| Teddy Stadium איצטדיון טדי |
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|---|---|
| Location | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Broke ground | 1990 |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Renovated | 1999, 2011 |
| Owner | Municipality of Jerusalem |
| Operator | Municipality of Jerusalem |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | US $12,000,000 |
| Capacity | 21,600 (31,600 in 2013) |
| Tenants | |
| Beitar Jerusalem (1992–present) Hapoel Jerusalem (1992–present) 2001 Maccabiah Games |
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Teddy Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון טדי, Itztadion Teddy) is a football stadium in Jerusalem, Israel. Two football teams currently use the stadium - Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Jerusalem.
It is named for long-time Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek who was in office during the time of its construction and was one of its prominent advocates.
For Beitar, the stadium was a blessing after years of playing at the YMCA Stadium, which was also nicknamed "The Sandbox". In the first stage, only the west and east sides of the stadium were built giving it a capacity of 13,000. In 1999 work was finished on a north side that was perfectly connected to the west and east stands putting capacity at 21,600.[1]
The stadium itself is one of the newest in Israel and one of the few that is close to meeting all European standards. It is accessible to the disabled, has modern bathrooms, and has ample concession stands, a combination that is very difficult to find in many Israeli stadiums. The stadium has 5,000 parking spots on premises, and is connected to the Malha Mall and its parking facilities by a pedestrian bridge.
The stadium is located at the terminus of the Begin Expressway and just past the Malha Train Station, which ensures convenient road and rail access to the rest of the country.
Because of its beauty and atmosphere (stands are close to the pitch and the acoustics are excellent), Teddy Stadium also hosted several Israel national football team matches as well as the Maccabiah Games opening ceremony and other public events.
Jerusalem municipality decided to increase the stadium's capacity to 31,600 seats until 2013 for hosting UEFA European Under-21 Championship and the Maccabiah Olympic Games - the constructions are happening at these days and planned to be finished until March 2013.
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