Ullevi

Ullevi
Full name	Ullevi
Location
Built	1957–1958
Opened	29 May 1958
Owner	Higab
Tenants
IFK Göteborg and GAIS
Capacity
43,000
Dimensions
110 x 68 m

Ullevi or Ullevi Stadium, formerly named Nya Ullevi, meaning New Ullevi, to distinguish it from Gamla Ullevi, is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium is also the biggest in Scandinavia. It was opened in 1958, its original use was as a venue for the 1958 World Cup. Since then, it has hosted numerous sports events, notably football, athletics, speedway and speed skating. It has an all-seated capacity of 43,000 and a total capacity of 60,000 for concerts.

The record attendance for football is 52,194 and was set on 3 June 1959, when IFK Göteborg played Örgryte IS. The record for any event is 64,312 (including field-level seating) for a Bruce Springsteen concert on 8 June 1985. The 1985 concert became legendary because Springsteen - with the help of a very enthusiastic audience - almost rocked the stadium to pieces, literally. As the city rests on a layer of clay, the rhythmic movement of tens of thousands of people was close to causing a structural collapse. Even though Bruce Springsteen has made several more visits since, it is unlikely he will manage to repeat his feat as the concrete pillars supporting the stadium have since been extended down to solid bedrock. The record for the stadium after being partially rebuilt was set by Swedish rock band Gyllene Tider on 7 August 2004, with an attendance of 58,977.

Ullevi was used for several matches in EURO 92, including the final. It also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, and the UEFA Cup final in 2004. It is also the host for the opening ceremony and final games in the Gothia Cup, the world's largest soccer tournament. Ullevi was also the venue for the 2006 European Championships in Athletics.

Less known, it was also the venue for the first game between NFL teams ever played on the European continent, as Minnesota Vikings faced Chicago Bears, in a pre-season game, 14 August 1988.

In April 2007 Ullevi will have Sweden's largest solar power plant. The plant will consist of 600 m² of solar photovoltaic panels.

Record attendance

The empty west stand of Ullevi during a friendly between IFK Göteborg and Hammarby IF.

See also

• Scandinavium
• Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia

External links

• Ullevi - official site
• The Stadium Guide - Nya Ullevi Stadium
• WorldStadiums.com entry

Preceded by Nou Camp Barcelona	European Cup Winners Cup Final Venue 1983	Succeeded by St. Jakob Stadium Basel
Preceded by Wankdorf Stadium Berne	European Cup Winners Cup Final Venue 1990	Succeeded by De Kuip Rotterdam
Preceded by Olympiastadion Munich	UEFA European Football Championship Final Venue 1992	Succeeded by Wembley Stadium London
Preceded by Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion Stuttgart	IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 1995	Succeeded by Olympic Stadium Athens
Preceded by Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla Seville	UEFA Cup Final Venue 2004	Succeeded by Estádio José Alvalade Lisbon
Preceded by Olympiastadion Munich	European Championships in Athletics Final Venue 2006	Succeeded by Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Barcelona

Coordinates: 57°42′21.21″N, 11°59′14.38″E

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