Small stadiums for the WC--FIFA needs to lay down the law

Discussion in 'FIFA and Tournaments' started by dfb547490, Jan 3, 2006.

  1. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    It's not negotiable like that.
     
  2. Mr. Bee

    Mr. Bee New Member

    Feb 2, 2005
    Buzzing Around
    Club:
    Wolverhampton Wanderers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Also, this is the ideal stadium for the WC Final

    [​IMG]

    170,000 seat enclosed stadium. Making it work for soccer, well, that might be a challenge, but I'm sure they could do it.
     
  3. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    If FIFA was willing to accept a smaller than regulation size field in '94, there's no reason they wouldn't accept a smallest regulation size allowed field now.
     
  4. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    ONE FIELD, dfb, which was 69 or so yards wide. ONE.
     
  5. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What stadium is this? North Korea? It doesn't look like it holds 170,000 from that picture...
     
  6. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    And all the newer NFL stadiums can fit a field at least 70 yards wide, which is FIFA minimum standards. Again, most of the NFL stadiums built since the mid-90s have been SPECIFICALLY designed to accomadate soccer. Not only are international friendlies a huge cash cow during the NFL off-season, but the NFL owners all want their stadium to be a part of any potential future WC bid.

    I've actually heard talk that they want to play a Tennessee-Virginia Tech football game there (it's right on the state line and about equidistant from Knoxville and Blacksburg). Field width obviously wouldn't be a problem so if they could make it work for football, no reason they couldn't for soccer as well. It's kinda in the middle of nowhere, though.
     
  7. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    Bristol International Speedway in Tennessee
     
  8. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    they did it because they wanted to sell the game to the US. I don't think there were even any other serious bidders for it in 94. FIFA bent over backwards to help the US bid.


    If the US was going to bid again then FIFA couldn't have one set up sub-standard rules for the US, and more stringent ones for everybody else. If every other country in the world has to fork out to meet the requirements, it seems ludicrous that the richest country in the world could be exempt from doing so.

    There really is no excuse for shoehorning pitches in like this
    [​IMG]
     
  9. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    What stadium is that Richard?

    Is that LA in the background?
     
  10. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    (old) soldier field.

    The picture dump site I used shrunk it down to half its size, so it's not exactly as clear as it should have been :) oh well.
     
  11. Maczebus

    Maczebus New Member

    Jun 15, 2002
    I dunno...seems to happen with regards to pollution emissions.
     
  12. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    New Soldier Field is built with FIFA regulations in mind, as are pretty much all of the NFL stadiums built since '94.
     
  13. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    Good one McZebra.

    Nothing wrong with the old Soldier Field except it's ugly and has no roof.

    It fit a full size field.
     
  14. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    dfb, I don't think you are correct- SOME of the fields are soccer-friendly, some are not.

    Add to the soccer list: Charlotte- Ericcson

    But not Baltimore-Ravens Stadium.
    Fedex was built soccer-friendly, then renovated to add more rows in front!
    etc etc etc
     
  15. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    A good way to see if fields are soccer-friendly is to look at the seating chart for football and use the yard-lines to judge distance on either side of the sideline...a football field is about 55 yards wide so you need about an extra 10 yards or so on each side (7.5 minimum for the field, 2.5 for the sideline).

    Based on the diagram from the FedEx Field site you're right that it would be too tight at the corners, however as you said if the seats down in front were add-ons that means they should be fairly simple to remove as well. Given that FedEx is one of the biggest stadiums in the country and RFK is a dump, it's hard for me to see it not being a part of the US bid.

    As for Baltimore it's tough for me to see it being part of a bid anyway, given that DC, Philly, NY/NJ, and Foxboro would all almost certainly be used for the WC.
     
  16. leg_breaker

    leg_breaker Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    The European Championships are run by UEFA, not FIFA, which explains why it's done a lot more sensibly. Not to mention the draw is about a million times more efficient.
     
  17. Mr. Bee

    Mr. Bee New Member

    Feb 2, 2005
    Buzzing Around
    Club:
    Wolverhampton Wanderers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The picture is distant and deceiving. The top row of the stand immediately in front is row 114.

    Also, the field of "play", if you call it that (infield) can fit nearly 9 American football fields on it. Just to give you an idea of the size.
     
  18. smithfan

    smithfan Member+

    Aug 14, 2005
    Waimoana
    Club:
    Borussia Dortmund
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    So by now this has become the "Why doesn't the USA host the world cup this year?" thread...interesting. :rolleyes:
     
  19. Mr. Bee

    Mr. Bee New Member

    Feb 2, 2005
    Buzzing Around
    Club:
    Wolverhampton Wanderers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think its more of a discussion of the differences in sports stadia in the US vs. Europe, and logistical issues with regards to that (and how it applies to the pitiful capacity of some World Cup stadia).

    Don't take it to heart. We love Germany. Ruthless efficiency and brilliant pork products.
     
  20. smithfan

    smithfan Member+

    Aug 14, 2005
    Waimoana
    Club:
    Borussia Dortmund
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I mean, the WC has been in the US in 94. Wouldn't make that much sense then to demand that the World Cup should be there again :D allright. I misunderstood it. ;)
     
  21. ickenham

    ickenham New Member

    Jun 6, 2005
    Lisbon, Portugal

    for instance, in the Euro2004, the draw defined that the France vs England match was to be played in Leiria, which holds 30k, while Switzerland vs Croatia was to be held at Luz (lisbon) which holds 65k.
    The organizers changed the stadia, officially for security reasons. That is what it has to be done. Big games to big stadia.
    Hey germans, come here to portugal and learn with us...
    :cool:
     
  22. jonam

    jonam Member

    Aug 27, 2003
    Westfalenstadion

    Some stadia were build by the clubs, some by the city and two by the federal government.

    Berlin (state of Berlin and federal government)
    Hamburg (Hamburger SV)
    Hanover (Hannover 96)
    Dortmund (Borussia Dortmund)
    Gelsenkirchen (FC Schlake 04)
    Cologne (city of Cologne)
    Frankfurt (city of Frankfurt)
    Leipzig (city of Leipzig and federal government)
    Stuttgart (state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and city of Stuttgart)
    Nuremberg (state of Bavaria and city of Nuremberg)
    Munich (FC Bayern, 1860 Munich)
    Kaiserslautern (state of Rhineland-Palatinate and city of Kaiserslautern)

    More or less half of the stadia were completely financed by Bundesliga clubs. The other clubs have to pay rents to use the new venues. Leipzig and Berlin each got a 50 Mio Euro bonus by the federal government as Gerhard Schröder needed votes in a Bundesrat vote in 2000 or 2001 (IIRC). Actually the prime minister of Saxonia and the mayor of Berlin "sold" their votes and thus made a new law possible Schröder wanted to get through Bundesrat.
     
  23. jonam

    jonam Member

    Aug 27, 2003
    Westfalenstadion

    Fifa demand a pitch of 68mx105m. Plus there must be run-off zones of 6m to each side-line and 7.5m behind the goals. So you needed 80mx120m at all.
     
  24. jonam

    jonam Member

    Aug 27, 2003
    Westfalenstadion
    *LMAO*
     
  25. Sagy

    Sagy Member

    Aug 6, 2004
    FIFA's LOTG (page 6) says that for international matches the width is 64m - 75m by 100m - 110m. It also says that "There shall be no advertising of any kind within the technical area or within one metre from the touch line" (Decision 4 on page 12).

    The way I read it is that 66m is the minimum distance between between the stands (width wise). Granted anything less than 70m (3m on either side) is probably too dangerous. Does FIFA have a third field size requirements for the WC? (the LOTG already define Regular, International Matches field size).
     

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