Aslantepe ArenA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section is about a planned or proposed stadium.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the stadium approaches.

Aslantepe Stadium
Lion Hill

Full name	Aslantepe Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex
Location	Istanbul
Broke ground	2007
Opened	October 2009
Owner	Gençlik Spor Genel Müdürlüğü
Construction cost	170.000.000 USD
Architect	Mete Arat(asp)
Tenants	Galatasaray S.K.
Capacity	52,647
Field dimensions	*Project

Aslantepe Ali Sami Yen Stadium (also referred to as Lion Hill Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex, Seyrantepe Stadium, Lion Hill and the New Ali Sami Yen Stadium) is a new multi-use stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, which is currently under construction. When completed, it will be the new home ground for the Turkish football team Galatasaray S.K., replacing old Ali Sami Yen Stadium. The stadium will have a capacity of 52,647 people.

The naming rights to the stadium may be sold and name of the stadium may change as the completion approaches. The Stadium is expected to be available for use by Galatasaray in time for the 2009-2010 league season.

1 History
2 Auction process
3 Groundbreaking ceremony
4 Site and layout
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] History

In recent years, numerous proposals have been put forward to demolish the current stadium and build a larger one on the same location, but this is impossible due to the lack of space. Finally, the club's ground, Ali Sami Yen Stadyumu, is going to be replaced with a new ground near Maslak financial district. The former name of the district, Seyrantepe, has been changed to Aslantepe (Lion Hill) after Galatasaray purchased the ground; Aslan (Lion) being Galatasaray's symbol. However, inhabitants of Seyrantepe object change of their quarter, so that project's name changed as Seyrantepe Stadium Complex and name of the quarter reverted. The idea is to realize a stadium on the model of the Veltins Arena in Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and complete it in 584 days. The construction of the new stadium officially got underway on Thursday, December 13th, 2007. The new stadium will have a capacity of 53,500, making it the largest private stadium owned by a club in Turkey. The stadium features a retractable roof – the first of its kind in Turkey. The design team headed by 'asp' Architekten Stuttgart combines the engineering expertise of the renowned firms of Obermeyer Planen+Beraten (Munich), Schlaich – Bergermann and Partner (Stuttgart) and Yüksel Proje (Ankara).

[edit] Auction process

Galatasaray have co-operated with TOKİ (one of the biggest construction organisation of Turkey, bugdeted by the Turkish Government). On 19 July 2007, TOKİ announced the auction for the multi-purpose sports complex which will be built at Seyrantepe, the field of which Galatasaray Sports Club possesses the rights for a period of 49 years.

Among the 4 companies that proposed, the best offer was suggested by Eren Talu Architecture – ALKE Partnership. Contract of the tender held for the construction of Galatasaray's new stadium was signed between TOKİ and Eren Talu-ALKE consortium on 23 October 2007.^[1]

[edit] Groundbreaking ceremony

As of 14 December 2007, the construction has officially started after a showy reception where the club board, some players, the minister of sports of Turkey and many other ministers attended. In the ceremony, then President Özhan Canaydın stated, in summary, the following: "Turkish World of Sports will gain another big facility with the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex and we've gathered here to celebrate its groundbreaking ceremony. This work, which will be a value add to Istanbul and Turkey along with Turkish Sports, will also serve as an honorable monument that will signify the advanced position Turkish Sports has achieved and the phases it has passed through." ^[2]

[edit] Site and layout

Interior view.

Contract of the tender, realized by TOKİ and known as "Seyrantepe tender" in the public opinion, which covers the construction of a multi purpose sports complex with 52,000 spectator capacity, comprising of a retractable-roof and a parking lot for 5.500 cars, on Aslantepe (formerly known as Seyrantepe) premises in return for building "Urban Social Infrastructure Areas" on 34.640 sq meters of land on which Ali Sami Yen Stadium is located. There are also plans for building a shopping mall and residential units as part of the Aslantepe Project.^[3]

There is a period of 720 days for the construction of the stadium that will be built on Aslantepe (formerly known as Seyrantepe) premises and will be handed over to Galatasaray Sports Club by Youth and Sports Directorate for 49 years.^[4]