Red Bull Arena (Salzburg)

Red Bull Arena (German: [ɹɛt ˈbʊl ʔaˌʁeːnaː]), known during the UEFA Euro 2008 as the EM-Stadion Wals-Siezenheim [eːˈʔɛmˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn ˌvalsˈsiːtsn̩haɪm] and during UEFA club football events as Stadion Salzburg,[1] is a football stadium in Wals-Siezenheim, a municipality in the suburbs of Salzburg, Austria. It was officially opened in March 2003 and is the home ground of FC Red Bull Salzburg. Previously, the club played at Stadion Lehen.

Red Bull Arena
Interior of the stadium in July 2008
Map
Former namesEM-Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Bullen-Arena
LocationStadionstraße, Wals-Siezenheim, Austria
Coordinates47°48′59″N 12°59′54″E / 47.8163°N 12.9982°E / 47.8163; 12.9982 (Stadion Wals-Siezenheim)
OwnerSWS Stadion Salzburg Planungs- und Errichtungsgesellschaft m.b.H
Capacity30,188 (17,218 Bundesliga) (29,520 UEFA matches) (31,895 UEFA Euro 2008)
Field size105 m × 68 m (115 yd × 74 yd)
SurfaceLawn
Construction
Built2003
Opened8 March 2003
RenovatedSummer 2005
6 May 2006 – 25 July 2007
Construction cost45 million
ArchitectSchuster Architekten, Atelier Albert Wimmer
Tenants
Red Bull Salzburg
FC Liefering
Austria national football team

History

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In 2011 the stadium hosted a friendly tournament known as the Salzburgerland Cup of four clubs. It features four teams: FK Austria Wien, FC Rapid București, Maccabi Haifa F.C. and FC Shakhtar Donetsk. To which Shaktar was declared the champions.[2]

Overview

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Its current seating capacity is 30,188.[3] The stadium's original capacity was 18,200, but it was heavily expanded to over 30,000 so as to accommodate the 2008 European Football Championships.

The "EM Stadion Wals-Siezenheim" was the only stadium in the Austrian Bundesliga which used artificial turf. Polytan's FIFA 2-Star Recommended 40mm surface Ligaturf with a 25mm elastic layer was installed in 2005, but since summer 2008 natural lawn has been used.

From the 2018-19 Austrian Football Bundesliga season onwards, the majority of the upper stand remains closed, therefore limiting capacity to 17,218. This was done in order to improve the atmosphere, which was often considered as “weak“ during Salzburg‘s national home games. This reduction in capacity only applies for Bundesliga matches.

Euro 2008 Matches

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Date Result Round
10 June 2008   Greece 0–2   Sweden Group D
14 June 2008   Greece 0–1   Russia
18 June 2008   Greece 1–2   Spain

References

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  1. ^ "UEFA Europa League - Salzburg-Krasnodar". Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Salzburgerland Cup 2010/11 (Int/nal Tournaments) : Overview". Scorespro. 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ Stadium official website
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47°48′59″N 12°59′54″E / 47.81639°N 12.99833°E / 47.81639; 12.99833