Azadi Stadium
Aryamehr Stadium | |
File:Azadi Stadium logo.jpg.gif | |
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Full name | Azadi Stadium [1] |
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Former names | Aryamehr Stadium (1971–1979) |
Location | Tehran, Iran |
Coordinates | 35°43′27.99″N 51°16′31.88″E / 35.7244417°N 51.2755222°E |
Owner | Azadi Sport Complex |
Operator | MSYA Tehran Municipality |
Capacity | 78,116 (since 2016)[2] 84,412 (2012–2016)[3] 95,225 (2003–2012) 100,000 (1973–2003) |
Record attendance | 128,000![]() ![]() |
Field size | 110 m × 75 m (361 ft × 246 ft) |
Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
Scoreboard | 104 m2 jumbotron |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1 October 1970 |
Built | 1970–1973 (3 years) |
Opened | 18 October 1973 1 September 1974 (1974 Asian Games) |
Renovated | 2002–2003, 2017– |
Expanded | 2002 |
Construction cost | 2,578,183,966 tomans (€400,163,944) |
Architect | Abdol-Aziz Mirza Farmanfarmaian |
Tenants | |
Esteghlal (1973–present) Persepolis (1973–present) Iran national football team (1975–present) | |
Website | |
www |
The Azadi Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادی varzeshgāh-e āzādi) formerly known as Aryamehr Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آریامهر varzeshgāh-e āryāmehr) is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium was designed by SOM and inaugurated on 18 October 1971; it is self-owned by Esteghlal F.C. and Persepolis F.C.. It is also the home stadium of the Iran national football team. It has a current capacity of 78,116 spectators,[3] though it has been able to hold more than that during special matches. The stadium is part of the much larger Azadi Sport Complex, and is surrounded by a rowing river, football training pitches, a weightlifting complex, swimming facilities and indoor volleyball and futsal courts, among many other amenities.
Aryamehr (meaning "Light of the Aryans"), renamed after the Iranian Revolution to Azadi (meaning "freedom" in Persian), is the 10th largest association football stadium in the world. It was built to host the 1974 Asian Games and has hosted the 1976 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium also hosted AFC Champions League final on two occasions: in 1999 and 2002.
Location
The stadium is located in the West of Tehran, near Ekbatan district, and is easily accessible for most people living in the city. The stadium has two entrances. The West entrance is located on Ferdous street and the East entrance is on Farhangian street.
History
The Azadi Stadium was constructed by Arme Construction Company and designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill for the 7th Asian Games in 1974 with international criteria. Its land measurement is 450 Hectares and it is located in West Tehran. It replaced the Amjadieh Stadium as the new home of Iran's national football team.
The stadium was built as part of a much larger complex which included numerous Olympic-sized venues for various sports, laying the groundwork for ambitious plans for Tehran to make a bid to host the Summer Olympics. In August of 1975, Iran's Shah, Tehran's Mayor and the Iranian Olympic Committee submitted a formal letter to the IOC, notifying it of Iran's interest in hosting the 1984 Summer Games.[4] The stadium was the focal point for the bid, in which it would have only required slight modifications to become the main Olympic Stadium. But political unrest in the late-1970s saw Tehran drop its bid for Games, leaving the eventual host, Los Angeles, the only city left bidding.
Renovations first began on the stadium in 2002, when the lower level had seats installed and the pitch was replanted along with the installation of an underground heating system. Stadium management also planned to later install seats in the upper level of the stadium. Those renovations were completed in 2003, and brought down the capacity of the stadium to well under 100,000. Later upgrades to the stadium brought it down to its current capacity of 78,116. Despite its reduced capacity, Azadi Stadium has been filled over capacity at times such as the Iran-Japan World Cup 2006 qualification match in March 2005 which resulted in the deaths of seven people. In 2004 a large jumbotron television was added, replacing the original scoreboard. This giant screen with a total area of about 300 square meters and screen area of 104 square meters (20 m by 7.5 m) is one of the biggest in the world. The stadium hosted two West Asian Football Federation Championship in 2004 and 2008. In 2008, AFC forced Sepahan to play the home matches in AFC Champions League in this stadium after their home stadium Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium was closed for renovation. The stadium also is the regular host for Iran U-23 for the Olympics football qualifying.
The Iranian Football Federation has repeatedly expressed interest in hosting the AFC Asian Cup, which Iran last hosted in 1976. But it is thought that rules in Iran banning women from stadiums like Azadi have kept international sports organizations from staging events there.[5] Iranian women have been banned from watching matches at Azadi Stadium since 1982.[6]
Events
- In November 1975, Frank Sinatra held a concert at Aryamehr Stadium.
- The famous 2006 film, "Offside" (the winner of the Silver bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006) starring Sima Mobarak Shahi and Ida Sadeghi, about girls trying to get in the stadium to watch a football match, was filmed there.
- Azadi Stadium also hosted Ferdousi festival, organized by Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization and two major concerts in May 2013.
- 2015 Women's Islamic Games were also held at the stadium.
Building and facilities
The architect of the stadium were Abdolaziz Farmanfarmaian and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. At the beginning, the stadium had a maximum capacity of 120,000 visitors but was decreased to 84,000 after renovations in 2003. On the big occasions the crowd swells well beyond that. The design of the stadium amplifies the noise across the pitch. Opposing teams often find it difficult to play their best game, when the stadium is full, as the noise level becomes very high. According to Goal.com, Azadi Stadium was voted most intimidating in Asia. The structural engineer and project manager for the building of the stadium was James Raymond Whittle from Newcastle, England.
Transportation
There is enough parking for 400 cars inside the stadium, and an additional 10,000 parking spots are available outside. The nearest metro station is the Azadi Stadium Metro Station.
Record attendance
The record attendance at Azadi Stadium is over 128,000 during a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia.[7]
Gallery
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Stadium site plan
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The official inauguration of 1974 Asian Games
See also
References
- ^ "Azadi Stadium Guide - FIFA.com". fifa.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ^ 22 هزار نفر از ظرفیت آزادی کم شد
- ^ a b "Azadi Stadium | TeamMelli". teammelli.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ^ http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1975/ore95/ore95zb.pdf
- ^ http://www.espn.com/soccer/league-name/story/2334220/headline
- ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/11/iranian-soccer-stars-call-on-government-to-repeal-ban-on-women-in-stadiums/
- ^ "Classic Football Matches Qualifiers - FIFA.com". fifa.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
35°43′27.99″N 51°16′31.98″E / 35.7244417°N 51.2755500°E
Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by | Asian Games Opening and closing ceremonies 1974 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | AFC Asian Cup Final venue 1976 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Asian Club Championship Final venue 1999 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Asian Club Championship Final venue 2002 |
Succeeded by Vacant
(two-legged finals) |
Preceded by | West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2004 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2008 |
Succeeded by |