San Siro
| Stadio Giuseppe Meazza | |
|---|---|
| San Siro | |
 UEFA  | |
| Location | Via Piccolomini 5, 20151 Milan, Italy |
| Coordinates | 45°28′41″N 9°07′26″E / 45.478080°N 9.12400°ECoordinates: 45°28′41″N 9°07′26″E / 45.478080°N 9.12400°E |
| Broke ground | 1925 |
| Opened | 19 September 1926 |
| Renovated | 1956, 1989 |
| Owner | Milan Municipality |
| Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
| Capacity |
26,000 (1926–1939) 55,000 (1939–1955) 100,000 (1955–1956) 90,000 (1956–1988) 72,000 (1988–1990) 88,500 (1990–2002) 85,700 (2002–2003) 82,955 (2003–2008) 80,074 (2008–2011) 80,018 (2011–)[1] |
| Executive suites | 30 |
| Record attendance | 83,381 (Inter - Schalke, 21.05.1997)[2] |
| Field dimensions | 105m x 68m |
| Tenants | |
|
A.C. Milan (1926–) F.C. Internazionale Milano (1947–) | |
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as the San Siro, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano. On 3 March 1980,[3] the stadium was named in honour of Giuseppe Meazza, the two-time World Cup winner (1934, 1938) who played for Internazionale, and briefly for Milan, in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. It held UEFA five-star stadium status which was superseded by a new system of classification.
History
Construction of the stadium commenced in 1925 in the district of Milan named San Siro, with the new stadium originally named "Nuovo Stadio Calcistico San Siro" (San Siro New Football Stadium).[4] The idea to build a stadium in the same district as the horse racing track, belongs to the man who then was the president of AC Milan, Piero Pirelli. The architects designed a private stadium only for football, without the athletics tracks which characterized the Italian stadia built with public funds.[5] The inauguration was on 19 September 1926, when 35,000 spectators saw Internazionale defeat Milan 6–3. Originally, the ground was home and property of AC Milan. In 1947 FC Internazionale became tenants and the two have shared the ground ever since.
As well as being used by Milan and Inter, the Italian national team also plays occasional games there and it has also been used for the 1965, 1970, and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals. The stadium was also used for Internazionale's UEFA Cup finals when played over home and away legs but has never featured since the competition changed to a single final structure in 1997–98.
The stadium underwent further renovations for the 1990 World Cup with $60 million being spent, bringing the stadium up to UEFA category four standard. As part of the renovations, the stadium became all seated, with an extra tier being added to three sides of the stadium. This entailed the building of 11 concrete towers around the outside of the stadium. Four of these concrete towers were being located at the corners to support a new roof which has distinctive protruding red girders.
Inter is in the process of new stadium feasibility studies.
The first Rugby Union international at the San Siro took place when Italy played New Zealand national rugby union team in the 2009 end of year rugby tests.
Renovations
| Year | Total capacity |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 26,000 |
| 1939 | 55,000 |
| 1955 | 100,000 |
| 1956 | 90,000 |
| 1988 | 72,000 |
| 1990 | 88,500 |
| 2002 | 85,700 |
| 2003 | 82,955 |
| 2008 | 81,277[6] |
- 1939 End stands enlarged and corners filled in. A crowd of 55,000 for Italy – England 2–2.
- 1940 65,000 for Italy vs. Germany.
- 1955 Completion of two tiers giving a claimed capacity of 100,000.
- 1956 25 April, in front of 100,000 spectators, Italy – Brazil 3–0 (Goals: Virgili 2, De Sordi).
- After the Heysel Stadium disaster, the capacity was reduced to 80,000 in the mid-1980s.
- 1987 As a preparation for the 1990 World Cup, the Italian government gave the Milanese council $30 million for its modernization, but in the end, the cost was more than double that. Project 1990 by Ragazzi e Hoffner e Salvi: 11 concrete towers of 50 metres in height. Of the 11 towers, 4 at each corner, protruded above the 3rd tier as support for the new roof.
- 1990 Third tier completed on three sides giving an all seated capacity of 85,700.
- 2002 Sky Box: 20 for 200 seats. 400 all-seats for journalists.
- Future renovation may involve the completion of the 3rd tier on the east side of the stadium, although this would involve purchasing land from the present hippodrome, behind the stadium.
Average attendances
In the 2012/13 season in which Inter finished the season in 9th and Milan finished 3rd,[7] the average attendances at the San Siro were 46,654 and 43,651 respectively.[8] these were the two highest attendances for the whole of Serie A that season.
Music events
Other than football matches, the San Siro has been host to many music concerts.
Bob Marley performed the first concert in the history of San Siro Stadium on 27 June 1980, in front of an all-time Italian record audience of about 120,000 people, which was also a European audience record for a music concert in an enclosed venue at that time.
Bob Dylan performed on 24 June 1984.
Madonna performed to a sold out crowd of 55,338 people on 14 July 2009 during her Sticky & Sweet Tour and again in front of 53,244 people on 14 June 2012 as part of her MDNA Tour.
Bruce Springsteen performed at the stadium on 21 June 1985 during his Born in the U.S.A. Tour. He performed other three sold-out show at the stadium: on 25 June 2008 during his Magic Tour, on 28 June 2003 during his The Rising Tour and on 7 June 2012 during his Wrecking Ball Tour. The American rockstar performed at the venue for the fifth time on June 3, 2013 as part of the second leg of his Wrecking Ball Tour in front of a crowd of 56,670 people.
Genesis and Paul Young performed on May 19, 1987 during the Invisible Touch Tour.
Duran Duran performed on 5 June 1987 during their Strange Behaviour Tour.
David Bowie performed on 10 June 1987 during the Spider Glass Tour.
Michael Jackson performed on 18 June 1997 during his HIStory World Tour in front of a crowd of about 70,000 people. This concert was the first and only Jackson solo performance in Milan.
The Rolling Stones performed on 10 June 2003 during their Licks Tour. They returned on 11 July 2006 during their A Bigger Bang Tour in front of a crowd of 56,175 people.
Red Hot Chili Peppers played on 8 June 2004 during their Roll on the Red Tour.
U2 performed at the stadium for the first and second time during their on 20 and 21 July 2005 during their Vertigo Tour, in front of a total sold out crowd of 137,427 people. The band performed at the stadium for the third and fourth time on 7 and 8 July 2009 during their U2360° Tour in front of a total sold out crowd of 153,806 people. Part of the 2005 nights were recorded for the live album U2.COMmunication. Part of the 2005 second night was also filmed and released as a live video under the title Vertigo 2005//Live from Milan. The performances of "Breathe" and "Electrical Storm" from the second 2009 night, were recorded for the live album From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks from U2360°.
In 2006, Robbie Williams performed in front of a crowd of about 70.000 people during his Close Encounters Tour. The pop star will perform once again at San Siro on 31 July 2013 as part of his Take The Crown Tour
On 2 June 2007, Italian singer Laura Pausini was the first woman ever to sing at the stadium, breaking all records in sold-out concerts that were later recorded as the live album San Siro 2007. Two years later, on 21 June 2009, following the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, Pausini organized a concert in which she and 42 more singers (all of them being women) performed to raise money for charity institutions in the L'Aquila area. This concert was later recorded on the DVD "Amiche per l'Abruzzo".[9]
Negramaro will perform at the venue for the second time on 13 July 2013.
Jovanotti played two shows at San Siro on 19–20 June 2013.
Depeche Mode performed on 18 June 2009 as part of their Tour of the Universe in front of a crowd of 57,544 people. The band performed at the stadium for the second time on 18 July 2013 as part of their ongoing The Delta Machine Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 57,919 people. The 2009 show was recorded for their live albums project Recording the Universe.
Muse performed on 8 June 2010 during their Resistance Tour in front of a crowd of 62.000 people.
In 2011, Take That performed a show during their Progress Live tour.
Bon Jovi performed at the stadium on 29 June 2013 as part of their ongoing Because We Can - The Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 51,531 people.
Other sports
Boxing
San Siro was the venue for the boxing match between Duilio Loi vs. Carlos Ortiz for the Junior Welterweight title in 1960.
Rugby union
In November 2009, Italy played New Zealand in rugby in front of a sold out crowd of 80,000, a record for Italian Rugby. The score finished at 20–6 in the All Blacks' favour.
The final of the 2015 Heineken Cup will be staged at the stadium.
Location
The stadium is located in the western part of Milan. It can be reached by tram, with line 16 ending right in front, or by underground via the Lotto metro station (line 1, red color, direction Rho Fiera) which is approximately a 15 minutes walk from San Siro. Before sport events and concerts, a free bus connection is available from Lotto station to the stadium.
By 2015 the stadium will be served by the new Metro Line 5.
San Siro Museum
In the stadium there is also a museum about AC Milan and FC Internazionale's story with historical shirts, cups and trophies, shoes, art objects and souvenirs of all kinds.
Panorama
References
- ↑ http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/StatDoc/competitions/UCL/01/67/63/78/1676378_DOWNLOAD.pdf
- ↑ 2011-12 UEFA CL Season
- ↑ The history of the San Siro stadium. AC Milan.com. (accessed 2011-10-18)
- ↑ "Almanacco Illustrato del Milan", Panini, Modena (it.)
- ↑ The architectural structure of San Siro was shared in Italy with Marassi that, as private home ground of Genoa CFC, hadn't athletics track.
- ↑ "Struttura". SanSiro.net. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- ↑ http://www.statto.com/football/stats/italy/serie-a/2012-2013
- ↑ http://www.worldfootball.net/attendance/ita-serie-a-2012-2013/1/
- ↑ Amiche per l'Abruzzo
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan. |
- San Siro Website
- San Siro Museum & Tour Website
- 3d Panoramic view
- AC Milan Website
- FC Internazionale Milano Website
- ACMilan.it.pn
- WorldStadiums.com architectural feature
| Preceded by Praterstadion Vienna |
European Cup Final Venue 1965 |
Succeeded by Heysel Stadium Brussels |
| Preceded by Santiago Bernabéu Madrid |
European Cup Final Venue 1970 |
Succeeded by Wembley Stadium London |
| Preceded by Stade de France St-Denis |
UEFA Champions League Final Venue 2001 |
Succeeded by Hampden Park Glasgow |
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