St. Jakob-Park
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| Joggeli | |
 UEFA  |
|
| Location | Basel, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.541575°N 7.6201806°ECoordinates: 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.541575°N 7.6201806°E |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | 15 March 2001 |
| Owner | Genossenschaft Stadion St. Jakob-Park |
| Operator | Basel United AG |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | CHF 220 million (2001) |
| Architect | Herzog & de Meuron |
| Capacity | 42,500 |
| Tenants | |
| FC Basel (Super League) (1998-present) | |
St. Jakob Park (help·info) is a Swiss sports stadium at Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 38,500 seats.[1] The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland and Austria.[2]
The stadium is divided into four main blocks, A, B, C and D, each block covering one side of the stadium, and block G, consisting of the upper balcony added later. St. Jakob Park is a fairly modern stadium; construction started on 13 December 1998, replacing the former St. Jakob Stadium. The re-opening game took place 15 March 2001 according to www.stadiumzone.net.
The "Genossenschaft S.J.P" officially owns the stadium, while the stadium itself is managed by "Basel United". The stadium cost around CHF 220 million to build (US$132 million, €143 million in March 2001[3]).
Within the stadium, there are 32 shops on three different floors, as well as two restaurants (the "Restaurant UNO" and "Hattrick Sports Bar"). The stadium has parking spaces for 680 cars on two different floors. The stadium can be reached either by bus, tram or train (the stadium has its own train station).
The stadium has been awarded 4 stars by UEFA, which is the highest number of stars that can be awarded to a stadium of that size.
In 2006, there was a riot after a match between FC Basel and FC Zürich. See 2006 Basel Hooligan Incident for more details.
For Euro 2008, the St. Jakob Park hosted 6 games - 3 group games (including the opening match), two quarter-finals and one semi-final. Torrential rain during the June 11 match left the pitch in such a poor state that the entire grass surface was re-laid, the first time such a decision was taken at a tournament of this size. [4]
| Date | Time (CET) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2008 |
|
 Switzerland |
|
 Czech Republic |
|
39,730 |
| 11 June 2008 |
|
Switzerland |
|
 Turkey |
|
39,730 |
| 15 June 2008 |
|
Switzerland |
|
 Portugal |
|
39,730 |
| 19 June 2008 |
|
Portugal |
|
 Germany |
|
39,374 |
| 21 June 2008 |
|
 Netherlands |
|
 Russia |
|
38,374 |
| 25 June 2008 |
|
Germany |
|
Turkey |
|
39,374 |
 |
UEFA Euro 2008 Stadiums |
|---|---|
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ www.baselunited.ch
- ^ www.fcb.ch
- ^ Approximate exchange rates sourced from www.oanda.com
- ^ uk.reuters.com
