Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium
The Venue of Legends
WembleyStadiumViewFromWembleyWay.JPG
Wembley Stadium
Location London, England
Broke ground 2000
Built 2004–2006
Opened 2007
Owner The Football Association
Operator Wembley National Stadium Limited
Surface Grass
Construction cost GBP £798 million (2007)[1] (USD $1.26 Billion)
Architect Foster and Partners
Populous, Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (planning consultants)[2]
Project Manager Symonds[3]
Structural engineer Mott MacDonald[3]
Services engineer Mott MacDonald[3]
General Contractor Multiplex Constructions (UK) Ltd[3]
Capacity 90,000 (football, rugby league, rugby union)
86,000 (American football)
75,000 to 90,000 seated and 15,000 standing (concerts)
68,400 to 72,000 (athletics)
Field dimensions 105 × 69 m (344 × 226 ft)
Tenants
England national football team (2007–present)

Wembley Stadium (often referred to simply as Wembley, pronounced /ˈwɛmbli/, or sometimes as the New Wembley, to differentiate it from the former stadium on the same site) is a football stadium located in Wembley Park, in the London Borough of Brent, England, which opened in 2007 on the site of the previous 1923 structure. The 90,000 capacity venue is the second largest stadium in Europe, and serves as England's national stadium. It is the home venue of the England national football team, and hosts the latter stages of the top level domestic club cup competition, the FA Cup. It held UEFA five-star stadium status which was superseded by a new system of classification. It is owned by English football's governing body, the Football Association (The FA) through their subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL). The old Wembley stadium, which opened in 1923 as the Empire Stadium, often referred to as "The Twin Towers", was one of the world's most famous football stadiums until its demolition in 2003.[4]

Designed by Foster and Partners and Populous, it includes a partially retractable roof. A signature feature of the stadium, following on from the old Wembley's distinctive Twin Towers, is the 134 metres (440 ft) high Wembley Arch. With a span of 317 metres (1,040 ft), this steel arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world. The stadium was built by Australian firm Multiplex at a cost of £798 million. The old Wembley closed in October 2000, with demolition originally intended for that December and the new stadium due to open in 2003. After delays to the project, the old Wembley was not completely demolished until 2003, with the new stadium scheduled to open in time for the 2006 FA Cup Final. After further delays, the stadium was delivered nearly a year late, leading to legal disputes between WNSL and Multiplex, who ultimately made a significant loss on the project. The stadium was handed over on 9 March 2007, in time to host the 2007 FA Cup Final.

In international football, the stadium is a central component of the English 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids. In 2012 it will also host the football finals of the London Olympics. In club football, in addition to the FA Cup the stadium also hosts the showpiece season opening game the FA Community Shield match, played in August between the winners of the FA Cup and the top-level Premier League. In mid-season it also hosts the finals of the Football League Cup and Football League Trophy. At the end of the domestic season the stadium also hosts the latter stages of the Football League play-offs. In European football, it is due to host the 2011 Champions League Final. In friendly tournaments, since 2009 it has been the venue of the summer Wembley Cup. Outside of football, the stadium also hosts major rugby league games, such as the Challenge Cup. The stadium is also an annual regular season venue for the American National Football League's International Series, the first such venue outside North America. Non-sporting uses include large concerts by artists such as Green Day, Muse, Oasis, Take That, Metallica, U2, Madonna and Rihanna as well as hosting in July 2007 the Concert for Diana and Live Earth.

Contents

Building

Wembley Stadium.

Wembley was designed by architects Foster + Partners and Populous (formerly HOK Sport) and with engineers Mott MacDonald, built by Australian company Brookfield Multiplex and funded by Sport England, WNSL (Wembley National Stadium Limited), the Football Association, the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the London Development Agency. It is one of the most expensive stadiums ever built at a cost of £798 million (After Meadowlands Stadium)[1][5] and has the largest roof-covered seating capacity in the world. Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners was appointed to assist Wembley National Stadium Limited in preparing the scheme for a new stadium and to obtain planning and listed building permission for the development.[6]

Construction of the new Wembley, looking east, taken January 2006

The all-seater stadium is based around a bowl design with a capacity of 90,000, protected from the elements by a sliding roof that does not completely enclose it. It can also be adapted as an athletic stadium by erecting a temporary platform over the lowest tier of seating . The stadium's signature feature is a circular section lattice arch of 7 m (23 ft) internal diameter with a 315 m (1,033 ft) span, erected some 22° off true, and rising to 133 m (436 ft). It supports all the weight of the north roof and 60% of the weight of the retractable roof on the southern side.[7] The archway is the world's longest unsupported roof structure.[8] Instead of the 39 steps climbed, in the original stadium, to enter the Royal Box and collect a trophy, there are now 107.[9]

A "platform system" has been designed to convert the stadium for athletics use, but its use would decrease the stadium's capacity to approximately 60,000.[10] No athletics events have taken place at the stadium, and none are scheduled.

A map of Wembley Stadium in relation to Olympic Way, Wembley Central, Wembley Stadium and Wembley Park stations, and the A406 North Circular Road (bottom right)

The stadium is linked to Wembley Park Station on the London Underground via Olympic Way, and Wembley Central via the White Horse Bridge. It also has a rail link—provided by the Wembley Stadium railway station—to London Marylebone and Birmingham.

The initial plan for the reconstruction of Wembley was for demolition to begin before Christmas 2000, and for the new stadium to be completed some time during 2003, but this work was delayed by a succession of financial and legal difficulties. It was scheduled to open on 13 May 2006, with the first game being that year's FA Cup Final. However, worries were expressed as to whether the stadium would actually be completed on time.[11] The new stadium was completed and handed over to the FA on 9 March 2007, with the total cost of the project (including local transport infrastructure redevelopment and the cost of financing) estimated to be £1 billion (roughly US$1.97 billion).

The stadium in its very early stages of construction, circa August 2003
New Wembley Stadium looking south, view from the new Wembley Way, January 2007

In October 2005, Sports Minister Richard Caborn announced: "They say the Cup Final will be there, barring six feet of snow or something like that". However in December 2005, the builders admitted that there was a "material risk" that the stadium might not be ready in time for the Cup Final[12] and in February 2006, these worries were confirmed by the FA moving the game to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The delays started as far back as 2003. In December 2003, the constructors of the arch, subcontractors Cleveland Bridge, warned Multiplex about rising costs and a delay on the steel job of almost a year due to design changes which Multiplex rejected. Cleveland Bridge were removed from the project and replaced by Dutch firm Hollandia with all the attendant problems of starting over. 2004 also saw errors, most notably a fatal accident involving carpenter Patrick O'Sullivan for which construction firm PC Harrington Contractors were fined £150,000 in relation to breaches of health and safety laws.[13] On 20 March 2006, a steel rafter in the roof of the new development fell by a foot and a half, forcing 3,000 workers to evacuate the stadium and raising further doubts over the completion date which was already behind schedule.[14] On 23 March 2006, sewers beneath the stadium buckled due to ground movement.[15] GMB Union leader Steve Kelly said that the problem had been caused by the pipes not being properly laid, and that the repair would take months. A spokesman for developers Multiplex said that they did not believe this would "have any impact on the completion of the stadium", which was then scheduled to be completed on 31 March 2006.

On 30 March 2006, the developers announced that Wembley Stadium would not be ready until 2007.[16] All competitions and concerts planned were to be moved to suitable locations. On 19 June 2006 it was announced that the turf had been laid. On 19 October 2006 it was announced that the venue was now set to open in early 2007 after the dispute between The Football Association and Multiplex had finally been settled. WNSL, a subsidiary of The Football Association, is expected to pay around £36m to Multiplex, as well as the amount of the original fixed-price contract. This meant that the Wembley Stadium was ready for the 2007 FA Cup Final on 19 May 2007. The official Wembley Stadium website announced that the stadium would be open for public viewing for local residents of Brent on 3 March 2007, however the event was delayed by two weeks and instead happened on 17 March. The keys to the new Wembley stadium were finally handed over to the owners on 9 March 2007 ready to be open and used for upcoming FA Cup football matches, concerts and other events.

Wembley Stadium.

A short documentary of its redevelopment can be found on the Queen Live at Wembley '86 DVD. The reconstruction of the stadium is part of the wider regeneration of Wembley.

Although not completed or opened at the time, EA Sports added Wembley Stadium into the video game FIFA 07.

A statue of Bobby Moore—the captain of the England national football team when they won the 1966 Football World Cup at Wembley—was unveiled outside the stadium on Friday 11 May 2007.[17]

Structure

Pitch

The new pitch is 13 ft (4.0 m) lower than the previous pitch. The pitch size, as lined for association football, is 115 yards (105 m) long by 75 yards (69 m) wide, slightly narrower than the old Wembley[24] Since the completion of the new Wembley, the pitch has come into major disrepute when it was commented on being "no good" and "not in the condition that Wembley used to be known for" by Slaven Bilić before the game between England and the team he managed, Croatia.[25] It was confirmed when the pitch was terribly cut up during the game, which was blamed by some[26] as the reason England did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.[27] The Football Association admitted in April 2009 after the FA Cup semi-finals that improvements are needed to the Wembley pitch after criticism of the surface by Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and David Moyes. The grass has been relaid ten times since the stadium re-opened in 2007 and was relaid again in the summer of 2009, ahead of the 2009 Community Shield.[28][29]

In March 2010, the surface was relaid for the 10th time since 2007, when the stadium was rebuilt. In April 2010, the pitch was again heavily criticised following the FA Cup semi-finals, during which the players found it difficult to keep their footing and the surface cut up despite the dry conditions. Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp labelled it a "disgrace" after his side's semi-final defeat to Portsmouth.[30] After the 2010 FA Cup Final, Chelsea captain John Terry said, "The pitch ruined the final. It’s probably the worst pitch we’ve played on all year. It was not good enough for a Wembley pitch."[31] It was relaid with Desso semi-artificial pitch, ahead of the 2010 community shield game between Chelsea and Manchester United. Michael Owen, who previously criticised the pitch for causing him injury, said that it was much improved.[32]

Covering

Detail of the arch
Close-Up of the Arch

The stadium roof has an area of 40,000 m2, of which 13,722 m2 is movable.[20] The primary reason for the sliding roof was to avoid shading the pitch, as grass demands direct sunlight to grow effectively.[33] Angus Campbell, chief architect, also said that an aim was for pitch to be in sunlight during the match between the beginning of May and the end of June, between 3pm and 5pm, which is when the FA and World cups would be played. The sliding roof design minimised the shadow by having the roof pulled back on the east, west and south[34] however a wholly unshaded pitch has not been achieved between 3pm and 5pm during the FA Cup Final; at the FA Cup Final in 2007 the pitch was in partial shade at the start and during the match, a situation which was mentioned during the live commentatary.[35]

The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch and is supported by an arch rising 133 metres above the level of the external concourse. With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world.[19] Many believed that the new 'roof' would incorporate a fully retractable design allowing maximum protection from the elements e.g.: snow, rain, weather, wind, storms and very bright sunlight. Visitors to Wembley were disappointed with the lack of a movable 'roof' feature especially considering the high construction cost of such a stadium. The inclusion of a large semi-circular arch did little to convince visitors expecting a 'state of the art' weather protection system. In practice, the roof is more of an umbrella against the rain for spectators rather than a fully retractable roof which can cover the entire pitch. Contractors of the new Wembley were quick to point out that the roof wasn't a 'roof' and should be more accurately described as a 'covering'

Litigation

The Australian firm Multiplex, which was the main contractor on Wembley Stadium, made significant losses on the project.[36][37] In an attempt to recoup some of those losses, the firm has initiated a number of legal cases against its sub-contractors and consultants.[38] The largest of these - the largest legal claim in UK legal history - is a claim for £253 million against the structural engineering consultants Mott Macdonald.[39] In preliminary hearings the two architecture practices which worked for Multiplex on the project have been ordered to allow Multiplex access to their records in order for them to build a case. The practices, Foster + Partners and Populous, estimate the costs of providing access and answering Multiplex's queries at £5 million.[40] The case is not due to be heard until January 2011.[41] Mott Macdonald has issued a counter-claim for unpaid fees of £250,000.[39]

Multiplex has also taken the original steel contractor, Cleveland Bridge, to court in order to claim up to £38 million[42] compensation for costs resulting from Cleveland Bridge walking away from the job. Cleveland Bridge, in turn, claimed up to £15 million from Multiplex. The case was finally resolved in September 2008 with Cleveland Bridge ordered to pay £6.1 million in damages and 20% of Multiplex's costs after the court found Cleveland Bridge was in the wrong to walk off site. The judge criticised both sides for allowing the case to reach court, pointing out that total costs were £22 million, including £1 million for photocopying.[43] Multiplex's ultimate bill is estimated to be over £10 million.

Multiplex is also contesting a claim from its concrete contractor, PC Harrington, that Multiplex owes £13.4 million to PC Harrington.[44]

The dispute between Multiplex (now known as Brookfield) and Mott Macdonald was settled out of court in June 2010, the judge having warned that costs were likely to be more than £74 million.[45]

Tenants

Wembley Stadium during the 2007 Race of Champions

The English national football team is a major user of Wembley Stadium. Given the ownership by The Football Association as of 10 March 2007, the League Cup final moved back to Wembley from Cardiff following the FA Cup final and FA Community Shield. Other showpiece football matches that were previously staged at Wembley, such as the Football League promotion play-offs and the Football League Trophy final, have returned to the stadium, as has the Football Conference play-off final. Additionally, the Rugby League Challenge Cup final returned to Wembley Stadium in 2007. The new Wembley is a significant part of the plan for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; the stadium will be the site of several games in both the men's and women's football tournaments, with the finals planned to be held there.

The Race of Champions staged their 2007 and 2008 events at the stadium.

Wembley has had a long association with American Football. A USFL game was staged there in 1984, and between 1986 and 1993 the old Wembley stadium hosted eight NFL exhibition games featuring 13 different NFL teams.[46] Since the new Wembley Stadium opened in 2007 Wembley has hosted games during the NFL regular season. As a result of this, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated in October 2009 that "he expects the NFL will start playing multiple regular-season games in Britain in the next few years, an expansion that could lead to putting a franchise in London."[47]

Music

The stage at the Live Earth concert held at Wembley on 7 July 2007.

Besides football, Wembley can be configured to hold many other events, particularly major concerts.

The first concert at the new stadium was given by George Michael on 9 June 2007.[48] Bon Jovi were scheduled to be the first artists to perform at the new Wembley but the late completion of the stadium saw the concerts relocated to the National Bowl and the KC Stadium.

Muse became the first band to sell out the new stadium in 2007 and made a live DVD at the same time.

U2 set the current attendance record for an event, selling 164,244 tickets over two nights on 14 & 15 August 2009.

Other acts to have performed at the stadium are Metallica, Foo Fighters, Madonna, Coldplay, Oasis, Take That and AC/DC.[49]

Two large charity concerts have been held at the new Wembley stadium, the Concert for Diana, a memorial concert to commemorate ten years after the Death of Princess Diana, and Live Earth, a concert hosted at Wembley as part of the Live Earth Foundation, committed to combating climate change.

American punk rock band Green Day continued their world tour, playing at Wembley on 19 June 2010. The gig was Green Day's biggest audience yet.[50]

Muse will return to Wembley Stadium on 10 and 11 September 2010, having previously played there in June 2007.

Michael Jackson's Tribute concert would have been held here on 8 June 2010 to over 90,000 fans. The concert would have been aired live world wide and close celebrity guests to Michael Jackson such as Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am and Jermaine Jackson would have come to commemorate Michael Jackson.

95.8 Capital FM's Summertime Ball, which was previously hosted with 55,000 spectators at the Arsenal Emirates Stadium and slightly less in Hyde Park (as Party in the Park) , was hosted at Wembley on Sunday 6 June 2010, and was headlined by Rihanna and Usher. The move to Wembley allowed many more fans to watch the annual music event which has previously lasts over 5 hours with more than 10 performers. It is thought to be the biggest commercial music event held at the stadium.

Past concerts

Date Artist
9, 10 June 2007 George Michael[51]
16, 17 June 2007 Muse[52]
1 July 2007 Concert for Diana[53]
7 July 2007 Live Earth[54]
8 July 2007 Metallica[55]
6, 7 June 2008 Foo Fighters
11 September 2008 Madonna
26 June 2009 AC/DC
1, 3, 4, 5 July 2009 Take That
9, 11, 12 July 2009 Oasis
14, 15 August 2009 U2
18, 19 September 2009 Coldplay
6 June 2010 Capital FM's Summertime Ball
19 June 2010 Green Day

Future concerts

Date Artist
10, 11 September 2010 Muse

Firsts at the new Wembley Stadium

Football

League Two Play-Off Final 2008

The first match at the stadium was a game played behind closed doors between Multiplex and Wembley Stadium staff.[57] The first game in front of spectators was between the Geoff Thomas Foundation Charity XI and the Wembley Sponsors Allstars on 17 March 2007. The Geoff Thomas Foundation Charity XI won 2–0 (scorers Mark Bright and Simon Jordan).[58] The first official match involving professional players was England U21s vs Italy U21s on 24 March 2007, which finished 3–3. Official attendance was 55,700 (although all of the 60,000 tickets that were made available were sold in advance).[59] The first player to score in a FIFA sanctioned match was Italian striker Giampaolo Pazzini after 28 seconds of the same game. Pazzini went on to score twice more in the second half of the match making him the first person to score a hat-trick at Wembley Stadium since Paul Scholes for England in 1999. The first English player to score in a full-scale match was David Bentley with a free kick in the same game.[59]

The first club game, competitive game, and cup final held at the new Wembley took place on 12 May 2007 when Kidderminster Harriers met Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy final.[60] Kidderminster striker James Constable was the first player to score a goal in a final at the new Wembley. Kidderminster became the first team to play at both the old and new stadium. Stevenage Borough were the first team to win a final at the new Wembley beating Kidderminster 3–2, despite trailing 2–0 at half time. The first players to play at both the old and new Wembley stadia were Steve Guppy (for Stevenage Borough) and Jeff Kenna (for Kidderminster Harriers). Ex-England international Guppy was the first player to win a final at both stadia (with Leicester City, Wycombe Wanderers and Stevenage). Ronnie Henry was the first ever player to lift a competitive club trophy at the new Wembley.[61]

The first penalty save and first red card came in the Conference National playoff final between Exeter City and Morecambe. The penalty was saved by Paul Jones of Exeter City from Morecambe striker Wayne Curtis. The red card was given to Matthew Gill of Exeter for a headbutt on Craig Stanley of Morecambe.[62]

The first Football League teams to play at Wembley in a competitive fixture were Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town in the 2007 Football League Two play-off Final on 26 May 2007. Shrewsbury Town became the first league team to score at Wembley and also the first league team to have a player sent off. Bristol Rovers won the game 3–1 in front of 61,589 which was a stadium record until the Championship play-off final between West Bromwich Albion and Derby County two days later.

The first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley (between Manchester United and Chelsea) was on 19 May 2007. Chelsea won 1–0 with a goal by Didier Drogba, making him the first player to score in the FA Cup final at the new Wembley. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech also became the first goalkeeper not to concede a goal in a competitive game at Wembley. Chelsea were the last winners of the cup final at the old Wembley and the first winners at the new. Curiously only two clubs, Chelsea and Portsmouth have won the famous trophy at the new stadium and they met in the fourth final on 15 May 2010, with Chelsea coming out as the victors 1–0.

The first game involving the full English national team was a friendly played on 1 June 2007, against Brazil. The match saw captain John Terry become the first England international goal scorer at the new stadium when he scored in the 68th minute. Diego became the first full international player to score for a visiting team when he scored in stoppage time, with the fulltime result being a 1–1 draw. The first competitive senior international was played on 8 September 2007 between England and Israel. This game ended 3–0. The first player to score international goals at both the old and new stadia was Michael Owen when he scored for England against Israel. On 22 August Germany beat England 2–1 to become the first team to beat them in the new Wembley Stadium. England's first competitive defeat at the new stadium was on 21 November 2007 when Croatia won 3–2. This match cost England qualification to Euro 2008 and head coach Steve McClaren his job.

Celtic were the first Scottish team to win a trophy at the new Wembley. Competing in the first year of the Wembley Cup in July 2009, against English side Tottenham, Egyptian side Al-Ahly and the 2009 European Champions, Barcelona.

Millwall currently hold the record for the number of fans at Wembley Stadium by one club,[63] a record they also held at the old Wembley when they brought 47,000 fans against Wigan Athletic in the Football League Trophy final in 1999.[64]

Rugby union

The first top level rugby union match was a non-cap match between the Barbarians and Australia on 3 December 2008. In the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership, Saracens played three home games at Wembley, moving from their normal home ground at Vicarage Road, Watford. Wembley is one of the named stadia for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Date Competition Home team Away team
3 December 2008 Barbarians 11  Australia 18
12 September 2009 2009–10 Guinness Premiership (Round 2) Saracens 19 Northampton Saints 16
13 February 2010 2009–10 Guinness Premiership (Round 14) Saracens 25 Worcester Warriors 20
17 April 2010 2009–10 Guinness Premiership (Round 20) Saracens 37 Harlequins 18

Rugby league

American football

Transport connections

London Buses Olympic Way 92, PR2
Stop M Wembley Park Station 223, 297, PR2
Stop O Wembley Park Station 83, 182, 223, 297, PR2
London Underground 0.9 mile walk (Main entrance) Wembley Park[66]
National Rail Wembley Stadium

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Wembley kick-off: Stadium is ready and England play first game in fortnight". Daily Mail (London). 9 March 2007. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-441182/Wembley-kick-Stadium-ready-England-play-game-fortnight.html. Retrieved 19 March 2007. 
  2. ↑ Projects : Wembley Stadium. Populous.com. http://portfolio.populous.com/projects/wembley.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Wembley Stadium, London". Design Build Network. 19 June 2006. http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/wembley. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  4. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/2005/10/20/microsoft-wembley-sponsorship-cx_cn_1020autofacescan08.html
  5. ↑ Belson, Ken (8 April 2010). "New Stadium, a Football Palace, Opens Saturday With Lacrosse". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/football/09stadium.html. Retrieved 25 April 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Projects : National stadium, Wembley". Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners. http://www.nlpplanning.com/projects.php?id=4. 
  7. ↑ "Wembley arch due for completion". BBC News. 16 February 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3492303.stm. 
  8. ↑ Guinness World Records 2006
  9. ↑ ""A beautiful new home for the beautiful game"". Soccernet.espn.go.com. 31 May 2006. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=369749&cc=5739. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  10. ↑ http://www.insidethegames.com/london-2012/football/
  11. ↑ "Wembley chief's Cup final doubts". BBC News. 11 November 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4427962.stm. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  12. ↑ "FA plays down doubts over Wembley". BBC News. 21 December 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4547728.stm. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  13. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/firm-fined-over-wembley-stadium-death-1739590.html
  14. ↑ "Wembley cleared after beam slips". BBC News. 20 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4824448.stm. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  15. ↑ "Wembley dismisses 'sewer problem'". BBC News. 23 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4838744.stm. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  16. ↑ "Stadium delay hits Wembley gigs". BBC News. 31 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4862156.stm. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  17. ↑ Wembley's Moore statue unveiled - BBC News, 11 May 2007
  18. ↑ "Doors finally open at new Wembley". BBC News. 17 March 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6459415.stm. Retrieved 19 March 2007. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 "Presspack : Facts and Figures". Wembley National Stadium Limited. http://www.wembleystadium.com/pressbox/presspack/factsandFigures.htm. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Building Wembley : Construction facts". Wembley National Stadium Limited. http://www.wembleystadium.com/buildingwembley/statsandfacts/. 
  21. ↑ "'Steel the key' to extra time". BBC News. 21 February 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4735812.stm. Retrieved 19 March 2007. 
  22. ↑ "The New Wembley", BBC Documentary with Lord Foster and Adrian Chiles
  23. ↑ "Wembley Stadium Arch Facts and Figures". wembleystadium.com. http://www.wembleystadium.com/brilliantfuture/thearch/fascinatingfacts.htm. Retrieved 19 March 2007. 
  24. ↑ "Wembley Stadium, London". designbuild-network.com. 1 April 2007. http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/wembley/. Retrieved 1 April 2007. 
  25. ↑ "Bilic blasts poor Wembley pitch". BBC Sport. 21 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7105052.stm. Retrieved 21 January 2008. 
  26. ↑ Winter, Henry (22 November 2007). "Croatia end woeful England's Euro 2008 dream". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/england/2326334/Croatia-end-woeful-England%27s-Euro-2008-dream.html. Retrieved 22 January 2008. 
  27. ↑ "English game is paralysed by a fear of the unknown". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article2926251.ece. Retrieved 22 January 2008. 
  28. ↑ "FA to address Wembley pitch issue". BBC Sport. 20 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/8006546.stm. Retrieved 20 April 2009. 
  29. ↑ "FA promises action now and later over Wembley's problem pitch". The Guardian (London). 20 April 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/20/wembley-pitch-row. Retrieved 20 April 2009. 
  30. ↑ "Harry Redknapp seethes at 'disgraceful' Wembley pitch". BBC Sport (BBC). 11 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8614642.stm. Retrieved 13 April 2010. 
  31. ↑ "John Terry: Wembley pitch ruined the final". The Times (London). 15 May 2010. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article7127609.ece. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 
  32. ↑ "Owen happy with Wembley". Sky Sports (Sky Sports). 9 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11667_6301705,00.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
  33. ↑ "Presspack: Key features". Wembley National Stadium Limited. 
  34. ↑ Football's Coming Home, publisher=People Magazine. January 2006. p. 45. 
  35. ↑ "BBC text commentary FA Cup Final 2007". BBC News. 19 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/6672585.stm. ""1504 The Chelsea goal is in the shaded part of the pitch....1518: The whole pitch is in shade now"" 
  36. ↑ Denis Campbell, (15 October 2006). "Eight-year Wembley stadium saga is over at last". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oct/15/football.wembleystadium. 
  37. ↑ "Losses for Wembley firm hit £106m". BBC News. 23 February 2006, publisher=BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4741396.stm. 
  38. ↑ David Rogers (13 March 2008). "£253m How much Multiplex wants from Mott MacDonald". The Architects' journal. http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/253m-how-much-multiplex-wants-from-mott-macdonald/912962.article. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Mott MacDonald steels itself for high court battle over Wembley Stadium". The Guardian (London). 9 July 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/09/wembley-mott-macdonald-multiplex-high-court. 
  40. ↑ Will Henley (20 March 2009). "Wembley architects fear ‘ruinous cost’ of ruling". bdonline.co.uk. http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3136659. 
  41. ↑ Rhiannon Hoyle (30 July 2009). "Multiplex v Mott MacDonald trial to start in Jan 2011". Construction news. http://www.cnplus.co.uk/hot-topics/legal/multiplex-v-mott-macdonald-trial-to-start-in-jan-2011/5206025.article.  (subscription required)
  42. ↑ Andrew Mylius (22 June 2006). "Wembley judgement 'lets contractors screw subbies'". nce.co.uk. http://www.nce.co.uk/wembley-judgement-lets-contractors-screw-subbies/483494.article. 
  43. ↑ Owen McAteer (30 September 2008). "Both sides claim victory as judge rules on Wembley row". The Northern Echo. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/3713660.Both_sides_claim_victory_as_judge_rules_onWembley_row/. 
  44. ↑ Chloë McCulloch (5 December 2007). "Multiplex wins another legal spat over Wembley stadium". Building. 
  45. ↑ Joey Gardiner (25 June 2010). "Final whistle for £253m Wembley row". Building. 
  46. ↑ "NFL in the UK". 25 October 2009, publisher=nfllondon.net. http://www.nfllondon.net/history.html. 
  47. ↑ "Goodell expects more games to be played in Britain soon",". nfl.com. 2009. http://www.nfl.com/international/story?id=09000d5d813a1e4a&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true. 
  48. ↑ Michael makes history at Wembley BBC News
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  50. ↑ "Green Day Announce 3 Summer Stadium Dates Of 2010". New Musical Express. UK. http://www.nme.com/news/green-day/48164. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
  51. ↑ Caroline Sullivan. "George Michael review at guardian.co.uk". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/jun/11/popandrock.georgemichael. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
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  53. ↑ Davies, Caroline (1 July 2007). "Concert for Diana review at". The Daily Telegraph. London. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1556165/Princes-open-Wembley-Diana-concert-with-joke.html. Retrieved 11 August 2010. 
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