Sør Arena
Encyclopedia
Sør Arena is a football
stadium
located at Torsvika in Kristiansand
, Norway
. The all-seater
has a capacity of 14,563 people, and serves as the home ground of Tippeligaen
side IK Start. It was designed by Kjell Kosberg
, and is architecturally similar to Aker Stadion
. The venue has seen concerts by Elton John
, Dolly Parton
and A-ha
, among others. The name derives from a sponsorship agreement with Sparebanken Sør
.
Construction started in 2006, and the stadium opened on 15 April 2007, replacing Kristiansand Stadion
as Start's home ground. The venue cost 400 million Norwegian krone
(NOK), of which the stadium itself cost NOK 250 million, after significant cost overrun
s. While originally planned with artificial turf
, the venue was ultimately built with a natural grass pitch. The venue and the holding company Start Stadion were taken over by Sparebanken Sør, the main creditor
, in 2008. They subsequently also took over Start Toppfotball, the company running the club. Both companies were sold to Ernst Ravnaas in 2009. Following decreased attendance, ahead of the 2011 season the seating on the corners was sold as advertisement space and the maximum capacity has artificially been reduced to 11,700.
Traditionally, Start has played their home games at Kristiansand Stadion, a municipal multi-purpose stadium
. In May 2005, the municipal council approved the plans for a new stadium for Start. At the time, the structure was estimated to cost NOK 177 million, of which NOK 120 million would be for the stadium itself, while the remaining would be for commercial properties.
The club held an architecture competition, and received six bids. On 28 September 2005, Start Toppfotball announced that they had selected the design by Kjell Kosberg from Kosbergs Arkitektkontor, who had previously designed Aker Stadion
and Briskeby Arena. The default proposal contained a spectator capacity for 9,948 people, but the plans were scalable, allowing for increased capacity if the club so wanted. Ernst Ravnaas, co-owner of the club, stated that given the recent high attendance, he wanted to build a larger stadium than the default proposal. Financing was planned with a free lot from Kristiansand Municipality, a NOK 40 million loan from the municipality, a NOK 20 million grant from Cultiva
, a municipal culture fund, NOK 20 in value added tax
refund, NOK 10 to 20 million in naming rights
, the sale of commercial property, NOK 30 to 40 million in a bank loan, and the remaining with share capital from Start Toppfotball.
In October, the club stated that they hoped to finance a further expansion of the stadium to 14,000 seats by selling part of the lot to a private developer, which would use it to build a 17-story building. On 23 December, Rasmussengruppen signed a contract where they bought shares worth NOK 45 million in Start Toppfotball. In addition, they paid NOK 15 million for the right to build 11000 square metres (13,155.9 sq yd) of commercial property in conjunction with the stadium, and an option
to purchase the high-rise lot for NOK 25 million. The high-rise lot was again bought from the municipality for NOK 15 million. Combined with the free lot for the stadium, Start Toppfotball received municipal subsidies of NOK 25 million for constructing the venue.
A controversy arose regarding whether to lay natural or artificial turf. Kristofer Hæstad
, one of Start's star players, stated that he would not continue to play for the club if artificial turf was laid. The contract with the municipality stated that the stadium would have to be built with artificial turf
. In March, Start decided that they would instead lay natural grass, and if necessary pay the municipality for the cost of building another artificial turf venue. The name of the venue was announced on 21 October, after the club had signed a ten-year naming rights agreement with Sparebanken Sør worth NOK 35 million.
Construction of the stadium was subject to significant cost overruns. These were mostly caused by the increased size of both spectator and commercial area, increased standard to VIP facilities, a general increase in construction costs, and the deadline to finish the venue in time for the league to start. Total investments exceeded NOK 400 million, of which 250 million was paid for by Start. This resulted in the stadium company having a debt of NOK 173 million, in addition to NOK 60 million in share equity. In November 2007, Start sold 2500 square metres (2,990 sq yd) of commercial space at the stadium for NOK 25 million to finance part of the cost overrun.
The opening of the stadium took place on 15 April 2007, in the season's first league game, against Viking. The game attracted 14,448 spectators, a record attendance and the only time the venue has been sold out. After the opening, the pitch was the worst in the league, and by May the grass within the penalty area
s and along the one side had been replaced. By 2010, the pitch quality had improved and was regarded as "world class" by the Start players. The cost of preparing the pitch, including snow removal, ahead of the season is about NOK 500,000. Ahead of the 2008 season, the 1,400 club seats
had to be replaced for a cost of NOK 1.5 million, because the wood in the chairs were rotting. The reason was that the chairs were designed for in-door use, and the necessary precautions to protect them when not in use had not been taken.
The stadium had a book value of NOK 230 million, way over the real value, causing Start Toppfotball to have to write down the investment. To finance this, Sparebanken Sør, the main creditor, bought Start Stadion from Start Toppfotball for NOK 2,600 on 23 December 2008. At the same time, the club signed a 40-year agreement to lease
the stadium from Sparebanken Sør for NOK 12 million per year. On 7 March 2009, the bank also bought the remaining shares of Start Toppfotball, becoming the sole owner of both the club and the stadium. Sparebanken Sør offered to sell Sør Arena to the municipality for NOK 100 million, but the municipality rejected this on 29 May. The bank subsequently sold Start Stadion and Start Toppfotball to Ravnaas on 25 June for NOK 1 each. Start Stadion had at the time a debt of NOK 34 million to Start Toppfotball, NOK 60 million to Sparebanken Sør and NOK 40 million to Kristiansand Municipality. Sparebanken Sør lost NOK 80 million in their transactions with Start and Sør Arena.
Following a fall in game attendance in 2009 and 2010
, Start decided ahead of the 2011 season
to reduce the stadium's capacity. Advertisement banners were sold to cover the corners, thus reducing the capacity to 11,700 tickets. The club stated that the intention was to move spectators closer together to increase the atmosphere, and at the same time making it easier to sell out the stadium.
. However, the seating is artifically reduced to 11,700. Built into the stadium is 22000 square metres (26,311.8 sq yd) of commercial property. The venue has many architectural similarities with Aker Stadion
, home of Molde FK, which was also designed by Kosberg. During winter, the pitch is converted to a bandy
field, when it is covered with a layer of ice up to 10 centimetres (4 in) thick.
won 2–0 over Estonia
at Sør Arena on 20 November 2007. Concerts held at the stadium have included Elton John
in 2007, which attracted a crowd of 19,000, Dolly Parton
in 2008 and A-ha
in 2010. A 2008 tour with artists from Norske Talenter
and Idol
attracted only 800 people, including free entrants. From 2011, the finals in PlussbankCup, a junior football tournament held in Kristiansand, are hosted at Sør Arena.
The following list shows the average, maximum and minimum attendance for Start's home games in the Premier League. It also gives the rank among the average attendance for the Premier League teams. Years in the First Division are indicated with a dagger (†).
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...
located at Torsvika in Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The all-seater
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...
has a capacity of 14,563 people, and serves as the home ground of Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
side IK Start. It was designed by Kjell Kosberg
Kjell Kosberg
Kjell Kosberg is a Norwegian architect. He established Kosbergs Arkitektkontor in Molde in 1986. He established an office in Oslo in 1994, which was later merged with the Molde office...
, and is architecturally similar to Aker Stadion
Aker stadion
Aker Stadion, formerly known as Molde Stadion, is a football stadium located at Reknes in Molde, Norway, and is the home of Norwegian Premier League club Molde. The stadium has a capacity of 11,800 spectators....
. The venue has seen concerts by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
and A-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
, among others. The name derives from a sponsorship agreement with Sparebanken Sør
Sparebanken Sør
Sparebanken Sør is a savings bank based in Arendal, Norway. It mostly covers the area of Agder.-History:From 2007 to 2009, the bank lost 230 million Norwegian krone on investments and loans to IK Start, a Kristiansand-based football club, its operating company Start Toppfotball and the stadium Sør...
.
Construction started in 2006, and the stadium opened on 15 April 2007, replacing Kristiansand Stadion
Kristiansand Stadion
Kristiansand stadion is a multi-use stadium in Kristiansand, Norway. The stadium holds 16,600 people.It was mostly used for football matches and was the home ground of I.K. Start. In 2007 Sør Arena replaced Kristiansand stadion as home ground...
as Start's home ground. The venue cost 400 million Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK), of which the stadium itself cost NOK 250 million, after significant cost overrun
Cost overrun
A cost overrun, also known as a cost increase or budget overrun, is an unexpected cost incurred in excess of a budgeted amount due to an under-estimation of the actual cost during budgeting...
s. While originally planned with 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...
, the venue was ultimately built with a natural grass pitch. The venue and the holding company Start Stadion were taken over by Sparebanken Sør, the main creditor
Creditor
A creditor is a party that has a claim to the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption that the second party will return an equivalent property or...
, in 2008. They subsequently also took over Start Toppfotball, the company running the club. Both companies were sold to Ernst Ravnaas in 2009. Following decreased attendance, ahead of the 2011 season the seating on the corners was sold as advertisement space and the maximum capacity has artificially been reduced to 11,700.
History
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
. In May 2005, the municipal council approved the plans for a new stadium for Start. At the time, the structure was estimated to cost NOK 177 million, of which NOK 120 million would be for the stadium itself, while the remaining would be for commercial properties.
The club held an architecture competition, and received six bids. On 28 September 2005, Start Toppfotball announced that they had selected the design by Kjell Kosberg from Kosbergs Arkitektkontor, who had previously designed Aker Stadion
Aker stadion
Aker Stadion, formerly known as Molde Stadion, is a football stadium located at Reknes in Molde, Norway, and is the home of Norwegian Premier League club Molde. The stadium has a capacity of 11,800 spectators....
and Briskeby Arena. The default proposal contained a spectator capacity for 9,948 people, but the plans were scalable, allowing for increased capacity if the club so wanted. Ernst Ravnaas, co-owner of the club, stated that given the recent high attendance, he wanted to build a larger stadium than the default proposal. Financing was planned with a free lot from Kristiansand Municipality, a NOK 40 million loan from the municipality, a NOK 20 million grant from Cultiva
Cultiva
Kristiansand Kommunes Energiverksstiftelse, trading as Cultiva, is a foundation established by Kristiansand Municipality to "secure jobs and good quality of live" through grants to projects within art, culture, knowledge institution, and innovation...
, a municipal culture fund, NOK 20 in value added tax
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
refund, NOK 10 to 20 million in naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
, the sale of commercial property, NOK 30 to 40 million in a bank loan, and the remaining with share capital from Start Toppfotball.
In October, the club stated that they hoped to finance a further expansion of the stadium to 14,000 seats by selling part of the lot to a private developer, which would use it to build a 17-story building. On 23 December, Rasmussengruppen signed a contract where they bought shares worth NOK 45 million in Start Toppfotball. In addition, they paid NOK 15 million for the right to build 11000 square metres (13,155.9 sq yd) of commercial property in conjunction with the stadium, and an option
Option contract
An option contract is defined as "a promise which meets the requirements for the formation of a contract and limits the promisor's power to revoke an offer." Restatement of Contracts § 25 ....
to purchase the high-rise lot for NOK 25 million. The high-rise lot was again bought from the municipality for NOK 15 million. Combined with the free lot for the stadium, Start Toppfotball received municipal subsidies of NOK 25 million for constructing the venue.
A controversy arose regarding whether to lay natural or artificial turf. Kristofer Hæstad
Kristofer Hæstad
Kristofer "Doffen" Krüger Hæstad is a Norwegian footballer. He is a central midfielder for Vålerenga.-Early career:Hæstad played for the youth teams of Randesund and Vigør.-Start:...
, one of Start's star players, stated that he would not continue to play for the club if artificial turf was laid. The contract with the municipality stated that the stadium would have to be built with 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...
. In March, Start decided that they would instead lay natural grass, and if necessary pay the municipality for the cost of building another artificial turf venue. The name of the venue was announced on 21 October, after the club had signed a ten-year naming rights agreement with Sparebanken Sør worth NOK 35 million.
Construction of the stadium was subject to significant cost overruns. These were mostly caused by the increased size of both spectator and commercial area, increased standard to VIP facilities, a general increase in construction costs, and the deadline to finish the venue in time for the league to start. Total investments exceeded NOK 400 million, of which 250 million was paid for by Start. This resulted in the stadium company having a debt of NOK 173 million, in addition to NOK 60 million in share equity. In November 2007, Start sold 2500 square metres (2,990 sq yd) of commercial space at the stadium for NOK 25 million to finance part of the cost overrun.
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
s and along the one side had been replaced. By 2010, the pitch quality had improved and was regarded as "world class" by the Start players. The cost of preparing the pitch, including snow removal, ahead of the season is about NOK 500,000. Ahead of the 2008 season, the 1,400 club seats
Club seating
Club Level Seating is a special section of seating in modern sports stadiums.The Club Level is usually located towards the middle of the stage of seating sections, above the lower deck but below the upper deck. They are usually right next to the Luxury Boxes, either right above, right below, or...
had to be replaced for a cost of NOK 1.5 million, because the wood in the chairs were rotting. The reason was that the chairs were designed for in-door use, and the necessary precautions to protect them when not in use had not been taken.
The stadium had a book value of NOK 230 million, way over the real value, causing Start Toppfotball to have to write down the investment. To finance this, Sparebanken Sør, the main creditor, bought Start Stadion from Start Toppfotball for NOK 2,600 on 23 December 2008. At the same time, the club signed a 40-year agreement to lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
the stadium from Sparebanken Sør for NOK 12 million per year. On 7 March 2009, the bank also bought the remaining shares of Start Toppfotball, becoming the sole owner of both the club and the stadium. Sparebanken Sør offered to sell Sør Arena to the municipality for NOK 100 million, but the municipality rejected this on 29 May. The bank subsequently sold Start Stadion and Start Toppfotball to Ravnaas on 25 June for NOK 1 each. Start Stadion had at the time a debt of NOK 34 million to Start Toppfotball, NOK 60 million to Sparebanken Sør and NOK 40 million to Kristiansand Municipality. Sparebanken Sør lost NOK 80 million in their transactions with Start and Sør Arena.
Following a fall in game attendance in 2009 and 2010
2010 Norwegian Premier League
The 2010 Norwegian Premier League season is the sixty-sixth season of top-tier football in Norway. The competition, which is also named Tippeligaen for sponsorship reasons, began on 14 March and is scheduled to end on 7 November...
, Start decided ahead of the 2011 season
2011 Norwegian Premier League
The 2011 Norwegian Premier League season was the sixty-seventh season of top-tier football in Norway. The competition, which is also named Tippeligaen for sponsorship reasons, began on 20 March 2011 and ended on 27 November 2011...
to reduce the stadium's capacity. Advertisement banners were sold to cover the corners, thus reducing the capacity to 11,700 tickets. The club stated that the intention was to move spectators closer together to increase the atmosphere, and at the same time making it easier to sell out the stadium.
Facilities
The stadium has a capacity for 14,563 spectators, of which 1,400 are club seatingClub seating
Club Level Seating is a special section of seating in modern sports stadiums.The Club Level is usually located towards the middle of the stage of seating sections, above the lower deck but below the upper deck. They are usually right next to the Luxury Boxes, either right above, right below, or...
. However, the seating is artifically reduced to 11,700. Built into the stadium is 22000 square metres (26,311.8 sq yd) of commercial property. The venue has many architectural similarities with Aker Stadion
Aker stadion
Aker Stadion, formerly known as Molde Stadion, is a football stadium located at Reknes in Molde, Norway, and is the home of Norwegian Premier League club Molde. The stadium has a capacity of 11,800 spectators....
, home of Molde FK, which was also designed by Kosberg. During winter, the pitch is converted to a bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
field, when it is covered with a layer of ice up to 10 centimetres (4 in) thick.
Events
The Norway national under-21 football teamNorway national under-21 football team
The Norwegian national under-21 football team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, is the national football team of Norway for players of 21 years of age or under at the start of a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign...
won 2–0 over Estonia
Estonia national under-21 football team
The Estonian U-21 national football team is the football team representing Estonia in competitions for under-21 year old players.-2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification Group 5:-Current table:-Fixtures and recent results:...
at Sør Arena on 20 November 2007. Concerts held at the stadium have included Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
in 2007, which attracted a crowd of 19,000, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
in 2008 and A-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
in 2010. A 2008 tour with artists from Norske Talenter
Norske Talenter
Norske Talenter is a Norwegian talent show with the same format as Britain's Got Talent. 16-year old singer Erlend Bratland won the first series and hip hop dance group Quick won the second series. Judges are music producer Jan Fredrik Karlsen, singer and actress Mia Gundersen and comedian/actor...
and Idol
Idol (Norway)
Idol: Jakten på en superstjerne is a television show on the Norwegian television channel TV 2, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show describes itself as a "Search For A SuperStar". The contestants are first narrowed down to 100 contestants, and then down to 24-50 through several...
attracted only 800 people, including free entrants. From 2011, the finals in PlussbankCup, a junior football tournament held in Kristiansand, are hosted at Sør Arena.
The following list shows the average, maximum and minimum attendance for Start's home games in the Premier League. It also gives the rank among the average attendance for the Premier League teams. Years in the First Division are indicated with a dagger (†).
| Season | Avg | Min | Max | Rank | | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,216 | 9,056 | 14,448 | 6 | ||
| 7,455 | — | — | 1† | ||
| 8,288 | 6,627 | 10,793 | 8 | ||
| 8,390 | 6,412 | 10,903 | 7 |