Stade de Suisse
| Wankdorf | |
 | |
| Location |
Papiermühlestrasse 71 CH-3022 Bern, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°57′47.40″N 7°27′53.40″E / 46.9631667°N 7.4648333°ECoordinates: 46°57′47.40″N 7°27′53.40″E / 46.9631667°N 7.4648333°E |
| Owner | Stade de Suisse Wankdorf Nationalstadion AG |
| Operator | Stade de Suisse Wankdorf Nationalstadion AG |
| Capacity |
32,000 (Football) 45,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Artificial grass (Polytan LigaTurf RS Pro CoolPlus)[1] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2003 |
| Opened | 30 July 2005 |
| Construction cost | CHF 350 million (2005) |
| Architect | Marazzi Generalunternehmung AG[2] |
| Tenants | |
| BSC Young Boys (2005–present) | |
The Stade de Suisse Wankdorf is a football stadium in Bern, Switzerland. As the second largest all-seater football stadium in Switzerland, Stade de Suisse Wankdorf currently serves as the home ground of the Swiss football team BSC Young Boys. It was also one of the venues used during the Euro 2008.
History
The Stade de Suisse was built on the grounds of the former Wankdorf Stadium, which was demolished in 2001. The new stadium has a capacity of 32,000 spectators, all covered seats. Integrated into the roof are solar panels with a yearly production of 1,200,000 kWh. The stadium was officially opened on 30 July 2005, although the first match in the new stadium had already taken place on 16 July 2005. Young Boys played against Olympique Marseille and lost 2–3 with 14,000 spectators watching. The match was considered an "infrastructure test", which is why no more than 14,000 tickets were sold.
The stadium was used by FC Thun for three Champions League home matches in 2005, and for one home match in the UEFA Cup Round of 32 in 2006.[3]
Concerts
Bruce Springsteen performed at the stadium on 30 June 2009 as part of the Working on a Dream Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 36,538 people.
AC/DC performed at the stadium on 8 June 2010 as part of their Black Ice World Tour.
P!nk performed at the stadium on 10 July 2010 during The Funhouse Summer Carnival.
Muse performed a sold-out show at the stadium on 15 June 2013 as part of their The 2nd Law World Tour.
Bon Jovi performed at the stadium on 31 May 2006 during their Have a Nice Day Tour, in front of a sold out crowd of 38,762 people. The band performed at the stadium for the second time on 30 June 2013 during their Because We Can, in front of a sold out crowd of 28,868 people.
Depeche Mode performed at the stadium on 7 June 2013 during their Delta Machine Tour, in front of a sold out crowd of 39,241 people.
One Direction performed at the stadium on 4 July 2014 during their Where We Are Tour.
On 15 July 2017, Celine Dion brought her Celine Dion Live 2017 tour to the stadium. She performed her sold out show to 23,143 people, with a mixed set list of English and French
The Hot Seat
A peculiar feature of the Stade de Suisse is the presence of a single, red seat (the other seats are black and yellow). This was the first seat installed at the stadium, on 20 January 2005, and the honour of unveiling it was given to former Young Boys player and manager Walter Eich. There are no tickets available for this seat; every game the seat is occupied by a notable personality, often with ties to Young Boys.
Ice hockey attendance record
The Stade de Suisse with its artificial turf surface was an ideal candidate to provide Europe its first "new era" outdoor attendance record for ice hockey.[4] On 14 January 2007, the massive local rivalry of SC Bern and SC Langnau managed to fill the Stade de Suisse with 30,076 fans, an event which was sold out within 53 hours of tickets going on sale. These two rivals regularly fill SC Bern's home venue Bern Arena with over 17,000 spectators.
Matches
2008 UEFA Euro 2008
The stadium was one of the venues for the 2008 UEFA Euro.
The following games were played at the stadium during the 2008 UEFA Euro:
| Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 2008 | 20:45 |  | 3–0 |  | Group C | 30,777 |
| 13 June 2008 | 20:45 | | 4–1 |  | Group C | 30,777 |
| 17 June 2008 | 20:45 | | 2–0 |  | Group C | 30,777 |
International matches
| Date | Result | Competition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 October 2005 | Switzerland  | 1–1 | | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 12 November 2005 | Switzerland | 2–0 |  | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 29 Februar 2012 | Switzerland | 1–3 |  | Friendly |
| 30 May 2012 | Spain  | 4–1 |  | Friendly |
| 15 August 2012 | England  | 2–1 | | Friendly |
| 12 October 2012 | Switzerland | 1–1 |  | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 6 September 2013 | Switzerland | 4–4 |  | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 15 October 2013 | Switzerland | 1–0 |  | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
See also
References
- ↑
- ↑ Marazzi Generalunternehmung AG (in French)
- ↑ 2005/06 UEFA Cup Thun-Hamburg Archived 12 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. UEFA.com
- ↑ Joeri Loonen Unique occasion sets new European visitor record EuroHockey.Net, 15 January 2007
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wankdorf Stadium. |
- Official website (in German), (in French)