Swedbank Stadion

Not to be confused with Swedbank Arena, Solna or Swedbank Park.

Swedbank Stadion
Swedbank Stadion
Location	Eric Perssons väg 31, 217 62 Malmö
Coordinates	55°35′01″N 12°59′16″E / 55.58361°N 12.98778°E / 55.58361; 12.98778
Broke ground	23 April 2007
Opened	13 April 2009
Owner	Peab 50% Malmö FF 25% Erling Pålsson Teknik & Fastighets AB 25%
Operator	MFF Event AB
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	695 million SEK
Architect	Fojab arkitekter Berg Arkitektkontor
Structural engineer	Byggteknik i Skåne
Main contractors	Peab
Capacity	24,000, of which 18,000 are seated. (league games) 21,000 all seated. (international games)[1]
Field dimensions	105 × 68 m[1]
Tenants
Malmö FF (2009–present)

Swedbank Stadion, often known simply as Stadion, is a football stadium in Malmö, Sweden and the home of Allsvenskan club Malmö FF. In UEFA competitions the stadium is known as Malmö New Stadium due to sponsorship reasons. The stadium has a league capacity of 24,000 (of which 18,000 are seated and 6,000 standing) or 21,000 as an all-seater in international matches, making it the second largest football club stadium in Sweden behind AIK's Råsunda. The stadium was opened in 2009 and replaced Malmö FF's former stadium Malmö Stadion. The stadium cost 695 million SEK to build. Swedbank Stadion is a UEFA category 4 rated stadium.^[2]

History

The building site of the stadium in June 2007 with Malmö Stadion in the background

In the end of the 1990s the board of Malmö FF planned for a new stadium solution and move from their current stadium Malmö Stadion which was built in 1958 and was now starting to deteriorate, the stadium was also too large for the club at the time when attendance in Allsvenskan dropped every year. In 1995 a project group was created by club chairman Bengt Madsen to raise money to renovate Malmö IP into a modern football stadium. The club had played at Malmö IP between 1910 and 1957 and since the stadium was smaller it would be a better solution for the club. The renovation of Malmö IP was finished in August 1999 and Malmö FF played their home matches at the stadium until the 2001 season when the club moved back to Malmö Stadion due to several reasons, the renovation failed to live up to its expectations and the small capacity of 7,600 proved to be a security issue.^[3]

Plans to build a new stadium in Malmö started to arise in 2001,^[4] but it wasn't until Malmö FF's 2004 win in Allsvenskan that a new stadium was fully considered. The board of Malmö Municipality took the decision to look into the possibilities of either renovating Malmö Stadion or building a new stadium in the same area on 25 April 2005.^[5] On 29 April five different scenarios were laid out by the City of Malmö, the first alternative was building an entirely new stadium only for football south of Malmö Stadion, the second alternative was to demolish Malmö Stadion and build a new stadium for football and athletics, the third, fourth and fifth alternatives were all suggestions to build two stadiums, one for football and one for athletics, in various locations in the same area.^[6] On 3 December the same year the municipality took the decision to chose the alternative to build an entirely new stadium south of Malmö Stadion only for football with a capacity of 20,000 to 25,000 on a 399 million SEK budget and to renovate Malmö Stadion to an all athletics stadium for 50 million SEK.^[7]

The stadium during construction in July 2008

Construction of the new stadium commenced on 23 April 2007 with Malmö FF chairman Bengt Madsen, Malmö Municipality chairman Ilmar Reepalu, Roy Andersson, Patrik Andersson and Daniel Andersson turning the first sod.^[8] The budget for the construction was heavily exceeded when the main constructor for the project Peab announced that the stadium would cost 695 million SEK instead of the original 399 million, this was due to miscalculations in the budget but also the addition of several facilities that were not be a part of the stadium at first.^[9] On July 12, 2007, Malmö FF announced that they had sold the naming rights for the stadium to Swedish bank Swedbank for a ten year period.^[10] Other companies that have acquired naming rights to stands inside the stadium are construction company Peab, Danish brewing company Carlsberg (which is currently marketing its beer brand Falcon), newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet, and the German energy corporation E.ON.^[11] The construction of the stadium was finished in the fall of 2009, However, the inauguration game was played several months before, on the 13th of April 2009 against Örgryte IS. Malmö FF won the game 3–0, and the first goal was scored by midfielder Labinot Harbuzi. By this time, all the facilities related to football were finished, but the office space and some exterior work was yet to be completed. Swedbank Stadion was designed by FOJAB Arkitekter in collaboration with Berg Arkitektkontor who has also designed the new Swedish national stadium Swedbank Arena in Solna. The building is 27 meters tall, 150 meters wide and 215 meters in length.

Structure and facilities

The Falcon stand with a capacity of 6,000 supporters

A diagram showing the alignment of stands at Swedbank Stadion.

Swedbank Stadion has a capacity of 24,000 and comprises four stands; the Sydsvenskan stand, PEAB stand and Eon stand with two tiers, and the Falcon stand with terracing. The lower tier has 10,000 seats, the upper tier has 8,000 seats while the Falcon stand has a capacity of 6,000 standing supporters which can be transformed into an all-seated section with a capacity of 3,000 for international matches.^[12]

The Falcon stand is the home of the club's most loyal supporters and the stand with the most season cardholders. The stand is a one tier terracing section with bars placed in various places over the stand for security and comfort. There is a capacity of 100 for people in wheelchairs and as well as the same number for their companions. The stand also houses conference facilities with views of the pitch as well as the 2,000 capacity "Restaurang 1910" in the inside area up behind the terracing area of the stand and a health club run by Friskis & Svettis, Malmö FF's official souvenir shop and a sports bar with a capacity of 250 guests run by O'Learys on the outside face of the stand. The PEAB and Sydsvenskan stands houses 54 VIP boxes which is more than any other football stadium in Sweden, and the highest number overall second to the multi-purpose indoor arena Malmö Arena which has 72 boxes. The two stands also has 2,000 club seats along the upper tier. These seats offer a higher level of comfort than the regular seats, the holder of the seats are also offered half time meals and snacks in "Restaurang 1910". The Sydsvenskan stand includes seating for the press as well as a large press room on the inside area of the stand as well as the president's box with a capacity for 60 people. The lower tier of the Eon stand is reserved for away supporters with the majority of the stand consisting of seating but the western part of the stand consisting of terracing for domestic league games. The area reserved for away supporters varies from game to game depending on the amount of away attendance expected.

There are a total of 24 vending stands in the corridor area behind the stands with a selection of different snacks and light meals and beverages. Other facilities include exhibition space, 330 toilets for men, 120 toilets for women as well as six toilets for the disabled.

A panorama of Swedbank Stadion from the Sydsvenskan stand, showing from left to right the Falcon stand, the PEAB stand and the Eon stand

Other uses

Swedbank Stadion hosted the finals of the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championships, along with three group stage games.^[13] After the Under-21 Championships, the all-seater away section was refitted to terracing for away-supporters.^[14] The stadium also hosted its first national team game on 7 September 2010, when Sweden faced off against San Marino in a qualifier for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, which Sweden won 6-0.^[15] The stadium is scheduled to host Supercupen for the 2011 season after Malmö FF became Swedish champions in the previous season.^[16]

The stadium hosted its first concert on 16 April 2011 when Swedish ska group Hoffmaestro & Chraa performed.^[17]

Records

The current stadium attendance record was set on 7 November 2010, when Malmö FF beat Mjällby AIF with 2–0 in Allsvenskan before 24,148 in attendance in the last game of the season to win the league that year.^[18] The record for the stadium as an all-seater was recorded when Sweden beat San Marino with 6–0 in a Euro 2012 qualifying game on 7 September 2010 in front of a crowd of 21,083.^[19] The inaugural attendance for Swedbank Stadion was 23,347, in a 3–0 Allsvenskan victory against Örgryte IS on 13 April 2009.^[20] The average attendance for Malmö FF's games in the 2010 season was 15,194, the best attendance in Allsvenskan 2010 and the best attendance in the history of the stadium as of 2011.^[21]

Transportation

Triangeln, the closest railway station to Swedbank Stadion

Swedbank Stadion is currently served by bus line 3, as well as lines 5, 6 and 34 all of which stops in the vicinity of the stadium. Local transit authority Skånetrafiken also operate dedicated match-day buses branded as line 84, from different areas of Malmö. Due to the central location of the stadium in Malmö, parking space is limited and spectators are advised to use public transportation at larger games.^[22]

The stadium is also located close to the underground railway station Triangeln, which opened in December 2010 as a part of Citytunneln. The station is served by Pågatåg and Öresund Trains, and is reachable non-stop from many parts of the Öresund Region.^[23]

The closest parking location to Swedbank Stadion is "P-huset Stadion" a parking garage with 440 parking spaces built for stadium and opened in September 2009. The garage is located just 100 metres from the stadium just beside the clubs training grounds.^[24] There are also various other parking spaces spread out in the vicinity.

Awards

The stadium was awarded Stålbyggnadspriset, an award given for innovative use of steel in constructions, by Stålbyggnadsinstitutet in 2009.^[25]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://swedbankstadion.se/Om_stadion/Korta_fakta.aspx
2. ^ "Swedbank Stadion högt rankad av UEFA" (in Swedish). mff.se. http://www.mff.se/Aktuellt/Nyheter/2011-01-26_stadion_hogt_rankad.aspx. Retrieved 2011-03-01. 
3. ^ "En lång väg från Gamla ip till nya drömarenan" (in Swedish). 2005-12-06. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/article130349/En-lang-vag-fran-Gamla-iptill-nya-dromarenan.html. Retrieved 2011-02-27. 
4. ^ "Riv Stadion och bygg nytt" (in Swedish). 2001-03-06. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/article3684/Riv-Stadion-och-bygg-nytt.html. Retrieved 2011-02-27. 
5. ^ "MFF får ny fotbollsarena" (in Swedish). 2005-04-26. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/article99403/MFF-far-ny-fotbollsarena.html. Retrieved 2011-02-27. 
6. ^ "Fem förslag till nytt fotbollsstadion, men inga beslut" (in Swedish). 2005-04-29. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/malmo/article113882/Fem-forslag-till-nytt-fotbollsstadion-men-inga-beslut.html. Retrieved 2011-02-27. 
7. ^ "Klartecken för ny Stadion i Malmö" (in Swedish). 2005-12-06. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/article130165/Klartecken-for-ny-Stadion-i-Malmo.html. Retrieved 2011-02-27. 
8. ^ "Swedbank Stadion har påbörjats" (in Swedish). 2007-08-30. http://www.swedbankstadion.se/Om_stadion/Nyhetsarkiv/2007/Swedbank_Stadion_har_paborjats.aspx. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
9. ^ "Peab höjde notan med 300 miljoner" (in Swedish). 2009-03-31. http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/article423243/Peab-hojde-notan-med-300-miljoner.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
10. ^ Jönsson, Kent (2007-07-12). "Madsen: Inget tak i avtalet" (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan.se. http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/article251226.ece. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
11. ^ Malmö FF (30 January 2009). "E.ON tribunsponsor för Swedbank Stadion" (in Swedish). http://www.mff.se/nyheter/nyhet.asp?Id=3362. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
12. ^ Malmö FF. "En dröm blir verklighet" (in Swedish). http://www.swedbankstadion.se/Om_stadion/En_drom_blir_verklighet.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
13. ^ Malmö FF (3 March 2008). "Finalen i U21 EM spelas på Swedbank Stadion!" (in Swedish). http://www.mff.se/nyheter/nyhet.asp?Id=2824. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
14. ^ Malmö FF (May 7, 2009). "Swedbank Stadion ska byggas om" (in Swedish). http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/fotboll/mff/article430552/Swedbank-Stadion-ska-byggas-om.html. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
15. ^ "Herr: Ibra tvåmålsskytt i Malmö" (in Swedish). Svenska Fotbollsförbundet. http://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/arkiv/landslag/2010/09/herr-mot-san-marino-i-malmo/. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
16. ^ "Supercupen 2011 herrar" (in Swedish). SvFF. http://svenskfotboll.se/cuper/supercupen-herrar/. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
17. ^ "Turnéplan - VÅRTURNé 2011" (in Swedish). Hoffmaestro. http://www.hoffmaestro.com/turnaeplan/turneplan2011. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
18. ^ "Hela, hela vägen" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. http://www.mff.se/Aktuellt/Matchrapporter_A-laget/2010/101107_MFF-Mjallby.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
19. ^ "Ibrahimović enjoys fairy-tale return". uefa.com. http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/matches/season=2012/round=15171/match=2002059/index.html. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
20. ^ "Spelprogram - Allsvenskan, herrar" (in Swedish). SvenskFotboll.se. http://svenskfotboll.se/allsvenskan/tidigare-ar/thylins-allsvenska-summering-2009/tabell-och-resultat/?scr=fixturelist&ftid=19440. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
21. ^ "Attendance" (in Swedish). svenskfotboll.se. http://svenskfotboll.se/allsvenskan/statistikligor/?scr=spl&sortby=home_avg. Retrieved 2010-11-07. 
22. ^ Swedbank Stadion. "Hitta hit" (in Swedish). http://www.swedbankstadion.se/Besoksinformation/Hitta_hit.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
23. ^ Citytunneln. "Station Triangeln – Malmös nya mittpunkt" (in Swedish). http://www.citytunneln.com/sv/Invigning/Stationerna/Station-Triangeln/. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
24. ^ P Malmö. "P-huset Stadion invigt" (in Swedish). http://www.pmalmo.se/Tjanster/Parkeringsalternativ/Stadion/. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
25. ^ Stålbyggnadsinstitutet. "Stålbyggnadspriset". http://www.sbi.se/omraden/o_kat_dokument.asp?mId=9&kId=126&subKId=0&mgrp=0. 

External links

• Official website