Stadion Wankdorf

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Stadion Wankdorf
Wankdorf
Stade de Suisse.jpg
The stadium on a matchday
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Former namesStade de Suisse (2005–2020)
LocationPapiermühlestrasse 71
CH-3022 Bern, Switzerland
Coordinates46°57′47.40″N 7°27′53.40″E / 46.9631667°N 7.4648333°E / 46.9631667; 7.4648333Coordinates: 46°57′47.40″N 7°27′53.40″E / 46.9631667°N 7.4648333°E / 46.9631667; 7.4648333
OwnerStade de Suisse Wankdorf Nationalstadion AG
OperatorStade de Suisse Wankdorf Nationalstadion AG
Capacity32,000 (football)
45,000 (concerts)
SurfaceArtificial grass (Polytan LigaTurf RS Pro CoolPlus)[1]
Construction
Broke ground2003
Opened30 July 2005
Construction costCHF 350 million (2005)
ArchitectMarazzi Generalunternehmung AG[2]
Tenants
BSC Young Boys (2005–present)

The Wankdorf Stadium[3] (German: Stadion Wankdorf; between 2005 and 2020 known as Stade de Suisse[4]) is a football stadium in Bern, Switzerland. The second largest all-seater football stadium in Switzerland, it currently serves as the home ground of the Swiss football team BSC Young Boys. It was also one of the venues used during the UEFA Euro 2008.

History[]

Exterior view, 2011

The present-day Stadion Wankdorf 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 seated. 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.[5]

Fifteen years after the new stadium opened in 2005 (back then called Stade de Suisse), it was renamed Stadion Wankdorf in June 2020, in an effort to return to the stadium's roots.[4][6]

The Wankdorf Stadium before a Champions League Play Off Match in 2019
The Wankdorf Stadium before a Champions League Match (2021)

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 and on 29 May 2016 during the Rock or Bust World Tour with Axl Rose as lead singer.

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.

On 5 June 2019 Rammstein performed in Bern during their Europe Stadium Tour 2019. The concert was sold out in several hours.

The Hot Seat[]

A peculiar feature of the Wankdorf Stadium 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.[citation needed]

Ice hockey attendance record[]

Ice hockey at the Wankdorf

The Wankdorf Stadium with its artificial turf surface was an ideal candidate to provide Europe its first "new era" outdoor attendance record for ice hockey.[7] 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[]

UEFA Euro 2008[]

The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2008. The Netherlands played all three games at the stadium during the tournament:

Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Spectators
9 June 2008 20:45 Netherlands Netherlands 3–0 Italy Italy Group C 30,777
13 June 2008 4–1 France France
17 June 2008 2–0 Romania Romania

International matches[]

Date Result Competition
8 October 2005 Switzerland   1–1  France 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification
12 November 2005 2–0  Turkey
29 February 2012 1–3  Argentina Friendly
30 May 2012 Spain  4–1  South Korea
15 August 2012 England  2–1  Italy
12 October 2012 Switzerland   1–1  Norway 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
6 September 2013 4–4  Iceland
15 October 2013 1–0  Slovenia

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Marazzi Generalunternehmung AG[dead link] (in French)
  3. ^ Stadion Wankdorf, bscyb.ch
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Bern hat wieder ein Wankdorfstadion, bernerzeitung.ch, 29 June 2020 (in German)
  5. ^ 2005/06 UEFA Cup Thun-Hamburg Archived 12 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine UEFA.com
  6. ^ Zurück zu den Wurzeln: Stade de Suisse wird in Stadion Wankdorf umbenannt, kickwelt.de
  7. ^ Joeri Loonen Unique occasion sets new European visitor record EuroHockey.Net, 15 January 2007

External links[]

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