Nikos Goumas Stadium

Nikos Goumas Stadium

Location	Nea Filadelfeia, Athens, Greece
Coordinates	38°2′13.01″N 23°44′28.89″E
Owner	AEK
Operator	AEK
Capacity	24,729
Field size	105 x 68 m
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Yes
Construction
Broke ground	1928
Built	1930
Renovated	1998
Expanded	1979
Closed	May 2003
Demolished	May 2003
Tenants
AEK (1930–1985, 1987–2003) Greece national football team

Nikos Goumas Stadium (Greek: Στάδιο Νίκος Γκούμας) was a multi-purpose stadium in Nea Filadelfeia, a northwestern suburb of the Athens urban area, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK. It is now replaced by Agia Sophia Stadium built at the same site.

Name

The stadium was named "AEK Stadium" (Greek: Γήπεδο ΑΕΚ), but was also known as "Nea Filadelfeia Stadium" (Greek: Στάδιο Νέας Φιλαδέλφειας).

On 7 September 1991 it was officially named "Nikos Goumas Stadium" after the former club president Nikos Goumas, who contributed to its building and later upgrading.

Construction

With actions of the first president of the club, Konstantinos Spanoudis, in 1926, a piece of land in the suburb of Nea Filadelfeia, that was originally set aside for refugee housing, was donated as a training ground for the refugees. AEK Athens F.C. began using the ground as training ground (albeit unofficially) and by 1930 the property was signed over to the club.

The stadium was finished in 1929 and was officially opened in 1930 in a ceremony with the presence of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos which ended in a 2–2 draw. The stadium had a horseshoe shape (with stands in three of its four sides).

Expansion

In 1979 chairman Loukas Barlos started building the double-tiered south stand, the addition of which made it the largest stadium in Athens at the time as its capacity was over 35,000 after the construction of this new stand. This stand, and particularly its lower tier known as "Skepasti" (meaning "roofed"), and became the new home of the AEK ultras who until then resided in the opposite "Gate 21" stand.

Renovation

In 1998, AEK Athens F.C. decided to install new seats, thereby reducing the stadium's capacity from 35,000 to 24,729 (not including the press and VIP stands).

Demolition

Giannis Granitsas, then president of AEK and temporarily chairman of AEK Athens F.C., decided to demolish the stadium in June 2003. He claimed that the stadium was too old and that seriously damaged from the 1999 Athens earthquake. The last game held was between AEK Athens and Aris. The game ended in a 4–0 win for AEK with Ilija Ivić scoring the last goal in the 77th minute.

Plans for new venue

Main articles: AEK Arena (cancelled project) and Agia Sophia Stadium

Club's initial plan was to build a modern arena on the same site, including an underground parking and an innovative underground basketball court. These ambitious plans were halted after various objections raised by local residents.

After AEK Athens F.C. came under new ownership via Demis Nikolaidis direction, the plan for a stadium in Nea Filadelfeia was abandoned. Nikolaidis started negotiations to build a new football stadium further to the north, on the southern foothills of Mount Parnitha. However, this drew a great deal of controversy with the team's fan club Original 21 who opposed this plan. Nevertheless, the land of the former Nikos Goumas stadium remained under the ownership of AEK and plans for building a new stadium in Nikos Goumas area kept alive.

On October 2, 2013, the AEK Athens board under Dimitris Melissanidis, presented plans for a new stadium to the municipality of Nea Filadelfeia, in order to gain build permission. A new 4 star UEFA rate system stadium was about be built, seating between 32.500 and 35.000 spectators. The cost of the project was initially not published, but AEK had been granted 20 million euros by the Greek government as a contribution for the construction, while the rest of funding would be done privately.

The new stadium is modeled after Hagia Sophia church in Constantinople, since AEK has its roots in the city. The project generated around 1.000–1.500 new jobs and the neighborhood was expected to largely benefit from this endeavor. Construction of the new Agia Sophia Stadium at the site was completed in October 2022.

Record

Team	Competition	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses
AEK Athens	League	715	570	93	52
	Cup	165	137	17	11
	EPSA	162	105	29	28
	Balkans Cup	12	8	2	2
	UEFA	64	36	17	11
	Total	1,118	856	158	104

Attendance Record

Date	Attendance	Score	Competition	Opponent
21/2/1982	36,766	1 – 0	Alpha Ethniki	Panathinaikos

Concerts

Rory Gallagher performed at the stadium in 1981. In 1988 David Hasselhoff entered and performed in the ground of the stadium along with KITT. Iron Maiden and Bryan Adams also had a performance at the stadium in 1988 and the group The Cure in 1989. In 1990 Tina Turner gave a concert in the stadium. In 1992 the group Simply Red and in 1993 Elton John and Sting performed at Nikos Goumas Stadium.

External links

• AEK Athens Official Site
• Stadium Information