Stadio delle Alpi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stadio Delle Alpi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Turin, Italy |
| Broke ground | 1988 |
| Opened | 1990 |
| Owner | Juventus F.C. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Architect | Studio Hutter |
| Tenants | Juventus F.C. (Serie A) (1990-2006) |
| Capacity |
|
| Field dimensions |
|
The Stadio delle Alpi is a football and athletics stadium in Turin, Italy, and was the home of both Juventus and Torino between 1990 and 2006. In English the name means "Stadium of the Alps", a reference to the nearby mountain range. Currently, the stadium is disused, with both football clubs playing their home fixtures at the rebuilt Stadio Olimpico until the fate of the delle Alpi is decided.
Designed by architect Studio Hutter, the delle Alpi was originally built in 1990 to host matches for the 1990 World Cup, as a replacement for the ageing Stadio Olimpico. The stadium's original capacity was 69,041 fans, however due to FIFA rules regarding the segregation of home and away supporters, the actual capacity is reduced to 67,229.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Construction on the stadium began in June 1988,[2] and due to the use of prefabricated concrete, was complete within two years. The delle Alpi was built by the council of Turin, with both of the city's football clubs using it as their home ground following the closure of the Stadio Olimpico. It was originally intended to be used for not only football, but also athletics, therefore an athletics track was constructed around the outside of the pitch. However, due to the lack of a warm up track, the stadium has never been used for a major athletics event.In Torino bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics the cerimonies have planed to will be held in the stadium but dropped for Stadium Comunale
The stadium was inaugurated on 31 May 1990 when a joint Juventus-Torino team defeated an F.C. Porto side 4-3. Due to escalating rental costs, disputes arose between the clubs and the city council. In 1994, the Juventus board investigated building a new stadium, which would be owned by the club. The UEFA Cup semi-final and final matches in 1994-1995 were moved by Juventus to the San Siro, Milan, attracting audiences of 85,000. The Stadio delle Alpi has very rarely been sold out in its history. Finally, in the summer of 2003, Juventus bought the delle Alpi from the council of Turin for a fee of around €25million.[3].
[edit] Attendance
The stadium attendance record is 65,377, set during a UEFA Cup tie between Torino and Ajax on 29 April, 1992. During the 1990 World Cup, the stadium hosted (among others) a memorable second round match between Argentina and Brazil, plus a semi-final between Germany and England, both matches attracting around 60,000 fans.
The Delle Alpi's design has been widely criticised due to the poor visibility caused by the distance between the stands and the pitch. This is because of the athletics track which was constructed around the outside of the pitch. Views from the lower tier are also restricted due to the positioning of advertising hoardings.[4] The stadium's location on the outskirts of town also hasn't found favour with fans, and the stadium design leaves spectators exposed to the elements. These factors have contributed to low attendances; in the 2005/6 season, Juventus' average attendance was 35,880.[5]
The poor visibility has led to extraordinarily low attendances. For example, in the Coppa Italia home match against Sampdoria in the 2001-2002 season, only 237 spectators showed up.[6]
| Season | Juventus average | Torino average | Juventus trophies | Torino trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 43,114 | 33,990 | ||
| 1991–92 | 51,832 | 35,364 | ||
| 1992–93 | 45,868 | 26,814 | Juventus UEFA Cup winners | Torino Coppa Italia winners |
| 1993–94 | 44,520 | 26,130 | ||
| 1994–95 | 47,866 | 22,205 | Juventus Coppa Italia winners and Serie A winners | |
| 1995–96 | 41,946 | 20,284 | Juventus UEFA Champions League winners and Italian Super Cup winners | |
| 1996–97 | 39,271 | 13,451 | Juventus Serie A winners, European Super Cup winners, Intercontinental Cup winners and Italian Super Cup winners | |
| 1997–98 | 47,347 | 19,505 | Juventus Serie A winners | |
| 1998–99 | 47,164 | 19,627 | ||
| 1999–00 | 42,229 | 21,857 | Juventus Intertoto Cup winners | |
| 2000–01 | 41,273 | 17,077 | ||
| 2001–02 | 40,687 | 19,002 | Juventus Serie A winners and Italian Super Cup winners | |
| 2002–03 | 39,771 | 14,870 | Juventus Serie A winners and Italian Super Cup winners | |
| 2003–04 | 34,365 | 9,831 | ||
| 2004–05 | 26,429 | 10,003 | Juventus Serie A* winners | |
| 2005–06 | 30,469 | 24,995 | Juventus Serie A* winners |
* = Revoked in wake of Calciopoli.
[edit] Proposed redevelopment
The issue of redeveloping the Delle Alpi has cropped up many times. In 2003, Juventus announced plans to remove the athletics track and rebuild stands closer to the pitch, reducing the capacity to 40,000, around half of its current size. Plans were also announced to sell the naming rights to the stadium, in the same way as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. This caused controversy as some fans wished to see the redesigned stadium named after the club's owners Giovanni or Gianni Agnelli.[7][8] These plans were put on hold, however, following the outcome of the Calciopoli scandal, the club's resultant demotion to Serie B and the change in the Juventus Board of Directors.
The new board decided that the plans of the old regime weren't acceptable, and new plans were announced in February 2007. These plans consisted of reducing the stadium capacity to 40,000 spectators, and constructing a 32,000 m2 commercial development including conference facilities, a museum, shopping centre and a club megastore in the surrounding area.[9] The redevelopment was planned in association with the FIGC; dependent upon Italy being awarded the right to host the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, and would cost around €120million. The championships were not, however, awarded to Italy, and the plans are therefore unlikely to proceed.
[edit] Concerts
Since 1990, Stadio Delle Alpi has been host to a number of concerts and live performances.
- 1990 - Urban Jungle Tour - The Rolling Stones
- 1990 - Blond Ambition Tour - Madonna
- 1991 - Fronte Del Palco Tour - Vasco Rossi
- 1992 - Use Your Illusion Tour - Guns N' Roses
- 1992 - AncorAssieme - Claudio Baglioni
- 1993 - Gli Spari Sopra Tour - Vasco Rossi
- 1993 - Nowhere Else To Roam Europe Tour - Metallica
- 1994 - The Division Bell Tour - Pink Floyd
- 1996 - Nessun Pericolo Per Te Tour - Vasco Rossi
- 1998 - Tour 1998 - Eros Ramazzotti
- 1999 - Cantiere Fonòpoli - Renato Zero
- 1999 - Rewind Tour - Vasco Rossi (2 concerts )
- 2000 - Live Estate 2000 - Ligabue
- 2001 - Stupido Hotel Tour - Vasco Rossi
- 2001 - Elevation Tour - U2
- 2001 - Stiff Upper Lip Tour - AC/DC
- 2005 - Buoni o Cattivi Tour - Vasco Rossi
- 2007 - Tour 2007 - Vasco Rossi (2 concerts)
- 2007 - Reunion Tour - The Police
[edit] References
- ^ Stadium. Juventus.com.
- ^ Italian wikipedia entry.
- ^ Stadium. Juventus Fan Club Malaysia.
- ^ Evans, Simon. Juve plan to halve stadium capacity. ESPN.com.
- ^ Guide to Juventus.
- ^ Guardian Online - Guardian Article regarding Stadio delle Alpi March 2006
- ^ Juve plan to halve stadium. ESPN.com.
- ^ Juventus will sell name of stadium.
- ^ Stadium Project.
[edit] External links
Official Juventus Stadium Page
