Stadio Friuli

The Stadio Friuli (known for sponsorship reasons as Dacia Arena) is an all-seater football stadium in Udine, Italy, and the home of Serie A club Udinese.[2] The stadium was built in 1976 and has a capacity of 25,144.[3] It is sponsored by Romanian car manufacturer Dacia.[4]

Stadio Friuli
Dacia Arena[1]
Full nameStadio Friuli
LocationUdine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
Coordinates46.081603°N 13.200136°E / 46.081603; 13.200136
OwnerUdinese Calcio
Capacity25,144
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceDesso GrassMaster
Construction
Broke ground1971
Opened1976
Renovated1990, 2013–2016
ArchitectLorenzo Giacomuzzi Moore
Structural engineerGiuliano Parmegiani
Tenants
Udinese Calcio (1976–present)
Italy national football team (selected matches)
Pordenone Calcio (2019–2020)

Structure

The stadium is located in Rizzi, about 4 km from the city centre of Udine.[2]

Opened in 1976, as a replacement for Stadio Moretti, it used to have a maximum capacity of 41,652 seats.[2] This capacity was recently reduced to 25,144, when the stadium underwent reconstruction.[1]

In 2013, the City of Udine granted Udinese Calcio a 99-year lease of the stadium.[5]

View of the stadium's previous configuration with running track and uncovered curved end stands, from the main stand (2009)

The most recent reconstruction saw the removal of the athletics track, the demolishing of three sides of the stadium with only the "arc" / West end preserved and the three demolished stands rebuilt closer to the pitch. The cost of the redevelopment was around €50m and the work was completed with Udinese not having to move any of their home games to other stadia. The work on the new stadium officially began on 5 June 2013. During the summer of 2013, the athletics track was dismantled. On 23 June 2014, the foundation stone was laid by Udinese Calcio president Giampaolo Pozzo. The new Friuli was officially opened on 17 January 2016 when Udinese hosted Juventus. The sponsorship name of the stadium, Dacia Arena, was unveiled that day therefore the club entered into a new stadium-naming rights agreement with its parent company, Dacia.[6]

The Friuli was nominated by StadiumDB.com as one of the best stadiums of the year 2016, reaching the 13th position of the Public Vote ranking and the 7th position of the Jury Vote ranking.[7]

Important events

Sports

In 1990, the stadium hosted three 1990 FIFA World Cup matches, all of which were from Group E.[8][9][10]

In 2005, the stadium was approved by UEFA to host UEFA Champions League matches, which Udinese participated in during the 2005–06 season.[11]

On 10 September 2008, the stadium hosted the second match of the Italian national team's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Georgia.[12]

On 21 November 2009, the Italy national rugby team played the 2007 Rugby World Cup champions South Africa on this ground.

Music

On 13 September 1988, Deep Purple played at the stadium.[13]

On 15 September 1994, Pink Floyd played at the stadium during their The Division Bell Tour.[13]

On 28 June 2007, Red Hot Chili Peppers played at the stadium during their Stadium Arcadium World Tour.[14]

On 23 July 2009, Bruce Springsteen played at the stadium during his Working on a Dream Tour.[13]

On 29 August 2009, Coldplay played at the stadium during their Viva la Vida Tour.[13]

On 16 July 2009, Madonna played at the stadium during her Sticky & Sweet Tour.[13]

On 19 May 2010, AC/DC played at the stadium during their Black Ice World Tour.[13]

On 27 July 2011, Bon Jovi played at the stadium during their Bon Jovi Live tour.[13]

On 13 May 2012, Metallica played at the stadium during their 2012 European Black Album Tour.[13]

Religious

On 3 May 1992, the stadium hosted the holy mass presided by Pope John Paul II, who in front of 30,000 people said in Friulian:[15]

Fradis Furlàns, us invidi a tigní dur.

— Pope John Paul II, 3 May 1992

1990 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was one of the venues of the 1990 FIFA World Cup and held three matches.[8][9][10]

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round
13 June 1990 Uruguay0–0 SpainGroup E
17 June 1990 South Korea1–3 SpainGroup E
21 June 1990 South Korea0–1 UruguayGroup E

See also

References
  1. "Mozione del Consigliere Tanzi e altri avente ad oggetto "Invito formale all'Udinese calcio S.p.A. per il cambio di denominazione da 'Stadio Friuli' in 'Stadio Dacia Arena' - Udine"". OpenMunicipio (in Italian). 18 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. "Dacia Arena – Stadio Friuli". The Stadium Guide. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  3. Strada, Maria (14 February 2017). "Udinese, la Dacia Arena candidata a Stadio dell'Anno 2016". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  4. "Udinese, il Friuli sarà "firmato" Dacia. Pozzo: "Prestigioso intervento sponsor"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 8 January 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. Bocchio, Sandro (13 October 2017). "Udinese, trent'anni con i Pozzo". Tuttosport (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  6. Ceschia, Alessandra (24 March 2017). "L'Udinese al Consiglio di Stato: legittima l'insegna Dacia Arena". Messaggero Veneto – Giornale del Friuli (in Italian). Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  7. "Stadium of the Year 2016". StadiumDB.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. "1990 FIFA World Cup Italy ™ - Matches - Uruguay-Spain". FIFA.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. "1990 FIFA World Cup Italy ™ - Matches - Korea Republic-Spain". FIFA.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  10. "1990 FIFA World Cup Italy ™ - Matches - Korea Republic-Uruguay". FIFA.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  11. "Dacia Arena di Udine". TuttoStadi.it (in Italian). 13 December 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  12. "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ - Matches - Italy-Georgia". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  13. "I migliori concerti di Udine e provincia: ecco l'elenco dei venti". UdineToday (in Italian). 15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  14. "Stadio Friuli Show". Red Hot Chili Peppers. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  15. Mosanghini, Paolo (30 April 2011). "«Furlans us saludi» Il boato dei 30 mila - Messaggero Veneto". Messaggero Veneto – Giornale del Friuli (in Italian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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