Teddy Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון טדי) is a sports stadium in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. Four football teams currently use the stadium: Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Jerusalem, Agudat Sport Nordia Jerusalem, and the Israel national football team for select home matches.
 | |
| Standort | Jerusalem, Israel |
|---|---|
| Public transit |  Green Line (Jerusalem Light Rail) |
| Owner | Jerusalem Municipality |
| Operator | Jerusalem Municipality |
| Capacity | 34,000[1] |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Bauwesen | |
| Broke ground | 1990 |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Renovated | 1997–1998, 2011–2013, 2018–2020 |
| Construction cost | $60 million |
| Architect | Yossi Ben Naim Pascual Broid |
| Tenants | |
| Beitar Jerusalem (1991–present) Hapoel Jerusalem (1991–present) Israel national football team (2015–present) Agudat Sport Nordia Jerusalem (2016–present) | |
The stadium is named after long-time Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, who was in office during the time of its construction and was one of its prominent advocates.
History
For Beitar, the stadium was a major upgrade after years of playing at the YMCA Stadium, nicknamed "The Sandbox". In the first stage, only the west and east sides of the stadium were built, giving it a capacity of over 14,000. In 1999, work was finished on a north side that increased capacity to 21,600.
The stadium itself is one of the newest in Israel and one of the few that are close to meeting all European standards. It is accessible to the disabled, has modern bathrooms, and has ample concession stands, a combination that is very difficult to find in many Israeli stadiums. The stadium has 5,000 parking spots on its premises, and is connected to the Malha Mall and its parking facilities by a pedestrian bridge.
The stadium is located at the Begin Expressway and just past the Malha Train Station, which ensures convenient road and rail access to the rest of Israel.
With stands close to the pitch and excellent acoustics, Teddy Stadium has hosted several Israel national football team matches, the Maccabiah Games opening ceremony, and other public events.
A south side stand was completed on June 3, 2013, increasing seating capacity to 34,000.
Teddy Stadium was one of the venues for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and hosted the tournament's final match.
The first official match of the Israel national football team in the new stadium was played on March 31, 2015. Israel hosted the Belgium national football team in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match and lost the match by a score of 0–1.
Supporters
During Beitar matches, the La Familia group occupies the eastern sections of the stadium. They are known for being the most vocal and controversial of fans in the venue.[2][3]
Renovations
In September 2016 a new solar system which can produce 639 kW has been installed on the roof of Teddy stadium.[4]
In the middle of 2018 Teddy stadium has been started to be renovated, as Jerusalem municipality announced that it will assign 25 million ₪ for upgrading the stadium. List of things that have been completed until the end of this year:
- Dressing rooms renovations.
- Players warm-up hall renovations.
- New players bench ergonomic seats.
- Professional sound system installation.
In February 2019 the second phase of the renovation has been started, and after one year - on August 2020 it has been completed:[5]
- New roof for the south stand.
- Extension of the solar system on the south stand roof.
- Installation of new LED lights show system around the stadium.
- New 8 VIP boxes in the west stand.
In January 2020, Jerusalem municipality have decided to allocate more 30 million ₪ for further improvements and features:[6]
- Replacement of the 6000 remaining old seats in the north stand with new modern seats.
- Extension of the sound system on the south stand roof.
- Moving the LED screen from the east stand to the new roof of the south stand.
- Installation of new digital signage in the top of the east stand.
International matches
| Date | Result | Competition | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April 1998 |  Israel |
2–1 |  Argentinien |
Friendly | |
| 9 February 2003 | Israel |
3–3 |  Kroatien |
Friendly | |
| 14 November 2012 | Israel |
1–2 |  Weißrussland |
Friendly | |
| 6 June 2013 |  Spanien |
1–0 |  Russland |
2013 Euro U-21 | 10,000 |
| 9 June 2013 |  Niederlande |
5–1 | Russland |
2013 Euro U-21 | 7,500 |
| 11 June 2013 | Israel |
1–0 |  England |
2013 Euro U-21 | 22,150 |
| 18 June 2013 | Spanien |
4–2 |  Italien |
2013 Euro U-21 | 29,300 |
| 31 March 2015 | Israel |
0–1 |  Belgien |
2016 Euro qualifying | 29,750 |
| 13 October 2015 | Israel |
1–2 |  Zypern |
2016 Euro qualifying | 25,300 |
| 9 October 2016 | Israel |
2–1 |  Liechtenstein |
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | 9,000 |
| 9 October 2017 | Israel |
0–1 | Spanien |
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | 28,700 |
| 21 May 2019[7] | Beitar Jerusalem |
2–1 | Atlético Madrid |
Club Friendlies | 30,000 |
| 16 November 2019 | Israel |
1:2 |  Polen |
2021 Euro qualifying | 16,700 |
Gallery
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2006 -
2007 -
2007 -
2011
See also
References
- ^ "Ariel - The official municipal management organization of Jerusalem".
- ^ Goldblatt, David (23 April 2008). "Football and politics in the Holy City". BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ Heller, Aron (20 January 2012). "Israeli club paying price for racist fans". Associated Press.
- ^ "Jerusalem: Teddy Stadium goes solar – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com.
- ^ "סופי: ביולי 2019, היציע הדרומי באצטדיון טדי ייקורה". 25 February 2019.
- ^ "אצטדיון טדי ישופץ ב-30 מיליון שח". YNET. 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Beitar Jerusalem vs. Atletico Madrid - Football Match Stats - May 21, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com.