Volkswagen Arena

Volkswagen Arena
Full name Volkswagen Arena
Former names FIFA Women's World Cup Stadium, Wolfsburg (2011 FIFA Women's World Cup)
Location Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
Coordinates 52°25′57.5″N 10°48′14″E / 52.432639°N 10.80389°ECoordinates: 52°25′57.5″N 10°48′14″E / 52.432639°N 10.80389°E
Owner Wolfsburg AG
Operator VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH
Executive suites 31[1]
Capacity 30,000[2] (League Matches),
26,385 (International Matches)
Field size 105 × 68 m
Surface Desso GrassMaster hybrid turf
Construction
Built 2001-2002
Opened 13 December 2002
Construction cost 53 million
Architect Hentrich - Petschnigg & Partner KG (HPP), nb+b Neumann-Berking und Bendorf Planungsgesellschaft mbH
Tenants
VfL Wolfsburg

Volkswagen Arena (German pronunciation: [ˈfɔlksvaːɡən ʔaˈʁeːna]) is a multi-purpose stadium in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and serves as the home stadium of the 2008–09 Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg. The Volkswagen Arena replaced the former stadium of VfL Wolfsburg, the VFL Stadion.

History

The Volkswagen Arena was finished in 2002. Before completion, VfL Wolfsburg played their home games at the 20,500 capacity VFL Stadion, where the amateur squad still plays.[3] Currently the stadium is used mostly for the home games of VfL Wolfsburg, and is the site where they won their first Bundesliga title in the 2008–09 season.

Uses

The stadium is mainly used to host Wolfsburg's home matches in all competitions. The stadium hosted Wolfsburg's first ever game in the Champions League along with their first win in the UEFA Champions League when Brazilian striker Grafite scored a hat-trick against CSKA Moscow, beating them 3–1, on 15 September 2009. The Volkswagen Arena was also used as one of the host stadiums for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup which was held in Germany.[4][5] The stadium has also been used for concerts and musical acts such as Elton John and Anastacia.[6]

Capacity

Wolfsburg's old VFL Stadion seated around 20,500 spectators. The new stadium was completed in time for the second half of the 2002–03 Bundesliga campaign. It has a capacity of approximately 30,000 spectators, including 22,000 seated and 8,000 standing. The standing area is converted into 4,000 seats for international matches, giving a total seating capacity of approximately 26,000 spectators for international matches.[7] The stadium also offers amenities such as a restaurant called the Soccer-Café.

Panorama

Panoramic view of the stadium.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Volkswagen-Arena.