Galadrielle H.
Yelp
Are you into sport ? Well, not really. But I must reveal my admiration for the AVIVA Stadium as it is one of the most amazing stadiums I have ever seen ! So, let's get started.
What is the AVIVA Stadium ? The previous name of the AVIVA Stadium was the Lansdowne Road Stadium. It was created in 1872 by Henry William Dunlop who had the vision of a sporting venue for athletics.
Was the stadium only devoted to athletics ? Originally the Lansdowne Road Stadium happened to be a multi sport stadium. In 1950, 40,000 people watched the Olympic games there. Nevertheless, the stadium soon became famous for its rugby games. The first rugby match played in Lansdowne was between Leinster and Munster in December 1976. And in 1978, the stadium held its first international rugby installation and became the world's oldest rugby union test venue.
Any famous names performed in the Lansdowne Road Stadium ? In 1950, Ronnie Delany run in an athletic meeting there for the Olympics and reached the Gold medal. Some other famous hosts can be named, such as : Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Bon jovi, the Eagles, U2, and so on.
How about the construction of Lansdowne Road ? The original stadium was built East to West. In 1900, the orientation of the stadium was changed to North/South. The planning approval granted in March 2007, the demolition of Lansdowne Road started in May 2007 and the AVIVA Stadium finally opened on 14th May 2010.
Some figures ? All in all :
- 50,000 seats
- 36 corporate boxes containing 850 seats
- 230 wheelchair spaces throughout the stadium
- 189,9m North/South
- 203m East/West
- 47.65m high above pitch
- 63.802 sq m
- 3 restaurants
- 9 kitchens
- 69 kiosks / bars
- 90,000 pints
COST : €410 million (including €191 million government funding)
Anything else to add ? From the outside, the AVIVA Stadium looks like a giant ball made of steel. It looks quite impressive I must say. From the inside, it looks like an egg with open shell. The grass is as green as you could ever imagine. The light is coming from everywhere as the egg is made of transparent tiles. Surprisingly, one side of the roof (allow me to call it like this) is lower. Gossips would reveal that the architects intend to work on an extention of the stadium. The architects will deny as the stadium has only only been designed to allow sunlight reach the neighbouring houses. For more information, check this link : http://www.avivastadium.ie/stadiumInformation.aspx
"I feel hungry and want to experiment the Lansdowne Roar in the new stadium" says my best friend. Let's go to the Lansdowne Stadium, or shall I say the AVIVA Stadium. But don't tell me about the AVIVA Roar ! XD