Akwa Ibom Stadium
 | |
| Full name | Akwa Ibom International Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Uyo,Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. |
| Capacity | 30,000 (football) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2012 |
| Opened | 7 November 2014 |
| Construction cost | $96 million[1] |
| Architect | Julius Berger |
| Tenants | |
| Nigerian Super Eagles | |
The Akwa Ibom International Stadium is an all-seater national sports stadium located in Uyo, the state capital of Akwa Ibom. The stadium serves as a home to the Nigerian Super Eagles as well as a center for various social, cultural, and religious events. The contract for the construction of the Akwa Ibom International Stadium complex and Games Village was awarded in 2012 to Julius Berger and was completed in 2014. The 30,000 seater ultra modern multipurpose sports complex was modeled after Allianz Arena.[2]
Construction and Architecture
The contract for the design of the stadium was awarded to Julius Berger a structural engineering firm based in Nigeria. They were responsible for the architectural design, execution planning, as well as constructional supervision of the stadium,as well as maintenance.[3] The stadium which seats on 48 hectares of land has some unique features such as bullet proof VIP/VVIP sections, collapsable seats, two digital score boards, digital playback screens, digital flood lights, and 30 emergency exits.[4]
Structure
The stadium structure is in two phases which includes a 400m-running track for athletic events, and is the pilot part of Uyo Sports Park development, and is enclosed by a white triangular-shaped outer covering that encircles the whole spectator stand. The East Stand and Curves can seat approximately 22,500 people. The Governors’ Lounge has sitting capacity for between 30 and 40 VVIPs and is located in the Grand Stand on Level Two. It is constructed to carry little more than 30,000 spectators whether for soccer or track and field events, while the Grand Stand can comfortably accommodate about 7,500 spectators, including the VIP/VVIPs. There is also a six-lane track built specifically for athletes to train.[5]
Facilities
The Stadium itself consists of:[6]
- 30,000 capacity covered main bowl
- Bullet Proof VVIP/VIP areas
- Box office
- Media facilities
- Two scoreboards that comprise electronic scoreboard and video facilities for replays
- Floodlights
- Eight-lane 400m standard track
- Warm-up facility with six-lane 400m track
- A standby power supply system
- 30 emergency exit points
- 7,500 seater Grand Stand
- Helipad
- Two dressing rooms
- Ambulance bay
The Akwa Ibom International Stadium meets the requirements of the International safety standards; it is equipped with emergency service units(to enable exit within 6 minutes), closed circuit security cameras as well as crowd control steel fencing. There are also stand-by fire fighting equipment and metal detectors which have been put in place to avoid any misfortunes. The stadium has been slated to host the AFCON qualifying series against South Africa on 17 November.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Supersports, Correspondent (5 November 2014). "Black Meteors set for Eagles and Uyo". Supersports.com. Supersports.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Crentsil, Fred (7 November 2014). "Uyo bubbles as Jonathan commissions Akwa Ibom Stadium". Sunnewsonline.com. Sunnewsonline.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ "Akwa Ibom signs contract on Uyo Stadium maintenance". Tribune Newspaper. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Okpara, Christian (17 October 2014). "Uyo Int’l Stadium, Pride Of West Africa, Says Pinnick". The Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Udeme, Utip (5 November 2014). "Ibom International Stadium to employ 5,000 people". Tribune.com.ng. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ↑ Okpara, Chris (17 October 2014). "The stadium, located across three villages on 48 hectares of land". Uyo Int’l Stadium, Pride Of West Africa, Says Pinnick (The Guardian Newspaper). The Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Ubani, Toni (10 October 2014). "Uyo Stadium to host Nigeria vs South Africa 2015 qualifier". Vanguardngr.com. Vanguardngr.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.