Camp Nou
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| Full name | Camp Nou |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estadi del FC Barcelona (1957–2000) |
| Location | Avinguda Aristides Maillol, s/n 08028, Barcelona |
| Coordinates | 41°22′51.20″N 2°7′22.19″E / 41.3808889°N 2.1228306°E |
| Owner | FC Barcelona |
| Operator | FC Barcelona |
| Capacity | 98,722[1] |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 28 March 1954 |
| Built | 1954–1957 |
| Opened | 24 September 1957[1] |
| Renovated | 1994, 2008 |
| Expanded | 1982 |
| Architect | Phillip Francesc Mitjans Josep Soteras Lorenzo García-Barbón Joaquin Agnew |
| Tenants | |
| FC Barcelona (1957–present) | |
Camp Nou (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈkam ˈnɔw], “New Field”), often erroneously called “the Nou Camp” in English, is a Spanish football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957. It has hosted numerous international matches at a senior level including two UEFA Champions League finals, the most recent being in 1999. It has a capacity of 98,787, making it the largest stadium in Europe and the twelfth largest in the world in terms of capacity. Its official name was Estadi del FC Barcelona (FC Barcelona Stadium) until 2000, when the club members voted to formally adopt the popular nickname Camp Nou. It held UEFA five-star status until that rating was superseded by a new system of classification in 2006 in which the Camp Nou is now an elite (or category four) stadium.
There were plans to remodel the stadium on its fiftieth anniversary. FC Barcelona initially approved the sale of its former training ground Mini Estadi to fund the project, but put the plans on hold because of the financial crisis in 2009. Sandro Rosell had expressed his opposition to the sale of Mini Estadi before his election as club president in June 2010.
History
Construction
The construction of the Camp Nou started on 28 March 1954 as the Camp de Les Corts stadium (Barcelona's previous stadium) had no further room for expansion. The stadium was going to be called ‘Estadi del FC Barcelona’ but the more popular name 'Camp Nou' was used. The June 1950 signing of László Kubala, who would go on to score 196 goals in 256 matches and is considered to be one of Barcelona's greatest ever players, provided further impetus to the construction of a larger stadium .[2][3][4]
The building of Camp Nou commenced on 28 March 1954 before a crowd of 60,000 Barça fans. Civil governor of Barcelona, Felipe Acedo Colunga presided at the laying in place of the first stone, with a blessing from the Archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego. The construction took three years, going 336% over budget for a final cost of 288 million pesetas.[4] The stadium was offically opened on 24 September 1957. Handel's Messiah was performed at the opening of the stadium.
Early years
In May 1972, Camp Nou hosted its first European Cup Winners' Cup final between Rangers and Dynamo Moscow, the match going 3–2 in Rangers' favor. The 1970s marked a turning point for FC Barcelona, with the signing of new coach Johan Cruyff in 1973. The stadium saw the installation of electronic scoreboards two years later.
The stadium underwent a renovation in 1980, in anticipation of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which added boxes, VIP lounges, a new press area, and new markers, and moreover enlarged the third tier by 22,150 seats for a total capacity of 115,000 spectators. The club raised funds for the remodeling by inscribing thousands of supporters’ names on bricks in return for a small set donation. This later became a topic of controversy, when the news media in Madrid reported that the name of long-time Real Madrid chairman and Franco supporter, Santiago Bernabéu, had been commemorated in this way.[5][6][7] The first important game played was the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup, featuring Barcelona against Standard Liège, on 12 May 1982. Barcelona went on to win the game 2–1 in front of an audience of 80,000.
Camp Nou was one of several stadiums used throughout the 1982 World Cup, hosting the inauguration ceremony on 13 June. Before a 100,000-person crowd, Belgium upset the defending champions Argentina 1–0 in the match that followed.[8]
Development
The stadium’s capacity has varied greatly over the years, opening at 106,146, but growing to 121,749 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Apart from hosting FC Barcelona, Camp Nou is home turf to the Catalan national team, their latest match as of August 2010[update] being a 4–2 win over Argentina.[9] The stadium is frequently used for other football events. The European Cup final between A.C. Milan and Steaua Bucharest was held on 24 May 1989, the Italian club winning 4–0.[10] Camp Nou hosted part of the football competition, including the final, in the [[1992 Summer Olympics.[11] In preparation for these Games, two additional tiers of seating were installed over the previous roof-line.[12]
Camp Nou underwent little substantial change after 1982, except for the opening of the club museum in 1984. The stadium underwent a facelift in 1993–94, in which the pitch was lowered by 2.5 m (8 ft), the security gap that separated the lawn from the galleries was removed, and standing room was eliminated in favor of individual seating. A new press box, renovation of the presidential grandstand and boxes, new parking under the main grandstand, and new lighting and sound systems were completed in time for the 1998–99 season. In 1999 the UEFA outlawed standing sections in stadiums, and Camp Nou’s capacity settled to its current level.[1] The stadium was host to the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final later that year, a vibrant clash between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, which the English side won 2–1, coming back from 0–1 down in injury time.[13]
In 2000 the fans were polled concerning the stadium’s name. Of the 29,102 votes the club received, a total of 19,861 (68.25%) preferred Camp Nou to Estadi del FC Barcelona, and thus the official name was changed to the popular nickname.[14]
The facilities now include a memorabilia shop, mini-pitches for training matches, and a chapel for the players. The stadium also houses the second-most visited museum in Catalonia, FC Barcelona Museum, which receives more than 1.2 million visitors per year.[15]
Future
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the stadium, the club issued an international tender to remodel it. The objective was to make the facility an integrated and highly visible urban environment. The club seeks to increase the seating capacity by 13,500, at least half of the total seating to be under cover. Should these renovations be completed, the stadium will be the third largest in the world, after the Rungrado May Day Stadium in North Korea (150,000 capacity) and the Salt Lake Stadium in India (120,000 capacity).
On 18 September 2007 the British architect Norman Foster and his company were selected to "restructure" Camp Nou. With an estimated cost of €250 million, the plans included the addition of 10,000 seats, for a maximum capacity of 106,000.[16] The board of FC Barcelona approved the sale of their former training ground Mini Estadi in order to finance the remodeling. The project was planned to begin in 2009 and to be finished for the 2011–12 season.[17] However, due to the 2009 financial crises and subsequent fall in real estate prices, the sale of the training ground was postponed and likewise the remodeling project. In May 2010 Sandro Rosell, then a candidate for president of FC Barcelona, dismissed the possibility of selling Mini Estadí, saying it would be indefensible to “sell the crown jewels”, and his election on 30 June has effectively halted the plan to remodel Camp Nou.[18][19]
Other uses
Camp Nou has been used for various purposes other than football, often hosting major concerts.
Pope John Paul II celebrated mass for a congregation of over 121,000 at Camp Nou on 17 November 1982, on the occasion being made an honorary citizen of Barcelona.[20]
In 1983 Julio Iglesias played for 60,000 people, in what was described as a "most beautifully orchestrated" concert.[21] Other high-profile performances at Camp Nou include those by Bruce Springsteen on 3 August 1988 and by Michael Jackson on 9 August. On 10 September 1988, a charity concert organised by Amnesty International to support human rights featured, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour, Tracy Chapman, and El Último de la Fila. A concert by the Three Tenors—Josep Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti—was held on 13 July 1997.
On 1 July 2009 the stadium held the launch of the U2 360° Tour, which was attended to the maximum capacity of 90,000 people.[22] The lead singer of U2, Bono, explained why they had started their tour in Camp Nou: “This is where we wanted to build a space station, designed by Gaudi in the capital of surrealism." The concert ended with Bono wearing an FC Barcelona jersey.[23]
In September 2010 two French publications reported that Camp Nou would host a home match of French rugby union giants USA Perpignan, a club from Northern Catalonia with a large following among Catalans in Spain. The match is tentatively set for 16 April 2011, against Parisian side Racing Métro.[24]
The cast of the smash-hit Mexican TV series Two Faces Of Love will perform at Camp Nou on 26 & 27 March 2011, becoming the first artists in the stadium’s history to sell out two consecutive dates in less than two hours.[needs update]
References
- Bibliography
- Ball, Phill (2003). Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. WSC Books Limited. ISBN 0954013468.
- Eaude, Michael (2008). Catalonia: a cultural history. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195327977.
- Farred, Grant (2008). Long distance love: a passion for football. Temple University Press. ISBN 1592133746.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|unused_data=ignored (help) - Murray, Bill; Murray, William J. (1998). The world's game: a history of soccer. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252067185.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Snyder, John (2001). Soccer's most wanted: the top 10 book of clumsy keepers, clever crosses, and outlandish oddities. Brassey's. ISBN 1574883658.
- Notes
- ^ a b c d "Information". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ Farred, Grant p. 124
- ^ Eaude, Michael p. 104
- ^ a b "Brief history of Camp Nou". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ Ball, Phil pp. 20–21
- ^ Ball, Phil pp. 121–22
- ^ Murray, Bill; Murray, William J. p. 102
- ^ "1982 FIFA World Cup Spain". FIFA. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ "No homage to Catalonia from Arsene Wenger as Johan Cruyff picks Cesc Fabregas for Christmas charity friendly". London: Daily Mail. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ Brewin, John (1 May 2009). "Warnings from history for Manchester United". ESPN. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ 1992 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 211–6.
- ^ Snyder, John. pp. 81–82
- ^ "United crowned kings of Europe". BBC. 26 May 1999. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ "A five star stadium". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "Visites per ordre de nom del museu" (PDF) (in Catalan). Generalitat de Catalunya. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "Camp Nou". Fosters + Partners. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ Hamilos, Paul (24 September 2007). "European football: Foster to give Camp Nou Gaudí-inspired facelift". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ "Rosell vería como una "muy mala noticia" vender los terrenos del Miniestadi" (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ "Laporta, un 'elefant' en el palco" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ Kelly, Cathal (8 April 2005). "Pope's team? Myths never had a prayer". Toronto Star. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ García, Elizabeth p. 49
- ^ Perrone, Pierre (2 July 2009). "U2, Camp Nou, Barcelona – Reviews, Music". London: The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Paphides, Pete (1 July 2009). "U2 at Nou Camp Stadium, Barcelona". The Times. London. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ "Perpignan set for Camp Nou switch". ESPNScrum. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
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External links
Media related to Camp Nou at Wikimedia Commons
- Footballmatch Collection of Spanish stadiums.
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| Home stadium | |
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1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums | ||
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