Stadio delle Alpi
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| Location | Turin, Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°06′34.42″N 7°38′28.54″E / 45.1095611°N 7.6412611°ECoordinates: 45°06′34.42″N 7°38′28.54″E / 45.1095611°N 7.6412611°E |
| Owner |
City of Turin (1990–2003)[1] Juventus (2003–2006) |
| Capacity | 69,000 |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1988 |
| Opened | 1990 |
| Closed | 2006 |
| Demolished | 2009 |
| Construction cost | €200M [2] |
| Architect | Studio Hutter |
| Tenants | |
|
Torino (1990–2006) Juventus (1990–2006) | |
The Stadio delle Alpi was a football and athletics stadium in Turin, Italy, and was the home of both Juventus Football Club and Torino Football Club between 1990 and 2006. In English, the name meant "Stadium of the Alps", a reference to the nearby Alps mountain range. The stadium has been demolished, and both football clubs played their home fixtures at the rebuilt Stadio Olimpico. A new stadium called the Juventus Stadium was constructed on the site of the former delle Alpi and opened in 2011.
Designed by architect Studio Hutter, the Stadio delle Alpi was originally built in 1990 to host matches for the 1990 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for the aging Stadio Comunale, the then-name of today's Stadio Olimpico. The stadium's original capacity was 69,041 fans. However, due to FIFA rules regarding the segregation of home and away supporters, the actual capacity was reduced to 67,229.[3]
History
Construction on the stadium began in June 1988, and due to the use of prefabricated concrete, was complete within two years. The delle Alpi was built by the council of Turin, with both of the city's football clubs using it as their home ground following the closure of the Stadio Olimpico. It was originally intended to be used for not only football but also athletics. Therefore, an athletics track was constructed around the outside of the pitch. However, due to the lack of a warm-up track, the stadium was never used for a major athletics event.
The stadium was inaugurated on 31 May 1990 when a joint Juventus–Torino team defeated Porto 4–3. Due to escalating rental costs, disputes arose between the clubs and the city council. In 1994, the Juventus board investigated building a new stadium, which would be owned by the club. The UEFA Cup semi-final and final matches in 1994–95 were moved by Juventus to the San Siro in Milan, attracting an audience of 85,000. The Stadio delle Alpi was very rarely sold out in its history. Finally, in the summer of 2003, Juventus purchased the delle Alpi from the council of Turin for a fee of around €25 million.[1]
Torino was banned from playing Serie A for five matches inside the stadium in 2003 due to the violence that occurred on 22 February 2003 inside the stadium clash against Milan.[4]
Attendance
The stadium attendance record was 66,299, set during a UEFA Champions League semi-final (second leg) between Juventus and Real Madrid on 14 May 2003. During the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the stadium hosted (among others) a memorable second round match between Argentina and Brazil, as well as a semi-final between West Germany and England. Both matches attracting around 60,000 fans.
The delle Alpi's design was widely criticised due to the poor visibility. This was caused mainly by the distance between the stands and the pitch. Views from the lower tier were also restricted due to the positioning of advertising hoardings.[5] The stadium's location on the outskirts of town never found favour with fans, and the stadium design left spectators exposed to the elements. These factors contributed to low attendances; in the 2005–06 season, for example, Juventus' average attendance was 35,880.[6] The poor visibility led to very low attendances. For example, in the Coppa Italia home match against Sampdoria in the 2001–02 season, only 237 spectators showed up.[7]
| Season | Juventus average | Torino average |
|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 43,114 | 33,990 |
| 1991–92 | 51,832 | 35,364 |
| 1992–93 | 45,868 | 26,814 |
| 1993–94 | 44,520 | 26,130 |
| 1994–95 | 47,866 | 22,205 |
| 1995–96 | 41,946 | 20,284 |
| 1996–97 | 39,271 | 13,451 |
| 1997–98 | 47,347 | 19,505 |
| 1998–99 | 47,164 | 19,627 |
| 1999–2000 | 42,229 | 21,857 |
| 2000–01 | 41,273 | 17,077 |
| 2001–02 | 40,687 | 19,002 |
| 2002–03 | 39,771 | 14,870 |
| 2003–04 | 34,365 | 9,831 |
| 2004–05 | 26,429 | 10,003 |
| 2005–06 | 25,987 | 24,995 |
1990 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the venues of the 1990 World Cup, and held five matches. The first four involved Brazil. All their Group C matches (a 2–1 win over Sweden on 10 June, a 1–0 win over Costa Rica on 16 June and a 1–0 win over Scotland on 20 June) and their round of 16 match against Argentina on 25 June, a 1–0 defeat. The fifth and final was the semi-final against West Germany and England on 4 July, with the match ending 1–1 but West Germany winning 4–3 on penalties.
Redevelopment
The Stadio delle Alpi was demolished, with plans for a 41,475-seater venue and a number of restaurants and other facilities outside the ground. The new grounds of the stadium covers around 50,000 square metres. The stadium was completely demolished as of February 2009.
The running track, which was widely blamed for ruining the atmosphere in the stadium, was removed with the fans moved closer to the action.
The addition of this oval ring and set of VIP boxes protected with glass façades characterizes the new inner space. A movable roof covers the new seats and underground services integrates the complex.
This work was followed by the construction of a big commercial pavilion, down as one quarter segment of the stadium. A new Juventus training centre has also been built next to the stadium; this open area is characterized by artificial hills placed between football fields containing dressing rooms and underground parking; a set of light buildings for gymnasium, restaurant, hotel completes the system.
Work began during spring 2009 and it was opened on 8 September 2011, at the start of the 2011–12 season.
Concerts
- Madonna – July 13, 1990
- The Rolling Stones – July 28, 1990, with The Dan Reed Network
- Sting – May 30, 1991
- Vasco Rossi – June 8, 1991, June 9, 1993, June 21, 1996, July 2–3, 1999, June 7, 2005, July 3 and September 22, 2007 and October 4–5, 2008
- Guns N' Roses – June 27, 1992, with Faith No More and Soundgarden
- Metallica – June 22, 1993, with The Cult and Suicidal Tendencies
- U2 – July 12, 1993, with Luciano Ligabue and An Emotional Fish and July 21, 2001, with The Fun Lovin' Criminals and Verdena
- Pink Floyd – September 13, 1994
- AC/DC – July 4, 2001, with Gotthard and Hardcore Superstar
- The Police – October 2, 2007, with Fiction Plane
References
- 1 2 "Stadium". Juventus Fan Club Malaysia.
- ↑ "The unfortunate legacy of Italia 1990".
- ↑ "Stadium". Juventus.com.
- ↑ "Torino handed ban". BBC Sport. 25 February 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ↑ Evans, Simon. "Juve plan to halve stadium capacity". ESPN.com.
- ↑ "Guide to Juventus". BBC News. 27 March 2006.
- ↑ Guardian Online - Guardian Article regarding Stadio delle Alpi March 2006
External links
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