Teddy Stadium

Teddy Stadium
איצטדיון טדי

Location Jerusalem
Owner City of Jerusalem
Operator City of Jerusalem
Capacity 31,733 [1]
Field size 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Surface Grass
Construction
Broke ground 1990
Opened 1992
Renovated 1997-98, 2011-13
Construction cost 60,000,000$
Architect Yossi Ben Naim
Pascual Broid
Tenants
Beitar Jerusalem (1992–present)
Hapoel Jerusalem (1992–present)
Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem (2011–present)
Israel national football team (2014–present)
Beitar Nordia Jerusalem (2016–present)
General view (2013)

The Teddy Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון טדי, Itztadion Teddy) is a sports stadium in Jerusalem. Four football teams currently use the stadium: Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Jerusalem, Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem, and Beitar Nordia Jerusalem.

The stadium is named for long-time Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, who was in office during the time of its construction and was one of its prominent advocates.

History

For Beitar, the stadium was a major upgrade after years of playing at the YMCA Stadium, nicknamed "The Sandbox". In the first stage, only the west and east sides of the stadium were built, giving it a capacity of 14,000. In 1999, work was finished on a north side that increased capacity to 21,600. [2]

The stadium itself is one of the newest in Israel and one of the few that are close to meeting all European standards. It is accessible to the disabled, has modern bathrooms, and has ample concession stands, a combination that is very difficult to find in many Israeli stadiums. The stadium has 5,000 parking spots on its premises, and is connected to the Malha Mall and its parking facilities by a pedestrian bridge.

The stadium is located at the terminus of the Begin Expressway and just past the Malha Train Station, which ensures convenient road and rail access to the rest of Israel.

With stands close to the pitch and excellent acoustics, Teddy Stadium has hosted several Israel national football team matches, the Maccabiah Games opening ceremony, and other public events.

A south side stand was completed on June 3, 2013, increasing seating capacity to 31,733.

Teddy Stadium was one of the venues for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and hosted the tournament's final match.

Supporters

During Beitar matches, the La Familia group occupies the eastern sections of the stadium. They are known for being the most vocal and controversial of fans in the venue.[3][4]

Development plans

From September 2016 a new solar system which can produce 685 KW per hour is being installed on the roof of Teddy stadium.[5]

In 2017 Teddy stadium is going to be renovated as Jerusalem municipality announced that it will assign 50 million for upgrading the stadium in order to conform updated international standards according to UEFA stadiums regulation.[6]

International matches

Date Result Competition Attendance
15 April 1998  Israel 2–1  Argentina Friendly
9 February 2003  Israel 3–3  Croatia Friendly
14 November 2012  Israel 1–2  Belarus Friendly
6 June 2013  Spain 1–0  Russia 2013 Euro U-21 10,000
9 June 2013  Netherlands 5–1  Russia 2013 Euro U-21 7,500
11 June 2013  Israel 1–0  England 2013 Euro U-21 22,150
18 June 2013  Spain 4–2  Italy 2013 Euro U-21 29,300
31 March 2015  Israel 0–1  Belgium 2016 Euro qualifying 29,750
13 October 2015  Israel 1–2  Cyprus 2016 Euro qualifying 25,300
9 October 2016  Israel 2-1  Liechtenstein 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 9,000
9 October 2017  Israel -  Spain 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -

See also

References

Coordinates: 31°45′4.20″N 35°11′26.22″E / 31.7511667°N 35.1906167°E / 31.7511667; 35.1906167

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