Nikos Goumas Stadium

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"Nikos Goumas" Stadium

Location	Nea Filadelfia, Athens, Greece
Broke ground	1928
Opened	1930
Closed	2003
Demolished	June 2003
Owner	Amateur AEK Athens
Operator	AEK Athens FC
Surface	Grass
Former names	Gipedo AEK (AEK's home ground)
Tenants	AEK Athens, Greece
Capacity	24,729 (with seats), 35,000 (without seats)
Field dimensions	101 x 78m

Nikos Goumas Stadium was a multi-use stadium in Nea Filadelfeia ("New Philadelphia"), a northwestern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK Athens FC. It was named after a one-time club president, Nicholas Goumas, who contributed to its building and later upgrading. It was previously known as "Nea Filadelfeia Stadium" or simply "AEK Stadium".

The stadium's capacity was 24,729 as built in 1930. Until 1979 it had a horseshoe shape. It was then that the double-tiered south stand was built, making it the largest stadium in Athens at the time. This stand, and particularly its lower tier known as "Skepasti" ("roofed"), was the home of the AEK ultras (called "Originals"). The capacity of the stadium was over 35,000 after construction of this new stand. In 1998, AEK Athens decided to install 27,729 seats, thereby reducing the stadium's capacity from 35,000 to 24,000 (not including the press and VIP stands).

It was demolished in June 2003. The club's initial plan was to build a modern arena, complete with underground parking and an innovative underground basketball court. This ambitious plan was halted after various objections were raised. After AEK FC came under its current ownership, the plan was abandoned from the football club(company) and negotiations are under way to build a [new arena] which will not be owned by AEK fc neither to the athletic club, further to the north, on the southern foothills of Mount Parnitha. The land of the former stadium Nikos Goumas still remains to the AEK Athletic club which is the owner of both the land and the use of the "AEK" name , and has nothing to do with the AEK fc. Plans for building a new stadium in the Nikos Goumas area still excist.