Cluj Arena

For the old stadium, see Stadionul Ion Moina (1911).
Cluj Arena

Location Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
Coordinates 46°46′6″N 23°34′20″E / 46.76833°N 23.57222°ECoordinates: 46°46′6″N 23°34′20″E / 46.76833°N 23.57222°E
Owner Cluj County Council
Operator FC Universitatea Cluj
Executive suites 1,459
Capacity 30,201[1]
Field size 105 x 68 metres
Construction
Broke ground July 16, 2009
Built 2009—2011
Opened October 1, 2011
Construction cost € 45 million[2]
Architect Dico și Țigănaș
Main contractors ACI Cluj
Tenants
FC Universitatea Cluj (2011–present)
Olimpia Cluj (2012–present)
U Cluj (rugby) (2013–present)

Cluj Arena is a multi-use stadium in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It was ready as of October 2011 and is to be ranked as an UEFA Elite Stadium (Category 4). The stadium is the new home ground of FC Universitatea Cluj.[3]

The owner, Cluj County Council, and the Government of Romania paid about €45,000,000 for the new stadium, which is able to hold 90,335 people. The stadium is composed of 4 two-tier covered stands and a new running track. The seats are grey coloured, with different nuances depending on their position.

The building is located next to the Polyvalent Hall.

History

The first football and athletics stadium in Cluj-Napoca then Kolozsvár part of Hungary, was built between 1908 and 1911. It had one wooden stand and a capacity of 1,500 people. The official inauguration in 1911 was done by organizing a game between a selection of Cluj and Galatasaray Istanbul. It was the first game in Europe for Galatasaray, and the selection of Cluj won 8-1.

In 1961 new stands were built and the capacity of the stadium became 28,000 on wooden benches, while the old stands were moved to Câmpia Turzii. The 1961 stands have a U-shaped appearance, as the name of the team that uses it. The stadium is named after Ion Moina, the fastest sprinter in Europe in 1948.

The demolition process of the old stadium began on November 20, 2008, so that it could free the space for the new one.

On 16 July 2009 the construction of the stadium began. The stadium was due to be finished by July 2011. By July 2011, about 90% of the new stadium was completed. The stadium officially opened for public in the first day of October. Eight days later the Scorpions held a concert 45.000 sold out the arena held a concert and the next day Smokie played at Cluj Arena. The inaugural match was held on October 11, with a friendly between Universitatea Cluj and Kuban Krasnodar.[4] The first official match was a Liga I encounter of Universitatea Cluj and FC Braşov, played on October 17.[5]

Name

Cluj Arena by night (ensemble)
Cluj Arena by night (façade)

There were controversies involving the name of the new stadium. Before the demolition of the 1961-built arena, the stadium was called Ion Moina, but the new one was going to be named differently. While the fans proposed the name of Mircea Luca, a "U" Cluj legendary player, the local authorities were torn between "Cluj Arena" and lending the name to an international company, like in the case of the all big stadiums.

Events

Association football

International football matches
DateCompetitionHomeAwayScoreAttendance
11 October 2011 Friendly Romania U Cluj Russia Kuban Krasnodar 0 - 4 ~26,000
26 September 2012 UEFA Women's Champions League Romania Olimpia Cluj Austria Neulengbach 1 - 1 ~800
8 November 2012 UEFA Women's Champions League Romania Olimpia Cluj Italy Torres 0 - 3 ~1,000
1 August 2013 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 1 - 1 ~6,000
8 August 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League Serbia Spartak Subotica Latvia Liepājas Metalurgs 10 - 0
8 August 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League Romania Olimpia Cluj Lithuania Gintra Universitetas 3 - 0
10 August 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League Serbia Spartak Subotica Lithuania Gintra Universitetas 6 - 0
10 August 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League Romania Olimpia Cluj Latvia Liepājas Metalurgs 7 - 0
13 August 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League Romania Olimpia Cluj Serbia Spartak Subotica 3 - 8
22 August 2013 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu Portugal Braga 0 - 1 11,500
19 September 2013 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu Ukraine Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 0 - 1 7,577
7 November 2013 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu Italy Fiorentina 1 - 2 11,750
12 December 2013 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Romania Pandurii Târgu Jiu Portugal Paços de Ferreira

Rugby

Concerts

Concerts at Cluj Arena
DateArtistTourAttendance
8 October 2011 Germany Scorpions Get Your Sting and Blackout World Tour 40,000
9 October 2011 England Smokie 20,000
19 July 2012 Sweden Roxette World Tour 22,000
7 June 2013 England Deep Purple Cluj Arena Music Fest 20,000
8 June 2013 England UB40 Cluj Arena Music Fest 13,000
17 May 2014 Romania various Forza ZU[6][7] 55,000

Location

Cluj Arena is built on the same location as the old stadium, west of the Central Park and next to the Someşul Mic river. The area represents the city's old sport complex, built at the beginning of the century, which included the old stadium, the old indoor arena, and a sports oriented park. There were projects involving the stadium being built in other locations, but the authorities ceased due to public pressure and decided to build the new arena on the same premises.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cjcluj.ro/montare-scaune-la-cluj-arena/
  2. ↑ "Cum se împart costurile pentru Cluj Arena" (in Romanian). Ziua de Cluj. 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Încă un stadion!" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
  4. ↑ "Familia "U" s-a intors acasa!" (in Romanian). FC Universitatea Cluj. 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  5. ↑ "Ne bucuram foarte mult pentru cele trei puncte!" (in Romanian). FC Universitatea Cluj. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  6. ↑ "FORZA ZU a adunat peste 50.000 de oameni pe Cluj Arena!" (in Romanian). Antena 3. 18 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ce trebuie să știi despre FORZA ZU. Informații despre acces, orar și altele" (in Romanian). Radio ZU. 15 May 2014.

External links