Wembley Stadium: Players, officials and thousands of spectators regularly flock Wembley Stadium to see their team play for glory on the first pitch to be named ‘hallowed turf’. Host to a number of memorable games including the 1966 World Cup final where England defeated West Germany 4 -2, Wembley was built in 1923 by Sir Robert McAlpine. Costing £750,000 and known for its ‘twin towers’, Wembley Stadium was originally named the British Empire Exhibition Stadium. Torn down in 2003 amid much protesting, the new Wembley Stadium was earmarked for completion in 2006. Expenditure costs far exceeding the original budget caused delays to the project, and Wembley was opened 14 months behind schedule in March 2007 with a price tag of 800 million Pounds.
Old Trafford: Home to Manchester United for nearly a Century, Old Trafford (also known as the Theatre of Dreams) was designed by Archibald Leitch and built in 1909 for around £90,000. In March of 1941, a German bomb destroyed much of the stadium. The rebuild of Old Trafford lasted 8 years, and there have been a number of further redevelopments over the following decades. With the Manchester United fan base increase and total number of attendees to each game expanding, Old Trafford is still in need of expansion to accommodate attendees.
Allianz Arena: Featuring a striking color-changing façade that resembles a UFO against the night sky, the Allianz Arena is one of the world’s most impressive arenas. With construction commencing in 2002, and completed in 2005, the Allianz Arena is home to FC Bayern Munich.
Volksparkstadion: Able to accommodate 55,000, Volskparkstadion has been selected to host the 2010 UEFA Cup Final and was designed to suit the modern day attendee.
Westfalenstadion: Hosting 80,000 fans on a regular basis, the Westfalenstadion is Germany’s largest capacity stadium. Construction commenced in 1971 and was complete 3 years later.
Gelsenkirchen: Purpose built for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gelsenkirchen boasts a UEFA 5 star rating. On the smaller side, it makes up for what it cannot accommodate in numbers with a portable pitch, retractable roof, huge display screens, numerous eateries and a 5 kilometer long beer line. Gelsenkirchen is also home to FC Schalke.
Olympiastadion: Originally built to host the 1936 Summer Olympics, construction on the Olympiastadion took two years between 1934 and 1936. Now home to the German Cup Final every year, and selected as one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, reconstruction began on the stadium in the summer of 2000 at a cost of 240 million Euros.
Maracana: Located in Rio Brazil, the Maracana Stadium is now capable of seating around 95,000. Steeped in historical events, the Maracana was built from 1948 to 1950 to accommodate the 1950 FIFA World Cup. In the group qualifying match between Uruguay and Brazil (with Brazil hot favorites), Uruguay staged an upset that resulted in the changing of the national uniform, fan suicides and player vilification. To date this remains one of the biggest upsets in football history.
Football Fans: It is not the players, the sponsors, the stadiums or the clubs that make football the most popular game in the world – it is the fans. Known to celebrate victories with abandon, despair at defeats and create the energy required to help lift a team to win, football fans are passionate about their teams and players. This passion is not always positive, and in some cases results in fights, riots and in more extreme cases, injury and death.
