AWD-Arena
Encyclopedia
The AWD-Arena is a football stadium
in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover
, Lower Saxony
, Germany
, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96
.
The original 86,000-seat stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various major football events. Today it has 49,000 covered seats. During the World Cup 2006 the stadium was named FIFA World Cup Stadium, Hanover.
In 2002, Hannover 96 leased the name right at the Lower Saxony Stadium for five years to the Financial Services AWD. In 2007 the contract was extended for another five years to June 2012.
were used as the foundations of the stadium, with a total construction cost of 4 million Deutschmark. The stadium officially opened on September 26, 1954.
Hannover 96
moved permanently to the stadium from the Eilenriedestadion
in 1959. Other local clubs, such as Arminia Hannover
, OSV Hannover
, TSV Havelse
and Sportfreunde Ricklingen have also played matches there. In addition, the stadium has hosted numerous international matches, 4 (old) league championship games (1955,57,58,61), 2 DFB Supercup finals (1991–92) and 8 DFB Cup finals (1962,63,65,70,72,75,77,79).
Aside from football, the stadium was also the scene of several German athletics championships, the German Turnfest (a sports festival), field handball finals, concerts, rugby & American football.
Since the performances of The Rolling Stones
in 1981 & Queen
in 1982, the stadium has developed into the leading open air concert venue in Northern Germany. Tina Turner
also played here a couple of times, 1990,1996 and 2000. After the stadium underwent extensive revelopment in 2003/04, the open air tradition was revived again with a concert again by The Rolling Stones in the new arena.
Since 2002, it has carried the name of sponsor AWD.
. This event saw the number of seats increase to 38,000, which entailed a decrease in the overall capacity to 60,400. In addition, the upper rank of the west grandstand was completely roofed. These alterations cost 26million DM. Newly modified, the arena featured in both the first and second group phase.
The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 1974:
. However, due to FIFA sponsorship contracts, the arena had to officially be called FIFA World Cup Stadium Hanover (FIFA WM Stadion Hannover) during the World Cup. The stadium also had to convert its standing areas into seating, thus reducing the capacity for the tournament to 43,000, before being converted back after the games.
The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:
Although the stadium has seen many changes through the years, none were as extensive and impacting as the redevelopment of 2003/04 by Schulitz & Partner Architects, which cost 65 million euros.
There had been much controversy within the club's fanbase over suggestions of building a new football arena for many years before. Eventually this led to the decision to preserve and comprehensively redevelop the existing stadium in 1997/98. When Germany was somewhat unexpectedly awarded the hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, the major stadium work was finally put into action.
During 2003/04, major parts of the stadium were rebuilt and thus the maximum capacity was reduced to 49,951 (of which around 8,000 are standing spaces). Before 2003, the stadium had had high floodlight masts (referred to by locals as 'toothbrushes'), track and field facilities inclusive and about 60% was open plan. The redevelopments transformed it completely into a football arena and removed approximately 70% of the previous building. The roof and about 25% of the area at the outer edges of the west grandstand were demolished like the north, south and east grandstand.
Instead of the previous scoreboards, the arena gained two modern video boards and replaced the old floodlight masts with 160 modern single headlights, which were integrated into the roof structure, supplying a light density of 1500 lux.
The pitch, under which a high performance drainage system and a cabin ground heating system was installed, was moved closer to the spectators than ever. With the removal of the track and field facilities, the pitch was moved directly to the west grandstand and the remaining grandstands were then built around it. This necessitated the stands behind the goals be designed in such a way that the upward gradient becomes larger gradually from west to east, creating a rather peculiar asymmetry, as the original west grandstand possessed such small angles of inclination and the new east grandstand was as constructed as steeply as possible.
The new inner roof was constructed using ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) to allow sunlight through and thus allow the grass the grow naturally, whilst also protecting all spectators from bad weather http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/stadiums/06_AWD/overview.asp. This care for the pitch helps avoid the constant need to re-lay it as in many other roofed stadiums and was designed by Hanke Loköter who helped construction the Allianz Arena as well.
The new business and corporate packages of the AWD-Arena are just like the press area in the east grandstand. There are approximately 1,250 business seats, 29 VIP boxes for 10-12 people and 96 press places.
Work on the stadium finished ahead of schedule in December 2004. The first football match held following the redevelopment was on January 23, 2005, where Hannover 96
lost 0-3 to Bayer Leverkusen
in the Bundesliga.
In June 2008, it hosted the 2008 Hannover Sevens
, the European Sevens championship in rugby union
.
On November 15, 2009, the stadium was filled to capacity as the funeral site for 32 year old Hannover 96 goalkeeper Robert Enke
, who took his own life on November 10, 2009.
The stadium is one of few actual stadiums to be named on FIFA 12
when it was released of 28th Sept 2011
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 the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
.
The original 86,000-seat stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various major football events. Today it has 49,000 covered seats. During the World Cup 2006 the stadium was named FIFA World Cup Stadium, Hanover.
In 2002, Hannover 96 leased the name right at the Lower Saxony Stadium for five years to the Financial Services AWD. In 2007 the contract was extended for another five years to June 2012.
History
The stadium was originally known as Niedersachsenstadion (Eng: Lower Saxony Stadium), built between 1952–1954, with an original capacity of 86,000. Huge amounts of debris from the houses in Hannover destroyed during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
were used as the foundations of the stadium, with a total construction cost of 4 million Deutschmark. The stadium officially opened on September 26, 1954.
Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
moved permanently to the stadium from the Eilenriedestadion
Eilenriedestadion
The Eilenriedestadion is a football stadium in Hanover, Germany. It is the home ground of the amateur team of Bundesliga club Hannover 96 and is situated at the edge of the Eilenriede forest in the centre of the city.-History:...
in 1959. Other local clubs, such as Arminia Hannover
Arminia Hannover
SV Arminia Hannover is a German association football club based in Hanover, Lower Saxony.- History :The club was founded in 1910 as FC Arminia Hannover and merged with Rugby-Verein Merkur in 1918, becoming SV Arminia-Merkur. Two years later they re-named themselves SV Arminia Hannover and captured...
, OSV Hannover
OSV Hannover
OSV Hannover is a German association football club based in the Oststadt district of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-History:The club was founded in 1923 as Freie Sportvereinigung Hannover Ost...
, TSV Havelse
TSV Havelse
TSV Havelse is a German association football club based in Garbsen, Lower Saxony, near Hanover.-History:The club was founded in 1912 as FC Pelikan-Havelse by a group of thirteen young men from the small village of Havelse. They took their name from the maker's brand of the first football purchased...
and Sportfreunde Ricklingen have also played matches there. In addition, the stadium has hosted numerous international matches, 4 (old) league championship games (1955,57,58,61), 2 DFB Supercup finals (1991–92) and 8 DFB Cup finals (1962,63,65,70,72,75,77,79).
Aside from football, the stadium was also the scene of several German athletics championships, the German Turnfest (a sports festival), field handball finals, concerts, rugby & American football.
Since the performances of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
in 1981 & Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
in 1982, the stadium has developed into the leading open air concert venue in Northern Germany. Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
also played here a couple of times, 1990,1996 and 2000. After the stadium underwent extensive revelopment in 2003/04, the open air tradition was revived again with a concert again by The Rolling Stones in the new arena.
Since 2002, it has carried the name of sponsor AWD.
1974 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the nine venues chosen for (West) Germany's first hosting of the World Cup1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. This event saw the number of seats increase to 38,000, which entailed a decrease in the overall capacity to 60,400. In addition, the upper rank of the west grandstand was completely roofed. These alterations cost 26million DM. Newly modified, the arena featured in both the first and second group phase.
The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 1974:
| Date | Time | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-15 | 16:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 UruguayUruguay national football team The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez... |
0-2 |  NetherlandsNetherlands national football team The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands... |
Group 3 | 53,000 |
| 1974-06-19 | 19:30 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
Uruguay Uruguay national football team The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez... |
1-1 |  BulgariaBulgaria national football team The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus... |
Group 3 | 12,000 |
| 1974-06-26 | 19:30 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 BrazilBrazil national football team The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the... |
1-0 |  East GermanyEast Germany national football team The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany.... |
Group A (2nd round) | 58,463 |
| 1974-06-23 | 16:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 ArgentinaArgentina national football team The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro... |
1-2 | Brazil Brazil national football team The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the... |
Group A (2nd round) | 38,000 |
1988 European Championship
When Germany hosted its second international tournament, the stadium was again chosen as a venue. By now, due to the conversion of 8,000 terrace spots into single seating, the capacity stood at 55,000. It hosted two group matches:| Date | Time | Team | Result | Team | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-06-11 | 15:30 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 DenmarkDenmark national football team The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU... |
2-3 |  SpainSpain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... |
Group A | 60,366 |
| 1988-06-15 | 20:15 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010.... |
1-1 |  USSRUSSR national football team The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union... |
Group B | 38,308 |
2006 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. However, due to FIFA sponsorship contracts, the arena had to officially be called FIFA World Cup Stadium Hanover (FIFA WM Stadion Hannover) during the World Cup. The stadium also had to convert its standing areas into seating, thus reducing the capacity for the tournament to 43,000, before being converted back after the games.
The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:
| Date | Time | Team | Result | Team | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-11 | 21:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 ItalyItaly national football team The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than... |
2-0 |  GhanaGhana national football team The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association... |
Group E 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group E Play in Group E of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 22 June 2006. Italy won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Ghana. The Czech Republic and the United States failed to advance.Detailed results of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group E... |
43,000 |
| 2006-06-16 | 21:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 MexicoMexico national football team The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre... |
0-0 |  AngolaAngola national football team The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002... |
Group D 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group D Play in Group D of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 21 June 2006. Portugal won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Mexico. Angola and Iran failed to advance.Detailed results of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group D... |
43,000 |
| 2006-06-20 | 16:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 Costa RicaCosta Rica national football team The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States... |
1-2 |  PolandPoland national football team The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland... |
Group A 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group A Play in Group A of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 20 June 2006. Germany won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Ecuador. Poland and Costa Rica failed to advance.Detailed results of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group A... |
43,000 |
| 2006-06-23 | 21:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
 SwitzerlandSwitzerland national football team The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland... |
2-0 |  South Korea |
Group G 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group G Play in Group G of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on June 23, 2006. Switzerland won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with France. South Korea and Togo failed to advance... |
43,000 |
| 2006-06-27 | 21:00 Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used... |
Spain Spain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... |
1-3 |  FranceFrance national football team The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe... |
Round of 16 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament... |
43,000 |
Modern redevelopment
There had been much controversy within the club's fanbase over suggestions of building a new football arena for many years before. Eventually this led to the decision to preserve and comprehensively redevelop the existing stadium in 1997/98. When Germany was somewhat unexpectedly awarded the hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, the major stadium work was finally put into action.
During 2003/04, major parts of the stadium were rebuilt and thus the maximum capacity was reduced to 49,951 (of which around 8,000 are standing spaces). Before 2003, the stadium had had high floodlight masts (referred to by locals as 'toothbrushes'), track and field facilities inclusive and about 60% was open plan. The redevelopments transformed it completely into a football arena and removed approximately 70% of the previous building. The roof and about 25% of the area at the outer edges of the west grandstand were demolished like the north, south and east grandstand.
Instead of the previous scoreboards, the arena gained two modern video boards and replaced the old floodlight masts with 160 modern single headlights, which were integrated into the roof structure, supplying a light density of 1500 lux.
The pitch, under which a high performance drainage system and a cabin ground heating system was installed, was moved closer to the spectators than ever. With the removal of the track and field facilities, the pitch was moved directly to the west grandstand and the remaining grandstands were then built around it. This necessitated the stands behind the goals be designed in such a way that the upward gradient becomes larger gradually from west to east, creating a rather peculiar asymmetry, as the original west grandstand possessed such small angles of inclination and the new east grandstand was as constructed as steeply as possible.
The new inner roof was constructed using ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) to allow sunlight through and thus allow the grass the grow naturally, whilst also protecting all spectators from bad weather http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/stadiums/06_AWD/overview.asp. This care for the pitch helps avoid the constant need to re-lay it as in many other roofed stadiums and was designed by Hanke Loköter who helped construction the Allianz Arena as well.
The new business and corporate packages of the AWD-Arena are just like the press area in the east grandstand. There are approximately 1,250 business seats, 29 VIP boxes for 10-12 people and 96 press places.
Work on the stadium finished ahead of schedule in December 2004. The first football match held following the redevelopment was on January 23, 2005, where Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
lost 0-3 to Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
in the Bundesliga.
In June 2008, it hosted the 2008 Hannover Sevens
2008 Hannover Sevens
The 2008 European Sevens Championship was a rugby sevens competition, with the final held in Hanover, Germany. It was the seventh edition of the European Sevens championship and also functioned as a qualifying tournament for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens...
, the European Sevens championship in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
.
On November 15, 2009, the stadium was filled to capacity as the funeral site for 32 year old Hannover 96 goalkeeper Robert Enke
Robert Enke
Robert Enke was a German football goalkeeper.Enke played at leading clubs in several European countries, namely Barcelona, Benfica and Fenerbahçe, but made the majority of his appearances for Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in his homeland.He won eight full international caps for the German national...
, who took his own life on November 10, 2009.
The stadium is one of few actual stadiums to be named on FIFA 12
FIFA 12
FIFA 12 is the nineteenth game in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of association football video games. It was developed by EA Canada, and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12, promised "a revolutionary year for FIFA .....
when it was released of 28th Sept 2011
External links
- Official website
- Fan photos from the old Niedersachsenstadion
- Footballmatch Collection of German stadiums