Tampere Stadium
Tampere Stadium[1] (Finnish: Tampereen stadion),[2] also known as Ratina Stadium (Finnish: Ratinan stadion), designed by architect Timo Penttilä and completed in 1965, is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere, Finland, with a seating capacity of 16,800 people, and up to 32,000 people for concerts. In 2018, the stadium hosted the IAAF World U20 Championships.
Ratina Stadium | |
 | |
| |
| Full name | Tampere Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Ratina, Tampere, Finland |
| Coordinates | 61°29′33″N 023°45′51″E |
| Owner | City of Tampere |
| Operator | City of Tampere |
| Capacity | 16,800 |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Architect | Timo Penttilä |
| Tenants | |
| Finland national football team (2016–present) Ilves (on occasion) Tampere United (2004–2010) | |
Football
The stadium primarily hosts football matches. It served as Tampere United's home stadium and it will be the home stadium for Finnish national team between 2016 and 2018 due to the renovation of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. The stadium was also formerly used by Ilves, which holds the record attendances for football matches in both European and domestic competitions: 24,873 against Juventus on 19 September 1984 in the European Cup and 15,000 against Kokkolan Palloveikot on 9 October 1983 in the Finnish League.
Music
Over the years the stadium has hosted several music events. In addition to standalone concerts, it serves as the main arena for the annual hip hop festival Blockfest.
Concerts
| Date | Artist(s) | Tour/Event |
|---|---|---|
| 14 August 2004 | Eppu Normaali | – |
| 18 August 2007 | Toto | Falling in Between Tour |
| 19 July 2008 | Iron Maiden | Somewhere Back in Time World Tour |
| 9 August 2008 | PMMP Ismo Alanko Popeda Eppu Normaali | Suomi-ilmiö 2008 |
| 2 June 2009 | Bruce Springsteen | Working on a Dream Tour |
| 26 May 2010 | Bryan Adams | – |
| 1 June 2010 | AC/DC | Black Ice World Tour |
| 1 August 2012 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm With You World Tour |
| 26 May 2013 | Bon Jovi | Because We Can World Tour |
| 31 July 2015 | Nightwish | Endless Forms Most Beautiful World Tour |
| 6 August 2016 | Eppu Normaali | 40th Anniversary Concert |
| 10 August 2017 | Robbie Williams | The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour |
| 4 August 2018 | Popeda | Popeda.Ratina.Rakkaus |
| 9 August 2019 10 August 2019 | Rammstein | Europe Stadium Tour 2019 |
Speedway
Tampere Stadium is also used as a venue for Motorcycle speedway. It was first used for international competition in 1974 as the host of the Nordic Final as part of the qualifying for the Speedway World Championship. The Nordic Final was also held in Tampere in 1977 and 1989. The stadium also hosted the Finland National Championship on occasions.
The stadium played host to the 1995 World Under-21 Championship Final won by Australia's Jason Crump, and in 2014 the stadium hosted the inaugural Speedway Grand Prix of Finland won by Slovenian rider Matej Zagar. Speedway returned to Ratina the following year, with the Finnish Grand Prix as Round 2 of the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix series. The speedway track is laid out over the stadiums 400 metres (440 yards) athletics track.
References
- "Tampere Stadium". Tampere: City of Tampere. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- "Tampereen stadion" [Tampere Stadium] (in Finnish). Tampere: City of Tampere. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
External links
- City of Tampere – Tampere Stadium