King Baudouin Stadium
Encyclopedia
The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels
, Belgium
. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 (days after Belgium's 100th anniversary) as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion (Jubilee Stadium) in the presence of Prince Leopold
. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition (1935)
. The stadium hosted 70,000 at the time. A wooden track for cycling races was later added around the pitch.
finals in 1958
, 1966, 1974, and 1985 and Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1964, 1976, 1980 and 1996. The highest attendance at a European game was over 66,000 in 1958.
, Heysel was not well maintained. By the time of the 1985 European Cup Final
, it was literally crumbling. For example, the outer wall had been made of cinder block
, and fans who didn't have tickets were seen kicking holes in it to get in. The abject stadium conditions, along with poor crowd control procedures, are widely considered to have contributed to the Heysel Stadium disaster
before the 1985 European match. Following the disaster, the ground was only used for athletics and it still hosts the Memorial Van Damme
every year.
1,500 million (around $50 million in 1995), and renamed King Baudouin Stadium. All that remains of the old stadium is a renovated gateway near the main entrance. The new structure combined the football ground with a running track and facilities for field events. It was re-opened on 23 August 1995 as the home of the national football team and is the largest stadium in Belgium; it can seat 50,024 spectators. It hosted the opening game for Euro 2000.
On 26 May 2006, the Belgian Football Association
decided not to use the King Baudouin Stadium anymore for the national team home matches and for the Cup
final, because the gates of stand one were too narrow and the stadium was deemed unsafe. The next match of the national team was thus held at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
. Because of this, the city of Brussels
issued a complaint that the stadium was safe in contrary to the reports, and this complaint was ruled to be correct in court. On 6 October 2006, the Belgian Football Association
met with representatives of the city of Brussels and they agreed to renew the contract and extend it to 30 June 2008. Since 15 November 2006, the Belgian national football team has used the King Baudouin Stadium.
milestone on 19 December 2009, when the Paris
ian club Stade Français planned to take their Heineken Cup
home match against Irish club Ulster
to the stadium. However, heavy snowfall in Brussels on the intended matchday forced the cancellation of what would have been the first Heineken Cup
match held in Belgium; the fixture was instead played the following day in Paris.
On the 8th of July 2010 the stadium played host to the Best of Belgium gala which featured a tennis match originally scheduled to be between Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters
. Unfortunately Henin had to pull out and Serena Williams
replaced her as the match was played in front of the largest crowd ever for a single match, beating the attendance set at the Battle of the Sexes.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 (days after Belgium's 100th anniversary) as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion (Jubilee Stadium) in the presence of Prince Leopold
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition (1935)
Brussels International Exposition (1935)
The Brussels International Exposition of 1935 was held in Heysel Park, Brussels, Belgium from April 27 through November 6, 1935....
. The stadium hosted 70,000 at the time. A wooden track for cycling races was later added around the pitch.
History
In 1946 the stadium was renamed Heysel Stadium. It hosted European CupUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals in 1958
1958 European Cup Final
The 1958 European Cup Final was a football match which took place at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on 28 May 1958. It was contested by Real Madrid of Spain and Milan of Italy. Real Madrid won 3-2 after extra-time to claim their third European Cup in a row.-Match details:-Match...
, 1966, 1974, and 1985 and Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1964, 1976, 1980 and 1996. The highest attendance at a European game was over 66,000 in 1958.
1985 disaster
Despite its status as Belgium's national stadiumNational stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
, Heysel was not well maintained. By the time of the 1985 European Cup Final
1985 European Cup Final
The 1985 European Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium on 29 May 1985....
, it was literally crumbling. For example, the outer wall had been made of cinder block
Cinder block
In the United States, a concrete masonry unit – also called concrete block, cement block, and foundation block – is a large rectangular brick used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks...
, and fans who didn't have tickets were seen kicking holes in it to get in. The abject stadium conditions, along with poor crowd control procedures, are widely considered to have contributed to the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
before the 1985 European match. Following the disaster, the ground was only used for athletics and it still hosts the Memorial Van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
every year.
Modernisation
A decade after the disaster the ground was rebuilt, at a cost of BEFBelgian franc
The franc was the currency of Belgium until 2002 when the euro was introduced into circulation. It was subdivided into centimes , 100 centiem or Centime .-History:...
1,500 million (around $50 million in 1995), and renamed King Baudouin Stadium. All that remains of the old stadium is a renovated gateway near the main entrance. The new structure combined the football ground with a running track and facilities for field events. It was re-opened on 23 August 1995 as the home of the national football team and is the largest stadium in Belgium; it can seat 50,024 spectators. It hosted the opening game for Euro 2000.
On 26 May 2006, the Belgian Football Association
Belgian Football Association
The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium...
decided not to use the King Baudouin Stadium anymore for the national team home matches and for the Cup
Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
final, because the gates of stand one were too narrow and the stadium was deemed unsafe. The next match of the national team was thus held at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
Constant Vanden Stock Stadium is a football stadium in the municipality of Anderlecht, Brussels. It is home to R.S.C. Anderlecht. It also hosted the UEFA Euro 1972 semifinal Hungary against Soviet Union, as well as several games of the Belgium national football team.It is in 1917 that RSC...
. Because of this, the city of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
issued a complaint that the stadium was safe in contrary to the reports, and this complaint was ruled to be correct in court. On 6 October 2006, the Belgian Football Association
Belgian Football Association
The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium...
met with representatives of the city of Brussels and they agreed to renew the contract and extend it to 30 June 2008. Since 15 November 2006, the Belgian national football team has used the King Baudouin Stadium.
Other events
The stadium was scheduled to witness a rugby unionRugby 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...
milestone on 19 December 2009, when the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian club Stade Français planned to take their Heineken Cup
2009–10 Heineken Cup pool stage
The pool stage of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup was the opening phase of the annual competition, in which 24 teams were arranged into six pools contesting of four teams each and then competed in a home-and-away double round robin...
home match against Irish club Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
to the stadium. However, heavy snowfall in Brussels on the intended matchday forced the cancellation of what would have been the first Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
match held in Belgium; the fixture was instead played the following day in Paris.
On the 8th of July 2010 the stadium played host to the Best of Belgium gala which featured a tennis match originally scheduled to be between Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
. Unfortunately Henin had to pull out and Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
replaced her as the match was played in front of the largest crowd ever for a single match, beating the attendance set at the Battle of the Sexes.