| PGE Arena Gdańsk | |
|---|---|
PGE Arena Gdańsk UEFA Category 4 Stadium |
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| Full name | PGE Arena Gdańsk |
| Former names | Baltic Arena |
| Location | ul. Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk 1, 80-560 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Broke ground | 2008 |
| Built | 2008 - 2011 |
| Opened | 14 August 2011 |
| Owner | City of Gdańsk |
| Operator | Lechia Gdańsk Operator |
| Surface | Field (Grass) |
| Construction cost | 775 million PLN |
| Architect | RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky |
| Structural engineer | Bollinger+Grohmann |
| Capacity | 43,615 |
| Record attendance | 38,000 (Poland-Germany, 6 September 2011) |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 metres |
| Tenants | |
| Euro 2012 Lechia Gdańsk |
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The PGE Arena Gdańsk (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpɛ ˈgʲɛ ˈɛ aˈrɛna ˈgdaɲsk]), previously called the Baltic Arena, is a football stadium in Gdańsk, Poland. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Lechia Gdańsk. The Stadium is located on ul. Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk ("Generations of Lechia Gdańsk street") in the northern part of the city (Letnica district).[1] The capacity of the stands is 43,615 spectators, all seated and roofed. PGE Arena Gdańsk is the largest arena in Ekstraklasa and the third one in the country (after National Stadium and Silesia Stadium).
Construction of the stadium started in 2008 and was completed mid-2011.[2] The opening match was between Lechia Gdańsk and Cracovia and ended with 1–1 draw.[3] The first international match, Poland - Germany, took place on 6 September 2011 and ended 2-2. The latter was relocated from Warsaw because the National Stadium was not ready. PGE Arena is used by Lechia Gdańsk since “White-green” relocated there form MOSiR Stadium.
The stadium is also one of the designated venues for the finals of Euro 2012. It will be hosted four matches of the tournament. Three matches in Group C and one quarterfinal are to be played here.[4]
Since 2010 the official name of the stadium is PGE Arena Gdańsk on the basis of a sponsorship agreement with Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE Group).[5]
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This stadium is a football-specific stadium, which means that the turf is not ejected or changeable. For that reason it also lacks an athletics track (running). The stadium has dimensions 236 meters long, 203 meters wide and 45 meters height. PGE Area’s exterior is designed to resemble amber which has long been extracted on the Baltic coast. Whole roof construction is based on 82 girders. Roof structure has totally area of 44 000. The facade is covered with 18 000 plates of polycarbonate, in 6 shades, with a total area of 4.5 hectares. Two logos (placed on the western and eastern side of the stadium), are made in LED technology, with a height of 8 meters and length of 35 meters.[6]
The pitch has dimensions of 105x68 meters, and its distance from the grandstand is 10.5 m behind the goals, and 8.5 m from the side lines.[7] PGE Arena grandstands under the standards of FIFA and UEFA are covered, the center which is hovering over the field however will be uncovered. The issue of installing a sliding roof was considered, but the idea was abandoned due to costs and limited time to complete the construction. Remaining space is reserved for the other participants of the event (staff, etc.). The stadium meets the criteria for UEFA Category 4.
Stadium capacity is 43,615 seats during league matches. However the total number of seats (gross) is approximately 44,000. During the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012 capacity will be reduced to approximately 40 000 seats.[8]
At the stadium there are 40 boxes behind glass where full catering is provided (so-called sky-boxes). Eight of which have an area of 60 m² (646 ft²) and the remaining 32 have an area of 30 m² (323 ft²).[7] In addition to the sky-boxes, stadium offers 1383 seats of higher standard (VIP places) for the more affluent guests. Each of them is equipped with comfortable seat and located just below the sky-boxes. Both sky-boxes and VIP places have a separate entrance with dedicated foyer.[9]
The seats on the PGE Arena was provided by Polish company Forum Seating belonging to the Nowy Styl Group located in Krosno.[10] Moreover the stadium has 50 extra seats for disabled persons.
In December 2009, the stadium’s name was purchased by the Polish Energy Group (PGE) for 35 million złoty (about 8.5 million euro) for a duration of five years.[11] The city of Gdańsk sold the naming rights in order to cover some of the costs of its construction. The only stipulation was that the name must include the word "Arena". The oil firm Lotos and PGE were the final competitors for the sponsorship contract which also includes the display of the firm’s logo in at least two locations at the top of the stadium, along with internal advertisements. The stadium was originally known as the Baltic Arena.
The stadium was built specifically for the UEFA European Football Championship, which will be held in 2012 in Poland. The first conceptual design of the stadium the city of Gdańsk presented before the tournament host's choice.[12] On 31 January 2008 architect who had designed the stadium was selected. It was a company of Rhode-Kellermann-Wawrowsky from Düsseldorf, who designed such stadiums like Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen and the AWD-Arena in Hannover.[13] First part of construction documents consisted of 92 volumes and the second one included next 137 volumes.
On 2 April 2008, work began on preparing the ground for the construction of the stadium, including liquidation of allotments, felling of trees and shrubs.[14] On 15 December 2008 work started on the ground exchange and density of land for the construction of the stadium.[15]
The official opening of the offers from companies willing to build new stadium took place on 25 march 2009. The offers prices varies form about 522 mln zł to 635 mln zł. Two days later contract with company who introduced the cheapest offer was signed. It was consortium of companies: Hydrobudowa Polska S.A, Hydrobudowa 9, Alpine Bau Deutschland AG Berlin, Alpine Bau GmbH Austria, Alpine Construction Polska Sp. z o.o.[16]
One of the most important days in history of PGE Arena was 28 May 2009 when the main construction began.[17] In mid-July the cornerstone was laid.[18] Within the next year main steel and concrete structure was completed and the ceremony of topping out took place at 24 July 2010.
The original date of completion of the stadium was the end of 2010. On 9 June 2011, the match between National teams of Poland and France was planned.[19] Due to security reasons, the match was moved to Warsaw.[20]
Stadium was opened at 19 July 2011.[21] The first official football event on PGE Arena Gdańsk took place on August 14 2011. The match between Lechia Gdańsk and Cracovia ended in 1:1 draw and the first goalscorer on the new stadium was Fred Benson.[22]
The stadium is one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2012. Three group C matches are to be played there (with the other matches in that group played at City Stadium, Poznań), as well as one quarterfinal.
The following matches are to be played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2012:
| Date | Time (CEST) | Team # | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-06-10 | 18.00 | Spain | - | Italy | Group C | - |
| 2012-06-14 | 20.45 | Spain | - | Ireland | Group C | - |
| 2012-06-18 | 20.45 | Croatia | - | Spain | Group C | - |
| 2012-06-22 | 20.45 | Winner Group B | - | Runner-up Group A | Quarter-finals | - |
So far, Poland national football team played only 1 match on the new PGE Arena Gdańsk. The match with Germany national football team was scheduled to be played in Warsaw but it has been relocated to Gdańsk because the National Stadium was not yet ready.
| Nr | Competition | Date | Opponent | Attendance | Result | Scorers for Poland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friendly | 6 September 2011 | Germany | 38000 | 2:2 (0:0) | Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Błaszczykowski |
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