Åråsen Stadion
Encyclopedia
Åråsen Stadion is an all-seater
football stadium located in Lillestrøm
, a suburb of Oslo
, in Skedsmo
, Norway
. With a capacity 12,250 spectators, the venue is the home of Norwegian Premier League
side Lillestrøm SK (LSK). The venue has four stands, of which the western stand has luxury boxes and club seating
for 700. Because of proximity to Kjeller Airport
, the venue has retractable floodlights
. The record attendance of 13,652 dates from 2002. In addition to league, cup
and UEFA Cup
matches for LSK, the venue has been used for one Strømmen IF
top-league match in 1986, the UEFA Women's Euro 1997, eight other Norway women's national football team
matches, the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
, and seven Norway national under-21 football team
matches.
LSK, which since 1920 played at Lillestrøm Stadion
, started purchasing land for their own venue in 1947. Construction started in 1950 and Åråsen opened on 7 July 1951, having cost 150,000 Norwegian krone
(NOK). A second grandstand opened in 1960. On 7 April 1967, the stadium burned down, but was rebuilt by September 1968. Another grandstand opened on the east side in 1974, the same year as LSK was promoted to the top division
and have remained since. The East Stand was moved to the north side and a new 3,700-seat stand built on the east side in 1978, which remains today. Between 1999 and 2002, the other three sides were redeveloped, costing NOK 240 million. This included luxury boxes, a new pitch with under-soil heating
, three grandstands, and adjacent commercial and residential property.
for their matches, as there was no suitable stadium in Lillestrøm. On 6 June 1920, the municipality opened Lillestrøm Stadion, where Lillestrøm SK moved their matches. In 1930, the club started working on plans for their own stadium. Led my chair Erling Nicolaysen, a stadium fund was established, which grew to NOK 200. However, during the Second World War, the club's funds eradicated.
On 2 June 1947, the club's board appointed a committee to work with the stadium issue. They determined that the area Sørumsbrenna, part of a farm belonging to Knut Sørum, was the ideal location, despite it being fallow and scrub on a marsh. Holthe og Ahlsen made plans for developing the 4.5 hectares (11.1 acre) lot. The purchase was approved by the club's annual meeting on 29 September. Additional land was bought in 1948 and 1950, raising the area to 7.2 hectares (17.8 acre).
Construction was largely done with volunteer work, with the stadium costing 31,000 man-hours in volunteer work and NOK 150,000. After the land was cleared, a layer of mixed sand and earth were laid. The pitch, with the dimensions 108 by, was sown in mid-1950. The work also included a grandstand, change rooms, a watering system and kiosks. The stand had place for 2,500 spectators, and the stadium had a total permitted attendance of 6,000 people. The inaugural match was played against Sarpsborg
on 7 July 1951 in front of 3,500 spectators. A training pitch beside the stadium pitch opened in 1953. The following year, a new steel entrance was built, following in 1955 with a referee change room and administrative offices. In 1959, after eight years of planning, construction of an additional terrace started, which opened in 1960.
On 7 April 1967, the grandstand caught fire and the entire structure burned down beyond repair. The buildings and stands were subsequently demolished. At the same time, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration
proposed that road Fetveien, which runs to the south of the stadium, should be moved to run through the stadium, which would have required the stadium to be moved. However, the Public Roads Administration abandoned their plans and a building permit was issued. New change rooms, club house and terraces were completed in September 1968.
To accommodate increasing interest for the club following good results during the early 1970s, the board approved a new grandstand on the east long side. Construction started in late 1973, with the stand covering two-thirds of the length of the pitch, and opened ahead of the 1974 season with capacity for 1,056 spectators. The club house was expanded to 200 square metres (239.2 sq yd). In 1974, the club won promotion to the First Division, and the new grandstand was extended with 352 seats. On the west side, two wooden and steel standing terraces were built. The expansion was done with help of volunteer work, with 30 to 40 people helping each weekday evening and up to 80 people helping in the weekends.
The grandstand was moved to the north side and a new grandstand with seating for 3,700 people was opened on the east end in 1978. The new stand was the first in Norway to have plastic seats and is the oldest part of the current stadium. Construction cost NOK 2.8 million, which was largely loan-financed. Between 1980 and 1986, the area under the new grandstand was built to include new change rooms, meeting rooms, offices and other facilities totaling 1300 square metres (1,554.8 sq yd). Some of the office space was rented out.
After five years of planning, construction of a completely renovated stadium started in February 1999. To finance the stadium, a limited company, Åråsen Stadion AS, was established, and owned by the club, rather than by the limited company which runs the elite team. Only the East Stand from 1978 was kept. In 2000, new grass was laid on the pitch, replacing the original grass from 1950. This included installation of under-soil heating and an automatic irrigation sprinkler
system. The new pitch had the dimensions 105 by. Combined, this cost NOK 12 million. The first new stand to be completed was the West Stand, which opened ahead of the 2000 season. In addition to luxury boxes, it consists of 6500 square metres (7,773.9 sq yd) of commercial property, including a car dealer, a medical center and a restaurant.
The investments at Åråsen cost NOK 800 million, of which NOK 240 million was used on the stadium itself. Other investments in the area were carried out by private investors and public agencies, who bought land from Lillestrøm SK. The training pitch to the north was demolished to make way for student housing for 100 people. The area to the west of the stadium was turned into a car retailer. Immediately surrounding the stadium was a complex of commercial and residential properties. This included a 8500 square metres (10,165.9 sq yd) section to the north which consists of 96 apartments, some with balconies facing the pitch, and a grocery store. Construction of the South Stand and affiliated buildings started on 15 November 2000 and was completed ahead of the 2002 season. In conjunction with the stand was a 2000 square metres (2,392 sq yd) commercial area rented by Akershus County Municipality
, which hosts a psychiatric clinic for children and youth.
Because of the stadium's close proximity to Kjeller Airport, the stadium is limited to a height of 12 metres (39.4 ft), causing the upgrade to not include floodlights. When mounted on four posts, the flood lights need to be 40 metres (131.2 ft) above ground to give 1,200 lux
on the field. In 2000, this caused Lillestrøm SK to have to play their home match in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup against Alavés at Marienlyst Stadion
in Drammen
. In 2001, an evening league game was played using the flood lighting mounted on four temporary cranes. A retractable floodlighting system was installed in January 2002.
In 2006, team-owner Per Berg stated that Lillestrøm SK would be in need of a new venue and indicated that one could be built at Kjeller
, should the airport close. By 2007, the club's management was working on ideas to building new stadium, as the luxury boxes were all sold out and the club could not make more than NOK 22 to 23 million per year on commercial income from Åråsen. In 2009, Lillestrøm launched itself as one of six candidate cities for Norway's joint bid with Sweden to host Euro 2016. This would involve building a new venue seating between 35,000 and 44,000 in Lillestrøm. The stadium would be built in modules, so the upper tiers could be dismounted after the championship and installed on other venues. The proposal was selected as one of four for the bid, but the bid was never sent. In January 2009, the club sold 25 percent of their ownership in Åråsen Eiendom, which is responsible for operating the commercial facilities at the stadium, to Lillestrømbanken, a local bank, for NOK 9 million. The club retained full ownership of Åråsen Stadion, which owns the venue itself.
for 700 people. Of sponsor seasons it is known as the Lillestrøm Torv Stand. The eastern stand has Kanarifansen, the supporter group, occupying the southern part, while the northern part has unnumbered seats. The southern stand is named for Romerikes Blad
, while the northern is named for Legia. The latter is used for away fans. The stadium is owned by Åråsen Stadion AS, which is again wholly owned by Lillestrøm SK. Operation of the venue's commercial properties is done by Åråsen Eiendom AS, which is owned 75 percent by Åråsen Stadion and 25 percent by Lillestrømbanken.The stadium is within walking distance of both the town center of Lillestrøm and Lillestrøm Station
. Lillestrøm SK have their practices in the near-by Lillestrøm Stadion
and LSK-Hallen
.
tournament matches, but the club has previously played some home matches at Ullevaal Stadion
in Oslo
and Marienlyst Stadion. The record attendance dates from 16 May 2002, when Lillestrøm hosted a match against their rivals Vålerenga, attracting 13,652 spectators. The second-highest attended match was a cup match against Rosenborg in 1993, which attracted 13,595 people. The team's highest average league attendance is in 2007 season, which saw an average 9,018 spectators. The team's season average has been above 6,000 during the 2000s, with it being as low as 6,165 in 2010 and 6,448 in 2001. The team also saw high attendances in the 1970s, attracting its fourth-ever highest average in 1977 with 8,430 spectators, and attendances of 6,531 and 6,346 in 1978 and 1976, respectively. LSK's club seats are the most expensive tickets in the league.
When Strømmen IF
were promoted to First Division ahead of the 1986 season, the team originally announced that they would play their fall games at Åråsen, as Strømmen Stadion
was in need of a new pitch. In the end, Strømmen only played one of their matches at Årårsen, playing 1–1 against Rosenborg on 10 August 1986 in front of 1,649 spectators.
Norway co-hosted UEFA Women's Euro 1997, and three group-stage matches and a semi-final were held at Åråsen. This included Norway playing two matches, against Denmark
and Italy
, which attracted 4,221 and 4,067 spectators, respectively. Norway's national women's team has also played eight other matches at Åråsen: 3–0 against Finland
in 1983, 2–2 against Sweden
in 1984, 1–0 against Finland in 1985, 4–0 against England
in 1997, 2–0 against England in 1998, 4–0 against Ukraine in 2001, 4–1 against Ukraine in 2005 and 3–0 against Austria
in 2007.
Norway hosted the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
, with two group-stage matches being played at Åråsen. On 23 July, Slovakia beat the Czech Republic 5–2, and on 26 July saw Germany
beat Belgium
2–1. The former attracted 611 spectators. The Norway national under-21 football team
has played seven home matches at Åråsen: 1–3 against Sweden
in 1979, 1–2 against France
in 1987, 3–2 against San Marino
in 1992, 0–0 against Georgia
in 1999, 3–0 against Germany
in 2001, 0–0 against Slovenia
in 2004, and 1–0 against Turkey
in 2007.
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 stadium located in Lillestrøm
Lillestrøm
' is a city in the municipality of Skedsmo, Akershus, Norway. The municipal administration is located in Lillestrøm.Facilities in Lillestrøm include hotels, Norway trade fairs, a brand new cinema, a mall, Lillestrøm torv, restaurants, a high speed commuter train that reaches both Oslo and...
, a suburb of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, in Skedsmo
Skedsmo
Skedsmo is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillestrøm. About one third of the municipal population lives in Lillestrøm. Other important towns are Skedsmokorset, Skjetten and...
, 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...
. With a capacity 12,250 spectators, the venue is the home of Norwegian Premier League
Norwegian Premier League
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 Lillestrøm SK (LSK). The venue has four stands, of which the western stand has luxury boxes and club seating
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...
for 700. Because of proximity to Kjeller Airport
Kjeller Airport
Kjeller Airport is a military and general aviation airport located in Kjeller, Norway, near Lillestrøm and east northeast of Oslo. It has facilities for carrying out maintenance for aircraft belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
, the venue has retractable floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
. The record attendance of 13,652 dates from 2002. In addition to league, cup
Norwegian football cup
The Norwegian Football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen or NM, an acronym formed...
and UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
matches for LSK, the venue has been used for one Strømmen IF
Strømmen IF
Strømmen Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Strømmen. It has sections for football, athletics,-History:The club was founded on 25 September 1911 as Strømmen FK. The name was changed to FK Norrøna in 1914. In 1923 the club merged with Strømmen IL and took the name IL Norrøna...
top-league match in 1986, the UEFA Women's Euro 1997, eight other Norway women's national football team
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
matches, the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
The 2002 UEFA Under-19 Championship was held in Norway between 21 July and 28 July 2002. The top three finishers in each group qualified for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Players born on or after 1 January 1983 were eligible to participate in this competition.It was the first tournament...
, and seven Norway national under-21 football team
Norway 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...
matches.
LSK, which since 1920 played at Lillestrøm Stadion
Lillestrøm stadion
Lillestrøm stadion is a sports field in Lillestrøm, Norway. Located close to Åråsen, the home ground of football team Lillestrøm S.K., Lillestrøm stadion is used as a football training facility in addition to reserve team matches. The grass turf of the main football field was replaced by...
, started purchasing land for their own venue in 1947. Construction started in 1950 and Åråsen opened on 7 July 1951, having cost 150,000 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). A second grandstand opened in 1960. On 7 April 1967, the stadium burned down, but was rebuilt by September 1968. Another grandstand opened on the east side in 1974, the same year as LSK was promoted to the top division
Norwegian Premier League
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...
and have remained since. The East Stand was moved to the north side and a new 3,700-seat stand built on the east side in 1978, which remains today. Between 1999 and 2002, the other three sides were redeveloped, costing NOK 240 million. This included luxury boxes, a new pitch with under-soil heating
Under-soil heating
Under-soil heating is a method used in various sports stadia which heats the underside of the pitch to avoid any bad weather, such as snow and ice, from building up and ultimately helps the club avoid having to postpone any matches.The first ground in England to have under-soil heating installed...
, three grandstands, and adjacent commercial and residential property.
History
Lillestrøm SK originally used Jenseberg Stadion in StrømmenStrømmen
Strømmen is a town in Skedsmo, Akershus, Norway. It is about twenty kilometers east of Oslo, and considered part of Greater Oslo. It has around 8,000 residents....
for their matches, as there was no suitable stadium in Lillestrøm. On 6 June 1920, the municipality opened Lillestrøm Stadion, where Lillestrøm SK moved their matches. In 1930, the club started working on plans for their own stadium. Led my chair Erling Nicolaysen, a stadium fund was established, which grew to NOK 200. However, during the Second World War, the club's funds eradicated.
On 2 June 1947, the club's board appointed a committee to work with the stadium issue. They determined that the area Sørumsbrenna, part of a farm belonging to Knut Sørum, was the ideal location, despite it being fallow and scrub on a marsh. Holthe og Ahlsen made plans for developing the 4.5 hectares (11.1 acre) lot. The purchase was approved by the club's annual meeting on 29 September. Additional land was bought in 1948 and 1950, raising the area to 7.2 hectares (17.8 acre).
Construction was largely done with volunteer work, with the stadium costing 31,000 man-hours in volunteer work and NOK 150,000. After the land was cleared, a layer of mixed sand and earth were laid. The pitch, with the dimensions 108 by, was sown in mid-1950. The work also included a grandstand, change rooms, a watering system and kiosks. The stand had place for 2,500 spectators, and the stadium had a total permitted attendance of 6,000 people. The inaugural match was played against Sarpsborg
Sarpsborg BK
Sarpsborg BK are a bandy club from Sarpsborg, Norway, formed on 14 June 1989.They have finished in lowly positions in the Premier League in recent seasons...
on 7 July 1951 in front of 3,500 spectators. A training pitch beside the stadium pitch opened in 1953. The following year, a new steel entrance was built, following in 1955 with a referee change room and administrative offices. In 1959, after eight years of planning, construction of an additional terrace started, which opened in 1960.
On 7 April 1967, the grandstand caught fire and the entire structure burned down beyond repair. The buildings and stands were subsequently demolished. At the same time, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Norwegian Public Roads Administration
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the state and county public roads in the country. This includes planning, construction and operation of the state and county road networks, driver training and licensing, vehicle inspection and subsidies to...
proposed that road Fetveien, which runs to the south of the stadium, should be moved to run through the stadium, which would have required the stadium to be moved. However, the Public Roads Administration abandoned their plans and a building permit was issued. New change rooms, club house and terraces were completed in September 1968.
To accommodate increasing interest for the club following good results during the early 1970s, the board approved a new grandstand on the east long side. Construction started in late 1973, with the stand covering two-thirds of the length of the pitch, and opened ahead of the 1974 season with capacity for 1,056 spectators. The club house was expanded to 200 square metres (239.2 sq yd). In 1974, the club won promotion to the First Division, and the new grandstand was extended with 352 seats. On the west side, two wooden and steel standing terraces were built. The expansion was done with help of volunteer work, with 30 to 40 people helping each weekday evening and up to 80 people helping in the weekends.
The grandstand was moved to the north side and a new grandstand with seating for 3,700 people was opened on the east end in 1978. The new stand was the first in Norway to have plastic seats and is the oldest part of the current stadium. Construction cost NOK 2.8 million, which was largely loan-financed. Between 1980 and 1986, the area under the new grandstand was built to include new change rooms, meeting rooms, offices and other facilities totaling 1300 square metres (1,554.8 sq yd). Some of the office space was rented out.
After five years of planning, construction of a completely renovated stadium started in February 1999. To finance the stadium, a limited company, Åråsen Stadion AS, was established, and owned by the club, rather than by the limited company which runs the elite team. Only the East Stand from 1978 was kept. In 2000, new grass was laid on the pitch, replacing the original grass from 1950. This included installation of under-soil heating and an automatic irrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinklers are sprinklers used on farms, golf courses, and yards, to provide water to vegetation and plants in the event of drought. They may also be used for recreation, as a cooling system, or to keep down the amount of airborne dust....
system. The new pitch had the dimensions 105 by. Combined, this cost NOK 12 million. The first new stand to be completed was the West Stand, which opened ahead of the 2000 season. In addition to luxury boxes, it consists of 6500 square metres (7,773.9 sq yd) of commercial property, including a car dealer, a medical center and a restaurant.
The investments at Åråsen cost NOK 800 million, of which NOK 240 million was used on the stadium itself. Other investments in the area were carried out by private investors and public agencies, who bought land from Lillestrøm SK. The training pitch to the north was demolished to make way for student housing for 100 people. The area to the west of the stadium was turned into a car retailer. Immediately surrounding the stadium was a complex of commercial and residential properties. This included a 8500 square metres (10,165.9 sq yd) section to the north which consists of 96 apartments, some with balconies facing the pitch, and a grocery store. Construction of the South Stand and affiliated buildings started on 15 November 2000 and was completed ahead of the 2002 season. In conjunction with the stand was a 2000 square metres (2,392 sq yd) commercial area rented by Akershus County Municipality
Akershus county municipality
Akershus County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Akershus, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 35 upper secondary schools...
, which hosts a psychiatric clinic for children and youth.
Because of the stadium's close proximity to Kjeller Airport, the stadium is limited to a height of 12 metres (39.4 ft), causing the upgrade to not include floodlights. When mounted on four posts, the flood lights need to be 40 metres (131.2 ft) above ground to give 1,200 lux
Lux
The lux is the SI unit of illuminance and luminous emittance, measuring luminous flux per unit area. It is used in photometry as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the human eye, of light that hits or passes through a surface...
on the field. In 2000, this caused Lillestrøm SK to have to play their home match in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup against Alavés at Marienlyst Stadion
Marienlyst stadion
Marienlyst Stadion has been the home ground of Strømsgodset IF since 1967. It's located on Marienlyst in Drammen.The pitch was opened in 1924, and was the home ground of Drafn, Skiold and Drammens Ballklubb. During the 1952 Winter Olympics in neighboring Oslo, the venue hosted two ice hockey...
in Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
. In 2001, an evening league game was played using the flood lighting mounted on four temporary cranes. A retractable floodlighting system was installed in January 2002.
In 2006, team-owner Per Berg stated that Lillestrøm SK would be in need of a new venue and indicated that one could be built at Kjeller
Kjeller
Kjeller is located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Skedsmo, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north of Oslo.-The name:The Norse form of the name was probably Tjaldir. This is then the plural of tjald n 'tent'...
, should the airport close. By 2007, the club's management was working on ideas to building new stadium, as the luxury boxes were all sold out and the club could not make more than NOK 22 to 23 million per year on commercial income from Åråsen. In 2009, Lillestrøm launched itself as one of six candidate cities for Norway's joint bid with Sweden to host Euro 2016. This would involve building a new venue seating between 35,000 and 44,000 in Lillestrøm. The stadium would be built in modules, so the upper tiers could be dismounted after the championship and installed on other venues. The proposal was selected as one of four for the bid, but the bid was never sent. In January 2009, the club sold 25 percent of their ownership in Åråsen Eiendom, which is responsible for operating the commercial facilities at the stadium, to Lillestrømbanken, a local bank, for NOK 9 million. The club retained full ownership of Åråsen Stadion, which owns the venue itself.
Facilities
The venue has an all-seater capacity for 12,250 spectators. The stadium consists of four single-tier stands. The western stand is the main stand, with the upper section consisting of luxury boxes and 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...
for 700 people. Of sponsor seasons it is known as the Lillestrøm Torv Stand. The eastern stand has Kanarifansen, the supporter group, occupying the southern part, while the northern part has unnumbered seats. The southern stand is named for Romerikes Blad
Romerikes Blad
Romerikes Blad is a local newspaper published in Skedsmo, Norway. It covers the Romerike district.It was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name Akershusingen, and was affiliated with the Norwegian Labour Party. The name Romerikes Blad was taken in 1905.Between...
, while the northern is named for Legia. The latter is used for away fans. The stadium is owned by Åråsen Stadion AS, which is again wholly owned by Lillestrøm SK. Operation of the venue's commercial properties is done by Åråsen Eiendom AS, which is owned 75 percent by Åråsen Stadion and 25 percent by Lillestrømbanken.The stadium is within walking distance of both the town center of Lillestrøm and Lillestrøm Station
Lillestrøm Station
Lillestrøm Station is a railway station located at Lillestrøm in Skedsmo, Norway. The station serves as the main transportation hub of the eastern parts of Greater Oslo and all trains east of Oslo stop at Lillestrøm...
. Lillestrøm SK have their practices in the near-by Lillestrøm Stadion
Lillestrøm stadion
Lillestrøm stadion is a sports field in Lillestrøm, Norway. Located close to Åråsen, the home ground of football team Lillestrøm S.K., Lillestrøm stadion is used as a football training facility in addition to reserve team matches. The grass turf of the main football field was replaced by...
and LSK-Hallen
LSK-Hallen
LSK-Hallen is an indoor football arena in Lillestrøm, Norway. It is owned, used, and operated by Lillestrøm Sportsklubb. It has a capacity of 3,000 people.The women's football team LSK Kvinner FK uses the arena as their home ground.-References:...
.
Events
Åråsen has been the home venue for Lillestrøm SK since the 1951 season and has been the venue for all their home league games. Since the 1975 season, LSK has played every season in the top tier of the league system. Åråsen has been the regular field also for UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
tournament matches, but the club has previously played some home matches at Ullevaal Stadion
Ullevaal Stadion
Ullevaal Stadion is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of Vålerenga IF and the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of FK Lyn. With a capacity of 25,572, it is the...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and Marienlyst Stadion. The record attendance dates from 16 May 2002, when Lillestrøm hosted a match against their rivals Vålerenga, attracting 13,652 spectators. The second-highest attended match was a cup match against Rosenborg in 1993, which attracted 13,595 people. The team's highest average league attendance is in 2007 season, which saw an average 9,018 spectators. The team's season average has been above 6,000 during the 2000s, with it being as low as 6,165 in 2010 and 6,448 in 2001. The team also saw high attendances in the 1970s, attracting its fourth-ever highest average in 1977 with 8,430 spectators, and attendances of 6,531 and 6,346 in 1978 and 1976, respectively. LSK's club seats are the most expensive tickets in the league.
When Strømmen IF
Strømmen IF
Strømmen Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Strømmen. It has sections for football, athletics,-History:The club was founded on 25 September 1911 as Strømmen FK. The name was changed to FK Norrøna in 1914. In 1923 the club merged with Strømmen IL and took the name IL Norrøna...
were promoted to First Division ahead of the 1986 season, the team originally announced that they would play their fall games at Åråsen, as Strømmen Stadion
Strømmen stadion
Strømmen Stadion is a sports stadium in Strømmen, Skedsmo, Norway. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and is the home ground of Strømmen IF and women's Premier League team Team Strømmen....
was in need of a new pitch. In the end, Strømmen only played one of their matches at Årårsen, playing 1–1 against Rosenborg on 10 August 1986 in front of 1,649 spectators.
Norway co-hosted UEFA Women's Euro 1997, and three group-stage matches and a semi-final were held at Åråsen. This included Norway playing two matches, against Denmark
Denmark women's national football team
The Denmark women's national football team represents Denmark in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Danish Football Association .-World Cup:*1970 : Winner *1971 : Winner...
and Italy
Italy women's national football team
The Italy women's national football team represents Italy in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation .- Performances in the World Cup :...
, which attracted 4,221 and 4,067 spectators, respectively. Norway's national women's team has also played eight other matches at Åråsen: 3–0 against Finland
Finland women's national football team
The Finland women's national football team represents Finland in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Finland , reached the semi-finals of the 2005 European Championship, surprising the female football world having drawn with Sweden and beaten Denmark...
in 1983, 2–2 against Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
in 1984, 1–0 against Finland in 1985, 4–0 against England
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
in 1997, 2–0 against England in 1998, 4–0 against Ukraine in 2001, 4–1 against Ukraine in 2005 and 3–0 against Austria
Austria women's national football team
The Austria women's national football team represents Austria in international women's football.The team is made up mainly of players from the Austrian and German Women's Bundesligas. As yet the team has never qualified for any major tournament .-World Cup record:-Current squad:- External links :*...
in 2007.
Norway hosted the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
The 2002 UEFA Under-19 Championship was held in Norway between 21 July and 28 July 2002. The top three finishers in each group qualified for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Players born on or after 1 January 1983 were eligible to participate in this competition.It was the first tournament...
, with two group-stage matches being played at Åråsen. On 23 July, Slovakia beat the Czech Republic 5–2, and on 26 July saw Germany
Germany national youth football team
This article includes current squads of Germany U20, U19, U18, U17, U16 and U15 national football teams.-Current technical staff:- Germany national under-20 squad :- Germany national under-19 squad :- Germany national under-18 squad :...
beat Belgium
Belgium national under-19 football team
The Belgium national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Belgium and is controlled by the Belgian Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-19 Football Championship, held every year...
2–1. The former attracted 611 spectators. The Norway national under-21 football team
Norway 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...
has played seven home matches at Åråsen: 1–3 against Sweden
Sweden national under-21 football team
The Swedish U-21 national football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players. Sweden U21's current captain is Jiloan Hamad with Jakob Johansson as vice captain.-UEFA European U-21 Championship Record:...
in 1979, 1–2 against France
France national under-21 football team
The France national under-21 football team , known in France as Les Espoirs , is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
in 1987, 3–2 against San Marino
San Marino national under-21 football team
The San Marino U21 team is a feeder team toSan Marino senior team.-Current squad:----...
in 1992, 0–0 against Georgia
Georgia national under-21 football team
The Georgian U-21 national football team is the football team representing Georgia in competitions for under-21 year old players.-Current squad :The following players were called up for the European Under-21 Football Championship...
in 1999, 3–0 against Germany
Germany national under-21 football team
The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany....
in 2001, 0–0 against Slovenia
Slovenia national under-21 football team
The Slovenia national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia.-Current squad:...
in 2004, and 1–0 against Turkey
Turkey national under-21 football team
Turkey's national Under-21 football team , also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.-History:...
in 2007.