St. Jakob-Park
| Joggeli | |
 | |
| Location | Basel, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.5415750°N 7.6201806°ECoordinates: 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.5415750°N 7.6201806°E |
| Owner | Genossenschaft Stadion St. Jakob-Park |
| Operator | Basel United AG |
| Capacity |
38,512 (Football)[1] (37,500 for international matches)[2] 60,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | 15 March 2001 |
| Construction cost | CHF 220 million (2001) |
| Architect | Herzog & de Meuron |
| Tenants | |
| FC Basel (Super League) (1998–present) | |
St. Jakob Park is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland and Austria.[3] After the Euro 2008 a number of seats were removed, thus creating more space between them. The capacity was therefore reduced to 38,512[1] for Swiss Super League matches or 37,500 seats for international matches[4] The maximum capacity for concerts is 60,000.
The stadium is named after the village of St. Jakob an der Birs, which stood on the site. The name "Joggeli" is the diminutive of "Jakob" in the local dialect, making it the equivalent of "Jake".
Overview
The stadium is divided into four main blocks, A, B, C and D, each block covering one side of the stadium, and block G, consisting of the upper balcony added later. St. Jakob Park is a fairly modern stadium; construction started on 13 December 1998, replacing the former St. Jakob Stadium. The re-opening game took place 15 March 2001.
The "Genossenschaft S.J.P" officially owns the stadium, while the stadium itself is managed by "Basel United". The stadium cost around CHF 220 million to build (US$132 million, €143 million in March 2001[5]).
Within the stadium, there are 32 shops on three different floors, as well as two restaurants (the "Restaurant UNO" and "Hattrick Sports Bar"). The stadium has parking spaces for 680 cars on two different floors. The stadium can be reached either by bus, tram or train (the stadium has its own train station).
The stadium has been awarded 4 stars by UEFA, which is the highest number of stars that can be awarded to a stadium of that size.
In 2006, there was a riot after a match between FC Basel and FC Zürich. See 2006 Basel Hooligan Incident for more details.
UEFA Euro 2008
For Euro 2008, the St. Jakob Park hosted 6 games – 3 group games (including the opening match), two quarter-finals and one semi-final. Torrential rain during the June 11 match left the pitch in such a poor state that the entire grass surface was re-laid, the first time such a decision was made at a tournament of this size. [6]
| Date | Time (CET) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2008 |  Switzerland |  Czech Republic | 39,730 | |||
| 11 June 2008 | Switzerland |  Turkey | 39,730 | |||
| 15 June 2008 | Switzerland |  Portugal | 39,730 | |||
| 19 June 2008 | Portugal |  Germany | 39,374 | |||
| 21 June 2008 |  Netherlands |  Russia | 38,374 | |||
| 25 June 2008 | Germany | Turkey | 39,374 |
UEFA Europa League Final 2016
The stadium hosted the 2016 final of the Europa League. Sevilla beat Liverpool 3–1.
This was the first European club final hosted at the stadium, although the previous stadium of the same name, the St. Jakob Stadium, which opened in 1954 for the 1954 FIFA World Cup and closed in 1998, hosted four European Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1969, 1975, 1979 and 1984.
Panorama
See also
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Jakob-Park. |
| Preceded by National Stadium Warsaw |
UEFA Europa League Final Venue 2016 |
Succeeded by Friends Arena Solna |