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Aviva Stadium

Coordinates: 53°20′6.5″N 6°13′42.0″W / 53.335139°N 6.228333°W / 53.335139; -6.228333
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Aviva Stadium
File:Aviva Stadium logo.jpg
UEFA Elite Stadium

Map
Location62 Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4, Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates53°20′6.5″N 6°13′42.0″W / 53.335139°N 6.228333°W / 53.335139; -6.228333
OwnerIrish Rugby Football Union and Football Association of Ireland
OperatorLansdowne Road Stadium Development Company[1]
Capacity51,700 All-Seater (football, rugby union)
65,000 (concerts)
Field size106 m × 68 m (348 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundMarch 2007
Built2007–2010
Opened14 May 2010
Construction costEUR € 410 million
(inclusive of EUR € 191 million of government funding) (2010)[2]
ArchitectPopulous,[3]
Scott Tallon Walker[4]
Structural engineerBuro Happold
Services engineerME Engineers
Tenants
Ireland national rugby union team (IRFU) (2010–)
Republic of Ireland national football team (FAI) (2010–)

The Aviva Stadium is a sporting stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is also commonly known as Lansdowne Road while UEFA refers to it as the Dublin Arena.

The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team. The decision to redevelop the stadium came after plans for both Stadium Ireland and Eircom Park fell through. The Aviva Group signed a 10-year deal for the naming rights in 2009.[5]

The stadium, located adjacent to Lansdowne Road railway station, officially opened on 14 May 2010. The stadium is Ireland's first, and only, UEFA Elite Stadium and in 2011, it will host the Europa League Final. It will also host the inaugural 4 Associations' Tournament, as well as the regular home fixtures of the national rugby team and national football team from August 2010 onwards.

Facilities

The stadium has four tiers, with the lower and upper tiers being for general access, the second tier for premium tickets and the third tier for corporate boxes. The north stand, however, is single tiered due to its proximity to local housing. This stand is expected to be the away stand for soccer internationals. There are two basement levels and seven storeys of floors. The premium level holds 11,000 spectators, while the box level holds 1,300.[6] The remaining 38,700 seats are shared between the top and bottom tiers. The capacity of the stadium has been criticised even before the stadium has opened for being too small, particularly in light of the large supporter attendance figures for Irish rugby internationals and soccer internationals at Croke Park since 2007.[7] The stadium's roof is designed to undulate in a wave-like manner so as to avoid blocking light to local residences.[8].

History

The stadium was officially opened on 14 May 2010 by Taoiseach Brian Cowen.[9][10][11] Over the months before and after the stadium was officially opened Aviva Insurance had commercials where at the end, an old couple would walk out of a hallway and into the main stand.

Aviva Stadium at Night
Aviva Stadium at Night
Further information: List of games played in the Aviva Stadium

Rugby Union

The Ireland rugby union team will play its home games at the stadium, as it did previously at Lansdowne Road, taking over from their temporary home, Croke Park, where games have been played during Aviva's construction. Ireland's first international game will be on 5 November 2010 against South Africa. Games against Samoa, New Zealand and Argentina are also expected to be played in its first few opening months.

The first rugby union game at the Aviva was an exhibition game on 31 July, billed as the O2 Challenge, involving under-18 and under-20 players from all four of Ireland's provincial sides, with a Leinster/Ulster side defeating a Munster/Connacht combination 69–0.[12] As part of the run-up to the event, O2 ran a promotion which gave the winner the opportunity to attempt to score the ceremonial first points at the Aviva via a simulated conversion kick on the day before the match. The winner of the promotion, John Baker of Ennis, was successful.[13] The first official points at the Aviva were a try by Ulster's Craig Gilroy in the O2 Challenge.[12]

The stadium will likely also host occasional home games for Leinster when the RDS Arena's smaller capacity will not satisfy demand. The IRFU also hopes to host the 2013 Heineken Cup final at the Aviva and are likely to place a bid in the near future.

Inside The Stadium.
Ireland vs Argentina

Association Football

The stadium will also host the home games of the Republic of Ireland as did Lansdowne Road. The team has played most home games at Croke Park during the construction of the Aviva. The first soccer match in the Aviva was Manchester United F.C. against a League of Ireland XI side, managed by Damien Richardson, on 4 August 2010.[14] Manchester United won the game 7-1, with Ji-Sung Park scoring the first ever goal in the Aviva Stadium.[15] The first international game for Ireland in the Aviva Stadium was a 1-0 friendly loss against Argentina on 11 August 2010.[16] The first competitive goal was scored by Kevin Kilbane in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying game on the 7 September 2010 against Andorra.[17]

The Aviva will also annually host the FAI Ford Cup Final, which was shared between the RDS Arena and the Tallaght Stadium while the new stadium was being built. The first Cup Final at the new stadium is scheduled for Sunday 14 November 2010. Tickets for the final are to be included as part of the ten year international tickets. While the 2011 Europa League Final is also scheduled to be in the Aviva Stadium.

The 2011 4 Associations' Tournament will take place in the Aviva Stadium. The tournament features national football teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The 2011 UEFA Europa League Final will take place in the Aviva as well. Due to UEFA rules against corporate sponsorship outside the federation, the stadium will be referred to as the "Dublin Arena" for the final.

American Football

In 2012, Aviva Stadium will host an American college football match billed the Emerald Isle Classic between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen.[18]

Concerts

Date Artist Tour Tickets Sold
24 – 25 September 2010 Michael Bublé Crazy Love Tour 100,000

Transport connections

The stadium is served by public transport with Bus, DART, Luas and rail bringing fans within close distance of the stadium. The stadium is inaccessible by car on match days due to a 1km car-free exclusion zone in operation.

Dublin Bus Pembroke Road Bus Routes 4,5,7,8,18,45,63,84 - 300 metre walk to stadium entrance
Charlotte Quay Bus Routes 2,3,50,56,77 - 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Luas - Green Line Charlemont Luas Stop 1.5 kilometer walk (Main entrance)
Irish Rail - DART Lansdowne Road railway station Direct to Stadium

See also

References

  1. ^ Introduction Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company
  2. ^ Stadium Facts Irish Times
  3. ^ Aviva Stadium, architect Populous
  4. ^ Aviva Stadium Scott Tallon Walker Architects
  5. ^ "Lansdowne to be renamed Aviva Stadium". The Irish Times. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  6. ^ Pictures and information on AVIVA Stadium Aviva Stadium
  7. ^ New stadium is an irreversible and huge tragedy for Irish sport Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  8. ^ Harrison, Shane (2010-05-14). "Gates open at new national stadium". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  9. ^ Lansdowne Roar to live on at Aviva. RTÉ Sport. 14 May 2010.
  10. ^ Gates open at new national stadium. BBC Sport. 14 May 2010.
  11. ^ Dublin opens new Aviva stadium after three years. Reuters. 14 May 2010.
  12. ^ a b "Leinster/Ulster Win Aviva Stadium Opener" (Press release). Irish Rugby Football Union. 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  13. ^ "Baker Boots His Way Into Record Books" (Press release). Irish Rugby Football Union. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  14. ^ "Red Devils to face Airtricity League XI". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  15. ^ "Airtricity League 1-7 Man Utd", BBC Sport, Dublin, 4 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Rep of Ireland 0-1 Argentina". BBC Sport. 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  17. ^ "Ireland 3 - 1 Andorra". ESPN Soccernet. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  18. ^ "Notre Dame, Navy to face off in Ireland in 2012". Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated. 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2010-09-21.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aviva Stadium.
Preceded by Host of the UEFA Europa League Final
2011 		Succeeded by

Template:Six Nations Stadia

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