Polish Army Stadium
Encyclopedia
Marshal Józef Piłsudski Polish Army Stadium (Polish: Stadion Wojska Polskiego imienia Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego [ˈstadiɔn ˈvɔjska pɔlˈskʲɛgɔ iˈmʲɛnʲa marˈʂawka juˈzɛfa piwsut͡sˈkʲɛgɔ]) is an all-seater
football-specific stadium in Warsaw
, Poland
. It is the home of Legia Warsaw football club, which has been playing there since August 9, 1930. With space for 31,000 spectators it is the 5th biggest football stadium in Ekstraklasa. Former Polish Army Stadium is currently owned by the City of Warsaw.
Since 2011 the official name of the stadium is Pepsi Arena on the basis of a sponsorship agreement with PepsiCo
.
(1995, 1997), semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
(1992) and the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League
(1996) strengthened the demand to modernize or even replace the old facility. Ultimately, however, until 1997 virtually nothing on this subject has been done. The complicated legal status of the land, which belonged to the military, effectively discouraged potential investors. The new hope came together with the new owners - Daewoo
company, which bought the majority stake in Legia in the late 1996. Korean club owners were strongly lobbying that the City of Warsaw takes over the property and invests in the new facility, however, the then owner - Military Property Agency - was not willing to waive property. The deadlock existed for the next 5 years, during which time the Koreans left the club. Eventually, the transaction went through on July 29, 2002, when the City of Warsaw acquired the title to the land. Although the market value was estimated at 60 million PLN, the purchase price was agreed at 16 million PLN. In October 2004, Warsaw's chief architect Michał Borowski gave permission to build a new stadium on the said land. The decision led to the announcement of tender for redevelopment of the Legia's facilities.
On September 25, 2006 the City of Warsaw dismissed the offer of the German consortium: HMB Stadien GmbH und Sportstattenbau with Wayss Schlusselfertingbau und Freytag AG and Krupp Stahlbau Hannover GmbH, which had won the tender. Their project involved the construction of the building with the audience capacity from 30,500 to 35,000 spectators, with underground parking, and - as the first sport facility in Poland - was supposed to have fully retractable roof. The City, however, did not accept the consortium's condition that all the funds for the construction be secured by the investor prior to the construction. The Polish side canceled the deal. On September 26, 2006 Legia's new owners - ITI Group
- during a meeting with the acting President of Warsaw
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
, in the club premises presented their own idea of rebuilding the stadium. Their idea provided for the construction of the stadium in stages (so that the club could still play games during the construction), with the capacity between 31,800 to 34,000 seats (depending whether the standing spaces were included). In November of that year, the club signed a 23-year lease with the City of Warsaw. In June 2007, the Warsaw City Council allocated 360 million PLN funds (which had later to be increased up to 460 million PLN) for the construction of the new stadium according to the club's proposed project. In April 2008 the then President of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
issued a permit for the construction of the stadium. On November 12, 2008 the investor - the City of Warsaw - signed an agreement with a consortium Polimex-Mostostal
for the construction works.
On November 17, 2008 the first stage of the new stadium construction began. This stage provided for the demolition and construction of three stands: the southern, the eastern, and the northern one. Works began by the demolition of the club's old premises and of the eastern stand (the famous "Żyleta
"). The first stage was completed and taken over by the investor on May 10, 2010. The stadium was officially opened (with only three stands completed) by the match against Arsenal F.C.
on August 7, 2010. The second stage of construction, which provided for the demolition and construction of the eastern stand (the main stand - so called "Kryta") was completed and taken over by the investor on May 10, 2011.
, in the Śródmieście
district, Powiśle area, within the square of the streets: Łazienkowska, Czerniakowska, Kussocińskiego and Myśliwiecka. It was officially opened on August 9 1930, and since then it has been significantly modernized and reconstructed. The most recent reconstruction, November 2008 to March 2011, involved the demolition of all the stands and the construction of brand new ones, with only the historic façade of the main "Kryta" grandstand preserved. The stadium is commonly referred to as the "Nowy Stadion (New Stadium)" in its current form. The new stadium, designed by the German studio JSK Architekten, meets the criteria for the UEFA Elite class, which allows it to host semi-finals of the Champions League
. The facility is five-storeys high and is fully roofed. The stadium includes press boxes, office spaces, as well as a fitness and wellbeing center for players and coaching staff. There are also 12 catering stands, a sports bar, Legia club museum and two club merchandise stores located within the stadium.
), the northern stand (commonly referred to as "Żyleta
") and the southern stand (unofficially named after Lucjan Brychczy
). Within the first level of the southern, eastern and northern stands located are the parking lots.
. They are resistant to weather conditions and mechanical damage. A similar model is already used in Allianz Arena
. The stadium has three categories of seats: the regular seats, press seats and VIP seats. Press seats have additional desktop space, power sockets and Internet
access.
's death.
"). The facility is open not only during the games but also during the week. Inside the restaurant, there are TV screens, where sport events are broadcasted. It was opened on August 7 2010 before the inaugural match against Arsenal F.C.
, lightning and monitoring
system are managed.
announced that they signed a 3-year sponsorship agreement, on the basis of which the stadium has adopted the commercial name "Pepsi Arena". The parties to the contract did not reveal the contract price, however, it is rumored that Legia sold the rights to the stadium name for 6 million PLN. The City of Warsaw claims that the city, not Legia, is entitled to dispose of the stadium's naming rights. The city officials threaten to sue the club over the matter.
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
football-specific stadium in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is the home of Legia Warsaw football club, which has been playing there since August 9, 1930. With space for 31,000 spectators it is the 5th biggest football stadium in Ekstraklasa. Former Polish Army Stadium is currently owned by the City of Warsaw.
Since 2011 the official name of the stadium is Pepsi Arena on the basis of a sponsorship agreement with PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
.
Construction Background
The necessity to build a new stadium for Legia Warszawa players increased in the mid-90s of the Twentieth century, when Legia had one of the most successful periods in its history. Polish championship (Ekstraklasa) (1993 - withdrawn, 1994, 1995), Polish CupPolish Cup
The Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
(1995, 1997), semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1992) and the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA 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...
(1996) strengthened the demand to modernize or even replace the old facility. Ultimately, however, until 1997 virtually nothing on this subject has been done. The complicated legal status of the land, which belonged to the military, effectively discouraged potential investors. The new hope came together with the new owners - Daewoo
Daewoo
Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...
company, which bought the majority stake in Legia in the late 1996. Korean club owners were strongly lobbying that the City of Warsaw takes over the property and invests in the new facility, however, the then owner - Military Property Agency - was not willing to waive property. The deadlock existed for the next 5 years, during which time the Koreans left the club. Eventually, the transaction went through on July 29, 2002, when the City of Warsaw acquired the title to the land. Although the market value was estimated at 60 million PLN, the purchase price was agreed at 16 million PLN. In October 2004, Warsaw's chief architect Michał Borowski gave permission to build a new stadium on the said land. The decision led to the announcement of tender for redevelopment of the Legia's facilities.
On September 25, 2006 the City of Warsaw dismissed the offer of the German consortium: HMB Stadien GmbH und Sportstattenbau with Wayss Schlusselfertingbau und Freytag AG and Krupp Stahlbau Hannover GmbH, which had won the tender. Their project involved the construction of the building with the audience capacity from 30,500 to 35,000 spectators, with underground parking, and - as the first sport facility in Poland - was supposed to have fully retractable roof. The City, however, did not accept the consortium's condition that all the funds for the construction be secured by the investor prior to the construction. The Polish side canceled the deal. On September 26, 2006 Legia's new owners - ITI Group
ITI Group
ITI Group , known as Grupa ITI in Polish, is a large media conglomerate headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. ITI Group controls the Polish television network, TVN, among its many holdings.The ITI Group was co-founded by businessmen Jan Wejchert and Mariusz Walter in 1984...
- during a meeting with the acting President of Warsaw
President of Warsaw
The Mayor of Warsaw, or more properly the President of Warsaw is the head of the capital of Poland....
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is a Polish conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland from October 31, 2005 to July 14, 2006...
, in the club premises presented their own idea of rebuilding the stadium. Their idea provided for the construction of the stadium in stages (so that the club could still play games during the construction), with the capacity between 31,800 to 34,000 seats (depending whether the standing spaces were included). In November of that year, the club signed a 23-year lease with the City of Warsaw. In June 2007, the Warsaw City Council allocated 360 million PLN funds (which had later to be increased up to 460 million PLN) for the construction of the new stadium according to the club's proposed project. In April 2008 the then President of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Hanna Beata Gronkiewicz-Waltz is a Polish liberal-conservative politician who has been the Mayor of Warsaw since 2 December 2006. She is the first woman to ever hold this position....
issued a permit for the construction of the stadium. On November 12, 2008 the investor - the City of Warsaw - signed an agreement with a consortium Polimex-Mostostal
Mostostal
Mostostal is a Polish steel construction group of companies. The company fabricates and builds a wide range of industrial structures from chemical plants to radio masts....
for the construction works.
On November 17, 2008 the first stage of the new stadium construction began. This stage provided for the demolition and construction of three stands: the southern, the eastern, and the northern one. Works began by the demolition of the club's old premises and of the eastern stand (the famous "Żyleta
Żyleta
Żyleta is a common name of a northern stand in the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, traditionally occupied by the most spontaneous and fanatical fans of Legia Warsaw football club...
"). The first stage was completed and taken over by the investor on May 10, 2010. The stadium was officially opened (with only three stands completed) by the match against Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on August 7, 2010. The second stage of construction, which provided for the demolition and construction of the eastern stand (the main stand - so called "Kryta") was completed and taken over by the investor on May 10, 2011.
Overall
The Polish Army Stadium at Łazienkowska Street is located in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, in the Śródmieście
Sródmiescie
Śródmieście is a Polish word for "city centre". In particular it may refer to the following designated districts:* Śródmieście, Warsaw* Śródmieście, Gdańsk* Śródmieście, Gdynia* Śródmieście, Katowice* Śródmieście, Szczecin* Śródmieście, Wrocław...
district, Powiśle area, within the square of the streets: Łazienkowska, Czerniakowska, Kussocińskiego and Myśliwiecka. It was officially opened on August 9 1930, and since then it has been significantly modernized and reconstructed. The most recent reconstruction, November 2008 to March 2011, involved the demolition of all the stands and the construction of brand new ones, with only the historic façade of the main "Kryta" grandstand preserved. The stadium is commonly referred to as the "Nowy Stadion (New Stadium)" in its current form. The new stadium, designed by the German studio JSK Architekten, meets the criteria for the UEFA Elite class, which allows it to host semi-finals of the Champions League
UEFA 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...
. The facility is five-storeys high and is fully roofed. The stadium includes press boxes, office spaces, as well as a fitness and wellbeing center for players and coaching staff. There are also 12 catering stands, a sports bar, Legia club museum and two club merchandise stores located within the stadium.
Capacity
The stadium's capacity is variable. The general capacity is 31,800 all seating spaces, however it is possible to increase the capacity up to 33,609, by way of creating 6,126 standing spaces (leaving 27,483 seats). These figures include press posts and VIP seats in the total amount of 2,137. The number of press posts can be increased at the cost of seats for regular spectators.Parking
Inside the stadium there is a two-level car park. It is located at the back of the southern, eastern, and northern stands. The first level accommodates 387 vehicles, the second level 392. Moreover, in front of the main grandstand there are spaces for 18 cars (VIP section). In total, the stadium offers 797 parking spaces.Promenade
The stadium has four entrances, two on Łazienkowska Street and two on Kanał Piaseczyńskiego. They lead to the promenade, from which the fans may access the stands. Promenade is located approx. 6 meters above the street level. The promenade includes catering vendors stands and toilets. It is the main route of communication between different sections of a particular stand. Fans may not access other stands through the promenade.Stands' location
The location of the stands compared to the old stadium has not been changed. Only the playing field has been slightly moved in a south-eastern direction. The stadium has four two-level stands. These are: the western stand (the main stand, commonly referred to as "Kryta"), the eastern stand (named after Kazimierz DeynaKazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:...
), the northern stand (commonly referred to as "Żyleta
Żyleta
Żyleta is a common name of a northern stand in the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, traditionally occupied by the most spontaneous and fanatical fans of Legia Warsaw football club...
") and the southern stand (unofficially named after Lucjan Brychczy
Lucjan Brychczy
Lucjan Antoni Brychczy was a Polish football player who is most notable for winning four top-tier titles with Legia Warsaw, but was also a keen archer....
). Within the first level of the southern, eastern and northern stands located are the parking lots.
Seats
The seats (chairs) in the stadium are made from polypropylenePolypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
. They are resistant to weather conditions and mechanical damage. A similar model is already used in Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...
. The stadium has three categories of seats: the regular seats, press seats and VIP seats. Press seats have additional desktop space, power sockets and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access.
Railings
The railings of the stadium are made of glass, which allows to comfortably watch the sport events. The railings are 130 cm high and 2 cm thick. They consist of double-layer glass shields, which may resist up to 200 kg per square meter.Security system
The entrance gates are equipped with SKIDATA Vario.Gate reader. The stadium is one of the few arenas in the world to use this type of readers. The biggest advantage of this device is the ability to control various types of tickets (e.g. the traditional paper cards, magnetic cards, as well as MMS tickets in mobile phones.) The reader has a color screen, which may display messages to fans entering the venue. The same equipment is being installed in the parking lot, allowing the fans to move around the stadium with only one card. The club also plans to introduce the non-cash payment system, which will accelerate the speed of making various purchases around the stadium.Video screens
The stadium has two video screens. They are attached to the steel elements of the roof structure in the north-west and south-east corners of the stadium. The screens are 5,4 m wide and 9,4 m high. Each of them weighs 7 tones.Museum
The Legia club museum is located within the north stand. It was established with the cooperation of Legia's supporters, in particular with its current custodian - Wiktor Bołba. The concept of the museum is to guide visitors through all the periods of club's history. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions commemorating important events in the club's history. It was opened on October 23 2010 - the anniversary of Kazimierz DeynaKazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:...
's death.
Bar & Restaurant
Sports Bar & Restaurant "Łazienkowska 3" is located within the north stand (under the famous "ŻyletaŻyleta
Żyleta is a common name of a northern stand in the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, traditionally occupied by the most spontaneous and fanatical fans of Legia Warsaw football club...
"). The facility is open not only during the games but also during the week. Inside the restaurant, there are TV screens, where sport events are broadcasted. It was opened on August 7 2010 before the inaugural match against Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
TV Studio
The TV Studio is located in the south-west corner of the stadium, on the second level of the stands. It is suitable for hosting various kinds of presentations and conferences. Within the studio, the stadiums operational centre is located, where the sound systemSound system
-Technology:* Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience* A high fidelity, sound system intended for accurate reproduction of sound in the home...
, lightning and monitoring
Monitoring
To monitor or monitoring generally means to be aware of the state of a system. Below are specific examples:* to observe a situation for any changes which may occur over time, using a monitor or measuring device of some sort:...
system are managed.
Name
On July 19 2011, Legia and PepsiCoPepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
announced that they signed a 3-year sponsorship agreement, on the basis of which the stadium has adopted the commercial name "Pepsi Arena". The parties to the contract did not reveal the contract price, however, it is rumored that Legia sold the rights to the stadium name for 6 million PLN. The City of Warsaw claims that the city, not Legia, is entitled to dispose of the stadium's naming rights. The city officials threaten to sue the club over the matter.