Ullevi

From Free net encyclopedia

Ullevi or Ullevi Stadium, formerly named Nya Ullevi, meaning New Ullevi, to distinguish it from Gamla Ullevi, is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. 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, and speed skating. It has an all-seated capacity of 43,200 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 final in 1983, 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.

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.

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