as well as Magners League and Heineken Cup matches. The stadium is considered an icon of Scottish rugby.
Although mainly a rugby union stadium, Murrayfield has in the past hosted American football, rugby league and association football matches. In addition, it has in the past been a venue for music concerts, the most notable of these being the Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push concert as part of Live 8.
It once held the record for the largest ever attendance for a rugby union match, with 104,000 watching Scotland play Wales in 1975.
Location
Murrayfield is located in the west-end of Edinburgh, just off Corstorphine Road, right next door to the Murrayfield Ice Rink, and close to the Edinburgh Zoo. It is named after the area of Edinburgh it is located in, Murrayfield.
It has good public transport links, being particularly well-served by bus links along the Corstorphine Road. Despite the line running adjacent to the stadium, its nearest railway station is Haymarket, which is a 1 mile walk from the stadium.
History
The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield which was opened on 21 March 1925. Previously internationals had been played at Inverleith. The first visitors were England, whom Scotland beat to win their first Five Nations Championship Grand Slam.
During the Second World War the ground at Murrayfield was offered to the nation and was taken over by the Royal Army Service Corps and used as a supply depot. During the war years the armed forces sports authorities managed to arrange two Scotland v. England services internationals each year, on a home-and-away basis. Scotland’s home matches were played at Inverleith for the first two years with a return to Murrayfield in 1944 after that ground’s derequisition. In 1994 Murrayfield completed a 50 million pound renovation where floodlights were installed for the first time in its history.
Murrayfield Stadium pics
Murrayfield Stadium video
Stadium Puskás Ferenc
Information:
Stadium Puskás Ferenc is a multi-purpose stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The all-seater stadium holds 68,976. The original capacity was 104,000.
It was built between 1948 and 1953 using many volunteers, including soldiers. Less than one year later, on 23 May 1954, England suffered its worst defeat ever here (7-1).
The stadium is named after Ferenc Puskás, widely regarded as the best striker in the world in his time and Hungary’s greatest footballer ever, who was a star of the national team during its glory years of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The stadium was renamed in his honour in 2001 from Népstadion (”People’s Stadium”).
Events
The legendary rock band Queen also performed here on their last tour, in 1986. The concert was filmed with film cameras.
In 1988 the stadium hosted the only stop of the Human Rights Now! tour, with the artists Tracy Chapman, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Sting and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, in a communist country
Monsters of Rock (including AC/DC, Metallica, Mötley Crüe and Queensrÿche) took place at this stadium in 1991 as well.
In 1992 Guns N’ Roses played a legendary concert here. From then many musical acts including Depeche Mode and Robbie Williams performed at the stadium.
It doubled for Munich’s famous Olympic Stadium in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 movie Munich (see List of films shot in Budapest).
Stadium Puskás Ferenc pics
Stadium Puskás Ferenc video
Munich Olympiastadion
Information:
The Olympiastadion is a stadium located in Munich, Germany. Situated at the heart of the Olympiapark München in northern Munich, the stadium was built as the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics.
With a capacity of 80,000, the stadium also hosted many major football matches including the 1974 World Cup Final, in which West Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1. The Euro ‘88 Final was played there, in which the Netherlands fared better, beating the Soviet Union 2-0, including a famous volleyed goal from Marco van Basten. In 2001, it hosted England’s famous 5-1 win over Germany in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup. It also hosted the European Cup Finals of 1979, 1993 and 1997.
Until the construction of the Allianz Arena for the 2006 World Cup, the stadium was home to Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich. Today, the Olympiastadion holds 69,250.
Design
Designed by the German architect Günther Behnisch and the engineer Frei Otto, the Olympiastadion was considered revolutionary for its time. This included large sweeping canopies of acrylic glass stabilized by steel cables that were used for the first time in a large scale. The idea was to imitate the Alps and to set a counterpart to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, held during the Nazi-Regime. The sweeping and transparent canopy was to symbolize the new, democratic and optimistic Germany. This is reflected in the official motto: “The Happy Games” (”die heiteren Spiele”).
History
Following the Olympics, the stadium became the home of FC Bayern München, with their rival TSV 1860 München moving in during the 1990s. These two teams coexisted in the Olympiastadion until 2005, when both clubs moved to the purpose built Allianz Arena.
On December 31, 2006, the stadium made history as being the first venue to host the Tour de Ski cross country skiing competition. The individual sprint events, held at 1100 m, were won by Norway’s Marit Bjørgen (women) and Switzerland’s Christoph Eigenmann (men). The snow was made in the stadium by combining the hot air with the cold refrigerated water that causes the snow to act like the icy type you would see in the Alps.
On June 23 to June 24, 2007, the stadium played host to the Spar European Cup 2007. A yearly athletics event featuring the top 8 countries from around Europe.
Events
In addition to being a sports venue, the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Riding Stadium (Olympia-Reitstadion) have played host to many open-air concerts by the likes of Michael Jackson, Queen, Depeche Mode, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Madonna, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, AC/DC, Roxette, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Metallica, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Rolling Stones. Parts of the 1975 film Rollerball were shot on the (then) futuristic site surrounding the stadium. Guns N’ Roses filmed parts of their Estranged video there when they visited Munich in June 1993. In 2009 Muse will also play there, due to their ‘Resistance’-Tour. Since 2005 it is the host of the yearly air and style snowboard event. It went unused in the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to the Allianz Arena being the host stadium in Munich.
Munich Olympiastadion pics
Munich Olympiastadion video
Allianz Arena
Information:
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern München and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005/06 season. Both clubs had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972; FC Bayern München all and TSV 1860 München most of their games.
The large financial services provider, Allianz purchased the rights to name the stadium for 30 years. During the 2006 World Cup it was known as FIFA World Cup Stadium Munich.
The stadium will be the venue for the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final.
Capacity
Effective with the city’s approval of modifications that was granted January 16, 2006, the legal capacity of the stadium has increased from 66,000 to 69,901 spectators (including standing room). The lower tier can seat up to 20,000, the middle tier up to 24,000, and the upper tier up to 22,000. 10,400 of the seats in the lower tier corners can be converted to standing room to allow an additional 30,120 spectators. The total capacity includes 2,000 business seats, 400 seats for the press, 106 luxury boxes with seating for up to 174 and 165 berths for wheelchairs and the like. From the second half of the 2005-06 Bundesliga season, the arena is able to accommodate 69,901 spectators at league and German Cup games, but because of UEFA regulations, the capacity remains at 66,000 seats for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup games. Bayern München has limited capacity during their league and cup games to 69,000. The partial roof covers all seats, although winds can still blow rain onto some of them.
Allianz Arena also offers three day-care centers, two fan shops, the FC Bayern München Megastore and the TSV 1860 München Allianz Arena Megastore. Merchandise is offered at stands all along the inside of the exterior wall inside the area behind the seats. Numerous restaurants and fast food establishments are also located around the stadium.
History
On October 21, 2002 voters went to the polls to determine whether a new stadium should be built in this location and whether the city of Munich should provide the necessary infrastructure. About two thirds of the voters decided in favor of the proposition. An alternative to constructing the new arena had been a major reconstruction of the Olympic Stadium but this option had been refused by its architect Günther Behnisch.
The Swiss architect firm of Herzog & de Meuron then developed the concept of the stadium with a see-through exterior made of ETFE-foil panels, that can be lit from the inside and are self-cleaning. Construction started in the fall of 2002 and was completed by the end of April 2005.
The Fröttmaning and Marienplatz stations of the subway line U6 were expanded and improved in conjunction with the arena construction. The Fröttmaning subway station was expanded from two to four tracks, while the Marienplatz U-Bahn station was outfitted with additional pedestrian connector tunnels running parallel to the subway tracks, which lead towards the S-Bahn portion of the station, lessening congestion among passengers making connections to the Munich S-Bahn. To be able to handle the additional traffic load the Autobahn A9 was expanded to three and four lanes going each way and another exit was added to the A99 north of the arena.
Allianz Arena pics
Allianz Arena video
Athens Olympic Stadium
Information:
The Olympic Stadium, is a stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. It is also known as the Athens Olympic Stadium, and Spiridon “Spiros” Louis Stadium, named after the man to win the first (modern) Olympic marathon race in 1896.
History
Located in the area of Maroussi in Athens, it is the major Greek stadium and hosted the athletics events and the football (soccer) final at the 2004 Summer Olympics. It also hosted the opening ceremony on August 13, 2004, and the closing ceremony on August 29, 2004. The stadium’s record attendance is 74,473 but it was configured to seat 72,000 during the Olympics, though only 56,700 seats were made publicly available for the track and field events and slightly more for the football final. The turf system consists of natural grass in modular containers which incorporate irrigation and drainage systems.
The stadium was originally designed in 1979 and built in 1980-1982. It was completed in time to host the 1982 European Championships in Athletics. It was inaugurated by the President of Greece, at the time, Konstantinos Karamanlis on 8 September 1982. It also hosted several events of the 1991 Mediterranean Games and the 1997 World Championships in Athletics, sought in order to prove that it was capable of hosting major sporting events after the failure of Athens to win the 1996 Summer Olympics. It was extensively renovated in time for the Olympics, including a controversial roof designed by Santiago Calatrava that was added atop the sidelines. The roof was completed just in time for the opening of the Games, and the stadium was then officially re-opened on July 30, 2004.
The Olympic Stadium has been used at various times as a home ground by the three major football clubs of Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens. Panathinaikos has been using the stadium regularly since 2005 for its matches. In the 2007-08 season, they returned to Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, their old home ground for the clubs centenary season. For the 2008-09 season, they will return to Athens Olympic Stadium until the new stadium, the Votanikos Arena, is built.
The stadium hosted the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final on May 23, 2007 between AC Milan and Liverpool FC, which was won 2-1 by AC Milan. This stadium also hosted the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final (which was also won by AC Milan), the 1983 European Cup Final as well as the 1987 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final. The stadium was used as a concert venue by performers such as Tina Turner, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and Madonna. Madonna’s concert touched the number of 75,637 viewers, something which makes the Sticky & Sweet Tour the most successful concert ever held in Greece.
Athens Olympic Stadium pics
Athens Olympic Stadium video
Stadio Olimpico
Information:
Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. Assets of CONI, the structure is intended primarily for football, there are held inside of Lazio and Roma and is the seat of the final Coppa Italia, and all athletics, but occasionally hosts concerts of light music and events of various kinds. Throughout its history, it has underwent three substantial restructurings and a complete restyling.
History
During the 1960 Summer Olympics, the stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the Athletics competitions. The posts were eliminated in the feet, with the result to actual capacity to 65,000 spectators. Following hosted several editions of the Ialian Championships in Athletics, the 1975 Summer Universiade (the stadium was the only venue in the Universiade), and the 1987 World Athletics Championships and still hosts the annual meeting of the Golden Gala.
The main feature of the stadium was its surprisingly low elevation from the ground, despite its considerable capacity. Te result was achieved thanks to partial sottoelevazione of the pitch, also exploiting the natural shape of a hollow ground around it. Thanks to these measures the system was integrated seamlessly with the surrounding environment, providing a very pleasing visual appearance and content. The seats were originally made of wood, later replaced by others in stone pale green. This was not a cover of stairs, with the exception of a small structure, which was added later, that in addition to cover a small part of the Tribuna Monte Mario, hosted journalists for Radiocronaca and press rooms. The only criticism in the years the stadium was over-distance curves from the game that seriously the vision of football, due to the presence of the athletics track and the need to place the perimeter of the existing structure.
Renovation
In 2007 it was engaged in a vast plan of restyling inside the stadium to conform to UEFA standards, for the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final which was disputed in Rome. The work was performed and completed in 2008, have included the establishment of standard structures, with improvements in security, the adjustment of changing rooms and press room, the complete replacement of the seats, installing new maxishermi digital high definition, I decline benches, the partial removal of barriers in the stands between Plexiglas and the playing field, and a reduction of posts, until the current capacity of 72,698. In order to increase the comfort of the audience a part of the modernisation of the stadium were the increase of the points of rest and adjustment to a toilet. These actions have allowed the Olympic Sadium classified as Elite of the stages of Europe.
Stadio Olimpico pics
Stadio Olimpico video
Olympiastadion
Information:
The Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) is a sports stadium in Berlin. There have been two stadia on the site: the present facility, and one that was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March and the second by his son Werner March.
The current Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics in the southern part of the Reichssportfeld (today Olympiapark Berlin). During World War II, the area suffered little damage. After the war, the United Kingdom military occupation used the northern part of the Reichssportfeld as its headquarters until 1994.
Aside from its use as an Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition. Historically, it is the ground of club Hertha BSC Berlin. It was also used for 3 matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. It hosted six matches, including the final, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was renovated for that reason. The German Cup final match is held each year at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Olympiastadion Renovation
The inauguration celebrations of the new Olympic Stadium were carried out on July 31, 2004 and August 1, 2004. On that day, Saturday, the party began with performances from Pink, Nena (99 Red Balloons) and Daniel Barenboim. It culminated at night with the opening ceremony.
On day two, friendly matches were played between different categories of the club Hertha BSC and visiting teams. On September 8, 2004, Brazil played Germany.
The new Olympic Stadium seated 76,000, second most in Germany behind Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park (formerly Westfalenstadion).
The roof rises 68 metres over the seats and is made up of transparent panels that allow sunlight to stream in during the day. The western portion (on the Marathon Arch) is open to reveal the “Glockenturm” to the spectators.
The Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment. It has 113 VIP stands, a set of restaurants, and two underground garages (for 630 cars).
The total cost of the remodeling and amplification was €242 million.
Olympiastadion pics
Olympiastadion video
Millennium Stadium
Information:
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team but is also host to many other large scale events, such as Wales Rally Great Britain stage of the World Rally Championship, Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, boxing and many music concerts, including Tina Turner, Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Tsunami Relief concert. It was built ready for Cardiff to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
The stadium opened in June 1999, and the first major event to be held was an international rugby union match on 26 June 1999, when Wales beat South Africa in a friendly by 29-19, before a test crowd of 29,000. It is the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and was only the second stadium in Europe to have this facility. It is the fourth largest stadium in the Six Nations Championship behind Twickenham, Stade de France and Croke Park, which is the largest.
Millennium Stadium Features
The all-seater stadium has the capacity for 74,500 supporters and features a retractable roof, only the second stadium of its type in Europe, and the largest such stadium in the world with this feature, by capacity. Additional seating is sometimes added for special events such as a rugby Test against the New Zealand All Blacks, or for the FA Cup Final. The current record attendance is 74,576, recorded at Wales’ 30–15 victory over Scotland in the 2008 Six Nations Championship on 9 February 2008.
The natural grass turf is a made up of a modular system installed by GreenTech ITM. It features built in irrigation and drainage. The pitch itself is laid on top of some 7,412 pallets which can be moved so the stadium can be used for concerts, exhibitions and other events.
The four ends of the ground are called; the North Stand, the West Stand, the South Stand and the BT Stand (east). The South Stand was previously known as the Hyder Stand, until Hyder plc was sold. The stadium has 3 tiers of seating with the exception of the North Stand, which has 2 tiers. The lower tier holds approximately 23,500 spectators, the middle tier holding 18,000 and the upper tier holding 33,000 spectators.
Events
The stadium has also been used for a variety of musical events, the most famous being the Manic Street Preachers concert held on Millennium Eve, and, on the following day, a recording of the BBC’s Songs of Praise, which attracted an attendance of 60,000. Tina Turner performed a sold-out concert at the stadium during her highly successful Twenty Four Seven Tour in 2000.] At the end of January 2005, the stadium hosted a tsunami relief concert in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, with Eric Clapton headlining the event. The stadium has also been host to Madonna on two occasions, the first in July 2006 when she opened the UK leg of her Confessions Tour, and most recently in August 2008 when she kicked off her Sticky & Sweet Tour at the stadium. Other performers who have played at the stadium include Robbie Williams, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, R.E.M., and The Police. As well, in late 2005 the stadium welcomed rock band Oasis during their Don’t Believe the Truth Tour and will again in their summer of 2009 stadia tour. In 2008 the stadium hosted Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as part of their 2008 summer tour promoting Springsteen’s 23rd album Magic, along with Neil Diamond. U2 will close the European leg of their U2 360° Tour in the stadium on 22 August 2009.
Millennium Stadium Pics
Millennium Stadium Video
Atatürk Olympic Stadium
Information
Atatürk Olympic Stadium located in İkitelli, a district in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is the largest-capacity stadium of Turkey. The stadium takes its name from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Its construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was built for Turkey’s Olympic Games bid and cost about €350 million.
With its 75,486 (all-seater) capacity and Olympic size, it was granted the “5-star sports complex” title by the UEFA in 2004, enabling it to host the finals of UEFA events. The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. was played on May 25, 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions.
Galatasaray SK played its home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium during the 2003-2004 football season, due to the renovation of their own venue, the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and this was criticized by other teams. Galatasaray eventually returned back to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004-2005 season, but played some of its 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Sivasspor also played some of its Süper Lig home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium due to the bad weather conditions in their original hometown stadium.
Renovation
From 2002 to 2005 the stadium had a capacity of 80,597 (all-seater). This was later reduced to 75,486 (all-seater) by removing the seats from where it was not possible to see the entire pitch, prior to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final game between AC Milan and Liverpool FC, which was played on May 25, 2005.
Atatürk Olympic Stadium pics
Atatürk Olympic Stadium video
Old Trafford
Information:
Old Trafford is an all-seater football stadium in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Premier League club Manchester United. With space for 76,212 spectators, Old Trafford has the second-largest capacity of any English football stadium after Wembley Stadium, the third-largest of any stadium in the United Kingdom, and the eleventh-largest in Europe. It is one of two stadia in the country to have been given a five-star rating by UEFA. The stadium is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent Manchester Metrolink tram station.
The ground, given the nickname the Theatre of Dreams by Bobby Charlton, has been United’s permanent residence since 1910, with the exception of an eight-year absence from 1941 to 1949, following the bombing of the stadium in the Second World War. During this period, the club shared Maine Road with local rivals, Manchester City. The ground underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, most notably the addition of extra tiers to the North, West and East stands which served to return the ground almost to its original capacity of 80,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise the capacity to over 90,000. The stadium’s current record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town.
Future
United continue to harbour plans to increase the capacity of the stadium further, with the next stage pointing to a redevelopment of the South Stand, which, unlike the rest of the stadium, remains single tier. A replication of the North Stand development and North-East and -West Quadrants would see the stadium’s capacity rise to an estimated 95,000, which would give it a greater capacity than Wembley Stadium. Any such development is likely to cost around £100m, due to the proximity of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium, and the corresponding need to build over it and thus purchase up to 50 houses on the other side of the railway. Nevertheless, the Manchester United group property manager confirmed that expansion plans are in the pipeline - linked to profits made from the club’s property holdings around Manchester - saying “There is a strategic plan for the stadium… It is not our intention to stand still”. One criticism of the plans, however, is that increasing the height of the South Stand would further reduce the amount of light coming onto the pitch, which has caused problems in similarly large stadia – such as Wembley Stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the San Siro; according to Alex Ferguson, the developments on the other stands have already caused problems.
It has been suggested that, should such an expansion take place, Old Trafford could be used instead of Wembley for big matches such as England internationals - in order to increase the ability of fans in the north of the country to watch England play – and FA Cup semi-finals - to maintain the prestige of the national stadium for the final.
Old Trafford Records
The highest attendance recorded at Old Trafford was 76,962 for an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town on 25 March 1939. However, this was before the ground was converted to an all-seater stadium, allowing many more people to fit into the stadium. Old Trafford’s record attendance as an all-seater stadium currently stands at 76,098, set at a Premier League game between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers on 31 March 2007. This is also the Premier League’s record attendance. Old Trafford’s record attendance for a non-competitive game is 73,738, set on 1 August 2007 for a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Internazionale. The lowest recorded attendance at a competitive game at Old Trafford in the post-War era was 11,968, as United beat Fulham 3–0 on 29 April 1950. However, on 7 May 1921, the ground hosted a Second Division match between Stockport County and Leicester City for which the official attendance was just 13. This figure is slightly misleading as the ground also contained many of the 10,000 spectators who had stayed behind after watching the match between Manchester United and Derby County earlier that day.
The highest average attendance at Old Trafford over a league season was 75,826, set in the 2006–07 season. The greatest total attendance at Old Trafford came two seasons later, as 2,197,429 people watched Manchester United win the Premier League for the third year in a row, the League Cup, and reach the final of the UEFA Champions League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The lowest average attendance at Old Trafford came in the 1930–31 season, when an average of 11,685 spectators watched each game.
