| Alfheim | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tromsø, Norway |
| Opened | 1987 |
| Owner | Tromsø IL |
| Operator | Tromsø IL |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Capacity | 7,500[1][2] |
| Tenants | |
| Tromsø IL | |
Alfheim stadion is the home ground of the Norwegian Premier League football club Tromsø I.L. It is located in Tromsø, Norway.
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The artificial grass pitch at Alfheim Stadium is the biggest in Norway, being 110 metres long and 70 meters wide. It is also the northernmost Premier Division stadium in Norway, making its under-soil heating a necessity.
Alfheim had natural grass until 2006. However, the condition of the pitch, especially during the winter months, received considerable criticism from sports pundits and visiting managers. Usually in October, when the Eliteserie is in its last rounds, winter sets in in Tromsø. This, along with the wear and tear from football matches and practicing sessions, caused the grass to disappear and reduced the pitch to a muddy field. To make up for this, Tromsø I.L. installed artificial turf at the stadium during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Funding for the turf came from contributions to the club from several businesses in Tromsø, including 7.5 million NOK from an anonymous donor. The artificial turf laid in 2006 was replaced with a new one in June 2010 after taking much criticism.
The East stand is an all seated covered stand which can accommodate about 2000 people. This stand was built in the mid-eighties and is the oldest stand at Alfheim. It houses the clubs offices. At the back of the stand there is a row of executive boxes. Some controversy surrounded the East Stand during the 2004-season. Ringnes, a Norwegian brewery, complained about the clubs S.K. Brann and Tromsø I.L. being sponsored by the breweries Hansa Borg and Mack Brewery respectively. Advertising for alcohol is illegal in Norway. The result of this complaint for Tromsø I.L. was that the club had to remove all advertisements for Mack, including the seating arrangement on one of the stands that spelled out Mack. The seats were changed, making the stands spell out Tack in stead. Tack is a play on words, since it resembles the word Takk, Norwegian for "thank you", a gesture from Tromsø I.L. thanking Mack for the co-operation through a great deal of years. Ahead of the 2005-season, the former Mack-stands had been renamed to the Coop-stands, being sponsored by the Norwegian convenience store chain Coop.
The West Stand was rebuilt during the 2005-season, meaning both sides now are seated and covered. Before the rebuilding the West Stand was an uncovered wooden stand. The West Stand has a capacity of approximately 4000, making it the largest stand at Alfheim. There are three media gantries suspended from the roof of the West Stand.
Straddling the middle of the south end and running for two thirds of the length is an uncovered family stand which seats approximately 600 people. Ahead of the 2011 season this stand replaced most of the 1500 capacity temporary uncovered stand. A part of the old stand remains next to the family stand towards the east stand and is given to the visiting team supporters, leaving them with the worst facilities at Alfheim. The old South Stand was closed for matches in European cup tournaments due to safety regulations imposed by UEFA.
Until August 2007 there was a temporary uncovered stand at the north end which ran for about two thirds of the pitch, this was dismantled to allow place for a stage during a music festival. The north end is now filled with advertising hoardings. In 2010 the scoreboard and stadium clock at the north end were replaced with a large video screen i the north east corner. Set back from the pitch at the north end is TIL-huset, a building that previously housed the teams changing rooms.
Record Attendance: 10,225 v Rosenborg on 15 August 1990 (quarter final in the Norwegian Cup)
Because of Tromsø I.L.'s good home record in many seasons in the Eliteserie (e.g. 10 wins in 13 matches in the 2004-season), Alfheim Stadium has been given the nickname Fort Alfheim, building on the image of Alfheim Stadium as being impregnable. Chelsea F.C., Galatasaray, and Red Star Belgrade have all experienced losing to Tromsø I.L. at Alfheim.
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