Wembley Stadium (popularly just Wembley)
located in the Borough of Brent in North West London, England. Primarily used for football matches, Wembley is owned by the Football Association (FA) through its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Limited, and hosts English international football matches and major FA Cup finals. The stadium is also used for music concerts and other sporting events. Wembley will host the UEFA Champions League final in 2011.
As the most expensive stadium ever built, Wembley seats 90,000 people, the second largest stadium in Europe, and the largest stadium where all seating is under a roof. Immediately after its opening, it was referred to as the "new Wembley Stadium" to distinguish it from the original stadium.
The previous Wembley Stadium (known as the British Empire Exhibition Stadium or Empire Stadium) was one of the world's most famous football stadiums and the national football stadium of England; and, due to the game's geographical origins, was often called the "Home of Football". It has hosted the European Cup final (now known as the UEFA Champions League) five times, and is one of seventeen stadiums to have hosted a FIFA World Cup final. In 2003, the original structure was demolished and construction began on a new stadium, scheduled to open in 2006. The opening was later postponed to early 2007. The final completion date for the stadium was 9 March 2007, when the keys to the stadium were handed over to the FA.
Construction
Wembley was designed by architects HOK Sport and Foster End Partners, and engineers Mott Macdonald, built by Multiplex, and subsidized by Sport England, UNSL (Wembley National Stadium Limited), the Football Association, the Department of Culture and Sport and the London Development Agency. It is the most expensive stadium ever built, costing £792 million (about US$1.57 billion) and the largest indoor stadium in the world.
The seats in the stadium are arranged in a bowl and are designed for 90,000 people, and are protected from precipitation by a retractable roof that does not completely cover the stadium. It can also be adapted for athletic competitions by installing a temporary platform above the lower row of seats. A distinctive feature of the stadium is a rounded frame arch with an internal diameter of 7 meters, 315 meters in length, inclined at 22°, and a height of 140 meters. It supports the entire weight of the north roof and 60% of the weight of the retractable roof on the south side. The arch is the world's longest unsupported roof structure. Instead of the original stadium having 39 steps to get to the Main Box for the award, there are now 107 steps.
The platform arrangement was designed to use the stadium for athletic competitions, but its use reduces the stadium's capacity to approximately 60,000 seats. No athletic competition has yet been held at the stadium, and none are planned for the future.
The stadium is connected to London Underground station Wembley Park Stadium via Olympic Way, and to Wembley Central station via White Horse Bridge. It also has a train service - operated by Wembley Stadium railway station - to London Marylebone and Birmingham.
The original plan to redevelop Wembley was to demolish the old one before Christmas 2000 and complete the building in 2003. But this work was delayed due to financial and legal difficulties. The opening was set for 13 May 2006, with the first game that year, the FA Cup final. However, doubts have been expressed as to whether the stadium will be completed by then. The new stadium was completed and handed over to the FA on 9 March 2007, with a total cost of the entire project (including local transport infrastructure conversion and subsidy costs) of £1 billion (approximately US$1.97 billion).
In December 2005, builders admitted that there was a risk that the stadium might not be ready in time for the Cup final; and in February 2006 these fears were confirmed when the FA moved the game to Cardiffs Millennium Stadium.
The delays began back in 2003. In December 2003, arch engineers, Cleveland Bridge's subcontractors, warned Multiplex that prices would be raised and steel work would be delayed by nearly a year due to design changes that Multiplex rejected. Cleveland Bridge was removed from the project and replaced by the Danish firm Hollandia, with all the subsequent problems associated with the resumption of work. On March 20, 2006, a steel beam from the newly designed roof sagged 45 centimeters, forcing 3,000 workers to evacuate the stadium and causing further doubt about the completion date, which was already behind schedule. On March 23, 2006, pipes under the stadium were bent due to aftershocks. GMB society leader Steve Kelly said the problem was caused by pipes being placed incorrectly and that repairs would take several months. A spokesman for the Multiplex project said they did not consider this to be "any impediment to the completion of the stadium", which was by then scheduled for March 31, 2006.
On 30 March 2006, instructors announced that Wembley Stadium would not be ready until 2007. All competitions and concerts planned there were moved to more suitable premises. On June 19, 2006, the laying of turf was announced. On 19 October 2006, it was announced that the venue was preparing to open in early 2007, following a final settlement between the Football Association and the Multiplex. UNSL, a subsidiary of the Football Association, was preparing to pay Multiplex around £36 million, according to the fixed price specified in the original contract. This meant that Wembley Stadium was ready for the 2007 FA Cup Final, scheduled for 19 May. The official Wembley website announced that the stadium would open to the local Brent community on 3 March 2007, however the event was moved up two weeks later to take place on 17 March. The keys to the new Wembley Stadium were finally handed over to the owners on 9 March 2007 and the stadium was ready to open and host FA Cup football matches, concerts and other events.
A short documentary about its redevelopment can be found on the Wembley Regeneration DVD, which also talks about not only the redevelopment of the stadium, but also the extensive upgrades to the Wembley area. Although not yet completed or opened at the time, Wembley Stadium was featured in the EA Sports video game FIFA 07.
A statue of Bobby Moore - captain of the England football team when they won the 1966 World Cup at Wembley - was unveiled outside the stadium on 11 May 2007.
Structure
New Wembley is the world's largest stadium where all seats are located under cover. There are 2,618 toilets inside the stadium; that's more than any other room in the world. The stadium has a circumference of 1 kilometer. At the height of construction, more than 3,500 construction workers were working there at any one time. 4,000 individual piles form the foundations of the new stadium, the deepest of which are 35 meters. The stadium has high voltage cables with a total length of 56 kilometers. 90,000 m3 of concrete and 23,000 tons of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium. The total length of the escalators is 400 meters. The diameter of the Wembley arch is larger than the diameter of the Eurostar high-speed train tunnel.
Field
The new field is 4 meters lower than the previous one. The pitch measures 105 meters long and 69 meters wide, which is slightly narrower than Old Wembley. Since the completion of the new Wembley, the pitch has fallen into disrepute when Slaven Bilic declared it to be "unfit" and "not in the condition that Wembley used to be known for" before the game between England and Croatia. It was confirmed that the pitch was poorly mowed during the game, which was one of the excuses why England did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2008, despite previous results also being justified by something else.
Roof
The new 6,350 tonne roof covers an area of more than 45,000 square meters, 16,000 m2 of which is movable and rises 52 meters above the field. At 317 meters long, the arch is the longest structure in the world, and rises 134 meters above the top rows; The arch is designed so that it does not cast a shadow on the field. Contrary to popular belief, the stadium roof does not close completely, which means it cannot cover the entire playing area during rainfall.
Participants
The England national football team is the main user of Wembley Stadium. Taking over from the Football Association on 10 March 2007, the League Cup final moved back to Wembley from Cardiff, followed by the FA Cup final and the FA Super Cup. Other football matches that previously used Wembley, such as the Football League Play-offs and Football League Trophy, returned to the stadium, as did the Football Conference Play-off final. Additionally, the Rugby League Cup competition returned to Wembley Stadium in 2007. New Wembley figures prominently in plans for the London 2012 Summer Olympics; The stadium will host several games in the men's and women's competitions, and the final games are also scheduled to be held there. The English Guinness Premier League reportedly discussed the possibility of staging the London Double Header, usually played at Twickenham, at Wembley during the 2007–08 season, although the game was eventually played at Twickenham.
The Race of Champions held its events at the stadium in 2007-2008. London and Wembley are the preferred venue for sporting events.
Music
Apart from football, Wembley can be equipped to host many other events, in particular large concerts. The first concert at the new stadium was given by George Michael on June 9, 2007. Other acts at the stadium included Mews (who became the first act to sell out Wembley), Metallica, Foo Fighters and Madonna. AC/DC, Coldplay (featuring Girls Elaud and JZ) and Oasis are scheduled to perform in 2009.
Wembley Stadium also hosted two major charity concerts: the Concert for Diana, a memorial concert for the decade after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Living Earth concert. Bon Jovi was one of the first acts scheduled to perform at the new Wembley, but due to the late completion of the building, the concerts were moved to the National Bowl and Kingston Communications Stadium.
The legendary Wembley Stadium is one of the most famous in the world, the most prestigious venue for football matches and grand concerts, located in the north-west part of London in the area of Brent. It is home to the England national football team. And in 2012, Wembley hosted the Olympic football final.
A little history
The history of Wembley consists of two stages: the original foundation of the stadium and its renovation. "Old Wembley", as the English affectionately call it, was opened in April 1923, with a match for the FA Cup final. In 1966, it was there that England became the world champion, defeating the German national team with a score of 4:2. The European Cup was also won here. But time passed, standards changed, and in 2000 the stadium was closed for reconstruction.The renovated Wembley was handed over to the FA in the spring of 2007. The solemn event was the opening on May 11 in front of the main entrance of the monument to Bobby Moore, the captain of the team that won the world championship. The stadium was officially opened on May 19 with the FA Cup final.
The first musician to perform at the new Wembley was George Michael (9th and 10th). On June 16 and 17, MUSE concerts took place, and for their first concert, all tickets were sold out in two hours. July 1 was marked by a memorial concert in honor of Princess Diana.
Wembley Stadium today
Today, Wembley is the most expensive stadium in the world: its construction cost 798 million. It also became the second largest in Europe: the arenas can accommodate 90,000 spectators. It has a set of platforms that make it possible to turn the stadium into an arena for athletes. The retractable roof can shelter the largest number of spectators from rain and sun. And they made it retractable so that on days free from events the lawn could receive more moisture and sunlight.The grandiose roof is supported by a majestic lattice arch, which is both a decoration of the stadium and its distinctive feature. The arch is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest roof structure without fastenings. Its width exceeds the diameter of the railway tunnel under the English Channel.
Helpful information
Ticket prices vary greatly depending on the category of event, with the more prestigious the more expensive, rising to several hundred pounds. And the cost of the cheapest seats is about 60 pounds. Inside the stadium there are numerous cafes, bars, ATMs, and shops (including official merchandise). And a record number of toilets - 2618.How to get there?
The easiest way to get to the stadium is by metro station Wembley Central or Wembley Park.National Express buses, the official partner of the stadium, will take you from 55 corners of the country directly to the event site. There is ample parking nearby for car owners, although a space must be reserved in advance. And the cheapest way to get there is city buses 18, 83, 92 and 224. This trip option is the longest (a little over an hour), but if you sit on the second floor of the bus, you’ll get a good tour of the city.
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Wembley's history begins in 1920. In the 1920s, Wembley Park was chosen as the site of the 1923 Imperial Exhibition. Wembley, or Empire Stadium, was built between 22 January and 23 April. Its capacity was 126 thousand people. The 1922 FA Cup final at Stamford Bridge was attended by "only" 53,000 spectators. In this regard, London authorities were concerned that spectators would not fill the new 126,000-seat Wembley Stadium next year. But the fears were in vain, on April 28, when Bolton and West Ham met in the final, the stadium was literally besieged by a crowd of 200,000 people. The match did take place (Bolton won 2:0), in no small part due to the fact that in the presence of King George V the fans behaved quite restrained. Wembley opened.
In 1966, at this stadium, the British became world champions, defeating Germany with a score of 4:2, and Geoffrey Hurst, for the first time in football history, scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final. And two years later, Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup. The fact that these events took place at Wembley is especially important for the British.
Over the years the stadium has changed. The nearby exhibition center was rebuilt as part of the stadium's £60 million redevelopment in the 1980s. When it was decided to replace standing areas with seats, the stadium's capacity was reduced from its original 100,000. Then, under the roof canopy, the Olympic Gallery was completed, and the stadium began to accommodate 80,000 people. Naturally, the renovated Wembley became the main arena of the 1996 European Championship.
However, over time, the stadium began to need updating to meet international standards. As a result of long discussions, it was decided not to reconstruct the old Wembley, but to build a new beautiful stadium in its place. Germany international Dietmar Hamann's free-kick made him the last player to score at the old Wembley Stadium before it was demolished. It happened on October 7, 2000, when the guests defeated representatives of Foggy Albion in the 2002 World Cup qualifying match with a score of 1:0. In the fall of 2002, demolition of the stadium began in order to build a new modern arena in its place. Parts of old Wembley were sold off at auction, with the turf, nets and goal frames sold piecemeal. There were a huge number of people who wanted to keep a piece of their memories for themselves; it was a legendary stadium!
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW WEMBLEY STADIUM |
The new Wembley was designed by Foster and Partners and Populous. The construction was undertaken by the Australian company Brookfield Multiplex, and the investors were Sport England, WNSL (Wembley National Stadium Limited), the Football Association of England, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, as well as the London Enterprise Development Agency. Wembley has become one of the most expensive stadiums in the world: its construction costs amounted to £798 million. The stadium also has the largest number of spectator seats under the roof of any stadium in the world. Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners also participated in the preparation of design documentation for the new Wembley.
The design of the new 90,000th Wembley is based on a “bowl” shape with a retractable roof. It can also be used as an athletic stadium: for this purpose, the project provides for the possibility of erecting a temporary platform on the lower tiers. A distinctive feature of the stadium is a lattice arch with a circular cross-section with a diameter of 7 meters and a length of 315 meters, rising at a height of 133 meters. The arch supports the entire weight of the north roof and 60% of the weight of the retractable roof on the south side. The stadium arch is the longest unsupported roof structure in the world. Compared to the original Wembley's 39 steps leading up to the Royal Box, the new stadium has 107 steps.
The stadium also has a platform system that can be used if the stadium needs to be used for athletes' performances. Using this system would reduce the stadium's capacity to 60,000 seats. To date, no athletic competition has taken place at the new Wembley.
On May 11, 2007, the opening ceremony of the Bobby Moore monument, installed in front of the stadium entrance, took place. The bronze monument by sculptor Philip Jackson was unveiled by Sir Bobby Charlton. Bobby Moore captained the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. The official opening ceremony of the stadium took place on 19 May 2007, when the FA Cup final was held at the new Wembley.
In 2012, the stadium will host the football finals of the 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition to national team matches, Wembley hosts FA Cup semi-finals and finals, FA Super Cup matches, Football League Cup and Football League Trophy finals and Football League play-off matches. In 2011, the stadium hosted the final match of the UEFA Champions League. In 2013, Wembley will once again host the UEFA Champions League final. In addition to football, the stadium hosts rugby league and American football matches. Wembley also hosts concerts; Green Day, Muse, Oasis, Take That, Metallica, U2 and Madonna have already performed there.
FOOTBALL FIELD. The new football pitch is 4 meters (13 ft) lower than the old stadium's pitch. The pitch measures 105 by 69 metres, slightly narrower than the old Wembley. Since the opening of the new Wembley, the quality of the turf on the football ground has been criticized many times. Following the FA Cup semi-finals in April 2009, when the quality of the pitch at Wembley was criticized by Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and David Moyes, the FA admitted that the pitch needed to be improved. After the stadium opened, the pitch was changed several times before important matches.
March 2010 saw the tenth resurfacing of the pitch since Wembley opened in 2007. In April of the same year, the quality of the pitch was again criticized after the FA Cup semi-finals. Thus, players complained that it was difficult for them to stand on the lawn, despite the lack of precipitation. Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp branded the ground a "disgrace" after their semi-final defeat to Portsmouth. At the end of the 2010 FA Cup final, Chelsea captain John Terry said: “The pitch ruined the final. This might be the worst course I've played on this year. It's not good enough for Wembley." The turf was replaced before the 2010 FA Super Cup match. From then on, Wembley used the Desso GrassMaster grass surface, which combines natural grass with artificial fibers. Michael Owen, who previously criticized the Wembley pitch after he suffered an injury on it, said the quality of the pitch had improved significantly since then.
ROOF. The stadium's roof area is 40,000 m2, of which 13,722 m2 is movable. The main reason for using a retractable roof was to avoid shade on the football field, as grass requires direct sunlight to grow effectively. Angus Campbell, the stadium's chief architect, also said his aim was to provide natural sunlight to the football ground for matches from early May to late June, from 3pm to 5pm, when FA Cup and World Cup matches are played. The retractable roof design minimizes shadows cast on the football field as the roof can be moved to the east, west and south. However, it was not possible to achieve a complete absence of shadow on the football field from 15 to 17 hours in the FA Cup finals: for example, in the 2007 final there was a shadow from the roof on part of the field, which was noted by BBC commentators.
The stadium's roof is 52 meters above the level of the football field and is supported by an arch that is 133 meters above the level of the external concourse. The arch is 315 meters long, making it the longest single-span roof structure in the world.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WEMBLEY STADIUM IN LONDON |
- The stadium has 2,618 toilets, more than any other sports venue in the world.
- The perimeter of the stadium is 1 km.
- The stadium's bowl volume is 1,139,100 m³, slightly less than Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, but with a larger seating capacity.
- 3,500 workers were simultaneously employed in the construction of the stadium.
- There are 4,000 isolated piles installed at the base of the stadium, the deepest lying at a depth of 35 m.
- The stadium has 56 km of power cables.
- 90,000 m³ of concrete and 23,000 tons of steel were used to build the stadium.
- The total length of the escalators at the stadium is 400 m.
- The Wembley Arch has a larger cross-sectional diameter than the Channel Tunnel.
Wembley Stadium is the most famous stadium in England. It is revered by all fans of Foggy Albion, because this is where the England national team plays its home matches. I will tell you about the history of the legendary Wembley, as well as its revival..
Wembley's history begins in 1920. In the 1920s, Wembley Park was chosen as the site of the 1923 Imperial Exhibition. Wembley, or Empire Stadium, was built between 22 January and 23 April. Its capacity was 126 thousand people. The 1922 FA Cup final at Stamford Bridge was attended by "only" 53,000 spectators. In this regard, London authorities were concerned that spectators would not fill the new 126,000-seat Wembley Stadium next year. But the fears were in vain, on April 28, when Bolton and West Ham met in the final, the stadium was literally besieged by a crowd of 200,000 people. The match did take place (Bolton won 2:0), in no small part due to the fact that in the presence of King George V the fans behaved quite restrained. Opening "Wembley" took place 
In 1966, at this stadium, the British became world champions, defeating Germany with a score of 4:2, and Geoffrey Hurst, for the first time in football history, scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final. And two years later, Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup. The fact that these events took place at Wembley is especially important for the British.
Over the years the stadium has changed. The nearby exhibition center was rebuilt as part of the stadium's £60 million redevelopment in the 1980s. When it was decided to replace standing areas with seats, the stadium's capacity was reduced from its original 100,000. Then, under the roof canopy, the Olympic Gallery was completed, and the stadium began to accommodate 80,000 people. Naturally, the renovated Wembley became the main arena of the 1996 European Championship 
However, over time, the stadium began to need updating to meet international standards. As a result of long discussions, it was decided not to reconstruct the old Wembley, but to build a new beautiful stadium in its place. Germany international Dietmar Hamann's free-kick made him the last player to score at the old Wembley Stadium before it was demolished. It happened on October 7, 2000, when the guests defeated representatives of Foggy Albion in the 2002 World Cup qualifying match with a score of 1:0. In the fall of 2002, demolition of the stadium began in order to build a new modern arena in its place. Parts of old Wembley were sold off at auction, with the turf, nets and goal frames sold piecemeal. There were a huge number of people who wanted to keep a piece of their memories for themselves; it was a legendary stadium!
Designed to accommodate a huge number of spectators (90 thousand people), the new Wembley Stadium complex has excellent equipment, and the arch towering 133 meters above it is visible for many kilometers. When it opened in 2006, it became the largest football stadium in the world. The construction project was developed by the World Stadium Team company. The construction work was carried out by Multiplex Constructions, which built the famous stadium for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney 
The massive glass and aluminum building is circular in shape; it is partially covered with a roof in the form of two crescents, designed to protect spectators from the weather. The roof weighs 7,000 tonnes and is partially retractable, so that between sporting events the stadium is open air - so that Wembley's famous green grass can get another dose of fresh air and sun. 
The old Wembley Stadium had 4 separate stands. They were replaced by a single bowl-shaped spectator area with rows of seats arranged in a steep “staircase”. Spectators can also watch the action on the field using two huge screens, each the size of 600 television screens. One of the striking features of the old stadium was its acoustics, thanks to which the voices of the fans sounded so powerfully and brightly. Before the old building was demolished in 2000, acousticians recorded sound from the building and worked closely with the architects to preserve its acoustic effects. 
New Wembley It is designed primarily for football and rugby matches, as well as musical events, but it is multifunctional and can be easily “adapted” for athletics competitions. For this purpose, the field and the lower rows of spectator seats are covered with a special platform, providing sufficient space for the competition. During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Wembley will host the final matches of the football teams 
As before, the stadium will host England's home matches and will also host various football cup finals. For example, Wembley was in contention to host the Champions League finals of the 2007/2008 season and the 2008/2009 season, but lost to the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow and the Olimpico stadium in Rome. But the old arena hosted 5 Champions League (or Cup) finals, which is a record.
