Finnair Stadium
Encyclopedia
Sonera Stadium is a football
stadium
in Helsinki
, Finland
.
The stadium was inaugurated in 2000. It has a capacity
of 10,770 spectators. In July 2006, a new artificial turf
with a FIFA
two star rating was installed, replacing a first-generation artificial pitch used for the two previous years. It is located next to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
. Before the current stadium was constructed, it was known as the Helsinki Football Grounds and hosted some of the football
preliminaries for the 1952 Summer Olympics
.
It is the home stadium of HJK, and is also used for some friendlies by the Finnish national team
. It hosted the final of the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship
.
The stadium was named as one of the stadiums that host the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship
. For that tournament, the artificial turf earlier covering the field was replaced with grass.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
The stadium was inaugurated in 2000. It has a capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 10,770 spectators. In July 2006, a new artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
with a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
two star rating was installed, replacing a first-generation artificial pitch used for the two previous years. It is located next to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
. Before the current stadium was constructed, it was known as the Helsinki Football Grounds and hosted some of the football
Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Olympic football tournament signalled the arrival of the 'Golden Team'; the 'Magical Magyars': Hungary. Ferenc Puskás, the great Hungarian known as the 'Galloping Major' for his military title, said of the 1952 competition: "It was during the Olympics that our football first started to...
preliminaries for the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
.
It is the home stadium of HJK, and is also used for some friendlies by the Finnish national team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
. It hosted the final of the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship
2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship
The FIFA U-17 World Championship 2003 was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti, and Turku in Finland between 13 August and 30 August 2003...
.
The stadium was named as one of the stadiums that host the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship
2009 UEFA Women's Championship
The 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, or just Women's Euro 2009, was played in Finland between August 23 and September 10, 2009. The host was appointed on July 11, 2006, in a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Berlin and the Finnish proposal won over the Dutch proposal.The UEFA Women's Championship...
. For that tournament, the artificial turf earlier covering the field was replaced with grass.
The specifications of the stadium
- Field size: 105 × 68 metres (UEFAUEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
recommendation) - Floodlights: 1500 luxLuxThe lux is the SI unit of illuminance and luminous emittance, measuring luminous flux per unit area. It is used in photometry as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the human eye, of light that hits or passes through a surface...
- Capacity of 10,770 spectators, all stands are covered
- The main stand is heated
- A warming system under the artificial turf