Estádio da Luz (1954)
Translated Stadium of Light, officially Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, played home to S.L. Benfica from 1954-2003, when it was demolished for a new and improved Estádio da Luz. Opened on the 1st December 1954, Benfica played Porto to a 3-1 defeat, but despite this, they finally had a home having mostly played from different rented stadiums since they were formed in 1904. The stadium also became host of the Portugal national team starting from 1971. Construction started in 1953, and continued on until 1959. The stadium was at first known as Estádio de Carnide, having been located between the Benfica and Carnide neighbourhoods. Originally opening to 40,000 spectators, the 1960s saw the capacity increase to 70,000 as Benfica enjoyed its “golden years”, winning 8 Primeira Liga titles, along with two European Cups with the likes of Eusébio in the squad. By 1985, the stadium’s third tier was completed, which brought the capacity to 120,000. As there were no individual seating, the January 4th 1987 game against Porto is estimated to have an attendance between 135,000 and 140,000 people. It finally settled on an all-seater stadium in 1994, with a capacity of 78,000.
On 28th September 2001, associates voted for a new stadium to be constructed. The UEFA Euro 2004 played a part, as Portugal were announced hosts in 1999. For the 2002-03 season, Benfica played at a partially demolished stadium, with around 50,000 spectators taking in the last match on 22 March 2003, a 1-0 win against Santa Clara. The new Estádio da Luz went on to host the final of UEFA Euro 2004 just over a year later.
Zentralstadion
Leipzig, Germany was the home of the Central Stadium. It was built in 1955, and to save money, debris from the WWII 1945 bombings in Leipzig were used. It opened on 4th August 1956, and housed 120,000 people, becoming the largest sports arena in Germany at this time. Football wise, it was used by SC Rotation Leipzig, renamed VfB Leipzig and now known as 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. The East Germany national team also used the ground from 1957-1989, while Poland played a home match here too. The stadium’s record attendance was 100,000 people, in a match against SC Rotation Leipzig and SC Lokomotive Leipzig in 1956.
While the stadium was used for other sporting events, the rising maintenance costs meant that the city decided to build a smaller football only stadium inside the Zentralstadion in 1997. Construction took place from 2000-2004, and the old stadium would close doors in 2000. The new Zentralstadion was opened on 17th November 2004, now known as the Red Bull Arena, home to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. It sits inside the old Zentralstadion, while the outer walls of the old stadium are still preserved, making it look as though it’s a bowl within a bowl.
Estádio José Alvalade (1956)
The old ground of the famous Portuguese team, Sporting Clube de Portugal. The stadium was named after the founder of Sporting, and it was used from 1956-2003, when the new Estádio José Alvalade was opened right next to the old one. The Portuguese national team also used the stadium on numerous occasions. Construction began in 1955, as Sporting needed a home having previously played at a few different stadiums. The opening of the stadium on 10th June 1956, saw Sporting take on Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in a friendly match, which Sporting lost 3-2. Around 60,000 spectators attended the opening ceremony. The capacity held 52,411 people, with maximum capacity at 75,000 when construction of a new stand was built. Although mostly used as a football stadium, it did also hold athletics as well as concerts, with the likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie playing here.
With football entering modern times, the stadium had aged, and as Portugal were to host the UEFA Euro 2004, it was decided that a new stadium would be built for Sporting Clube de Portugal, and this one would be demolished. Sporting enjoyed success in the stadium as they won 9 league titles, and have since only won 1 league title in the new stadium since it opened in 2003.
Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Home to Turkish giants Galatasaray from 1964-2010. The stadium is named after the founder of Galatasaray, Ali Sami Yen. It was also the stadium for the national team from 1964-2009. Opening day saw Turkey take on Bulgaria in a friendly match on 20th December 1964, but it wasn’t all well and good as some fans fell from one of the stands causing numerous injuries. The opening game also saw the record attendance for the stadium at 48,600 people, while it did finally settle on an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 23,477 once the old benches were replaced. It was used on and off throughout the years by Galatasaray, sometimes as a training pitch in the 70s. By 1997, the stadium was planned to be torn down to be replaced by a modern multi-fuction stadium, but financing caused issues. It wasn’t until 2007 that plans for a new stadium finally came to fruition, and the new stadium for Galatasaray opened in January 2011.
Galatasaray fans are known for their intimidating atmosphere and 23,000 people created that here regularly in stunning fashion. Nicknamed hell due to its sea of red and yellow, it intimidated quite a few teams.
Roker Park
Home to Sunderland from 1898-1997 before they moved to the Stadium of Light. One of the most memorable grounds in English football, Roker Park was finally a place Sunderland could call home after spending a lot of seasons at various different grounds. They did enjoy success at Newcastle Road before the move to Roker Park. The ground also hosted a few England internationals as well as World Cup group games and the Quarter final of the 1966 World Cup.
It was known to have a “Roker Roar” and the Sunderland fans saw their team win the Championship in 1930, along with the FA Cup in 1937.
Home to Sunderland for 99 years, Roker Park was a fortress for Sunderland. Over 1,800 league games played, Sunderland had a fantastic record going unbeaten in 1,445 of those at Roker Park. It’s form like that, that saw so many fans disagreed with the move to the Stadium of Light, and the connection to Roker Park is something that every Sunderland fan will feel.
Charlie Hurley, a player voted the club’s Player of the Century dug up the centre spot after the farewell game, for it to be planted at the new stadium. Roker Park was then demolished and built in its place was a housing estate, with streets named after various Roker Park and football names.
Estadio Chamartín
A multi-purpose use stadium in Madrid, mainly as Real Madrid’s home ground from 1923-1946. The opening day saw Real Madrid take on Newcastle on 17th May 1924 in a 3-2 win, and the final official match saw Real Madrid win 2-0 against CD Alcoyano in a Spanish Cup game. There was a closing friendly three days later before demolition, and Real Madrid moved on to the famous Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The club built a stand that could seat 4,000 people with terraces holding another 11,000. The majority of people wanted to call the stadium Campo del Real Madrid Fútbol Club, but most referred to it as Chamartín.
Due to the Spanish Civil War, the stadium was damaged, but reopened in the late 1930s, with a capacity of 22,500. Then Club President, Santiago Bernabéu made plans to replace the stadium, and in 1943, the land surrounding the Charmatín was bought and construction began on the new stadium. The Charmartín was demolished to make way for the completion of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which was built partly on the old stadium and the grounds of Villa Ulpiana.
Bökelbergstadion
Home to Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach for more than 80 years, the Bökelbergstadion opened in 1919, and closed in 2004 when Mönchengladbach moved to Borussia-Park. Construction of the stadium was to start earlier, but due to World War 1, it was completed in 1919 and opened on 20th September 1919. It held a capacity of 34,500, and it opened under the name Westdeutsches Stadion, with its nickname known as the gravel pit. It became known as Bökelbergstadion in 1962 when Borussia Mönchengladbach won the German Cup for the very first time. The stadium was demolished in 2006 as residential buildings were built in 2007. Some of the stadium has been preserved, with the terraces of the north and south curve now integrated into the residential area, and the structure of the stadium is still visible.
By the 1990s, with facilities limited, Borussia Mönchengladbach looked to build a new stadium and in 2002, construction began on Borussia-Park. The Bökelbergstadion played its final match on the 22nd of May 2004, a Bundesliga match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and TSV 1860 Munich, in a 3-2 win for Mönchengladbach. A memorial of the Bökelbergstadion was unveiled on 2nd December 2019.
Estádio Palestra Itália
Located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Estádio Palestra Itália was used by Palmeiras, founded by Italian immigrants as Palestra Itália from 1917-2010. It was also known as Parque Antártica, after a beverages company from who Palmeiras acquired the property in 1920. The stadium had an all-seater capacity of 27,650, while the capacity in the past was 35,000 people. It was built in 1901 and opened in 1902, but the popularity of football soon took course and the stadium was rented out to various teams, eventually with Palmeiras settling here and buying the ground in 1920. The first match took place on 21st April 1917, as Palestra Itália beat Internacional-SP 5-1. The record attendance was set in 1976 when 40,283 people took in a Palmeiras 1-0 win over XV de Piracicaba on the 18th August.
Small renovations were made throughout the years, but plans for a complete new stadium became real in 2008. The last match to be played at the stadium was a friendly on the 9th July 2010 between Palmeiras and Boca Juniors, the visitors won 2-0 in front of a crowd of 17,786. It was then demolished in November 2010, making way for the new Allianz Parque.
Estádio Fonte Nova
Known as Estádio Octávio Mangabeira, located in Salvador, Brazil. Built in 1951, the opening game saw two local Bahia teams Guarany and Botafogo take on each other. The stadium was expanded and reformed in 1971 to take the maximum capacity to 110,000. In the reopening of the stadium on 4th May 1971, two games were played as both Esporte Clube Bahia and Esporte Clube Vitória would use the stadium as home games with Bahia playing Flamengo and Vitória took on Gremio respectively, in a day that saw two fans lose their lives due to the chaos. The current record attendance sits at 110,438, on 12th Feburary 1989 when Bahia beat Fluminense 2-1.
By 1994, Vitória had moved on to another stadium, and the state of the Estádio Fonte Nova would worsen in the 2000s. Tragedy struck on the 25th November 2007 as seven fans would lose their lives during a third division game between Bahia and Vila Nova, attended by over 60,000 people. A section of the upper tier collapsed as Bahia fans celebrated their promotion to the second division. Many others were injured, and the stadium was closed. It was announced to be demolished with a new stadium built on its place, and demolition started in 2010 with the new Arena Fonte Nova opened in its place in 2013.
Stade Louis II (1939)
Located in Fontvieille, Monaco, Prince Louis II ordered for the country’s first football stadium to be built. It was opened from 1939-1985, when a new Stade Louis II was built not far from the old stadium. Primarily used as home matches for AS Monaco, it also held major boxing events, and had an attendance of 12,000. The stadium saw some historic moments as AS Monaco climbed the ladder of success, and by 1948, they returned to the second division after acquiring professional status. They were promoted to the first division for the first time in 1953. The latter years of the stadium’s time saw Monaco pick up the French Championship in 1982.
In 1979, Prince Louis II built a space dedicated to sport, and work began on the new Stade Louis II in 1981. The old stadium was demolished in 1985 as AS Monaco moved on, and the old Stade Louis II gave way to what is now the Fontvieille shopping centre.
