Our Stadium of the Year competition has officially begun and will run until March 15. As many as 36 venues are on the list of nominees this year. One of them is Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Take a look at this candidacy and decide whether you want to vote for it in the contest for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas nominated for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Football fans in Lthuania last year finally were able to celebrate inauguration of a new state-of-the-art venue. The ultra-modern Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas made it to the list of 36 football arenas nominated for the prestigious Stadium of the Year 2022 award. The competition is the largest public vote of its kind in the world. Since the first edition began, a total of more than 400,000 valid votes have been counted.

This year’s contest is highly varied, with stadiums from as many as six different continents taking part: 18 venues are from Asia, 8 from Europe, 4 from Africa, 3 from North America, 2 from South America and 1 from Australia and Oceania. The competition is fierce, so don't hesitate to cast a vote for the stadium you appreciate the most! If you’re still unsure, you can watch a video covering all 36 nominated stadiums:

Get to know Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas 

The venue in Kaunas has a rich, almost 100-year history. It has already undergone a number of major and minor modernisations in the past, but the latest one, completed last year is by most spectacular. In the course of more than four years of development fully covered stands were built practically from scratch. On the eastern side, which was previously open, a new main stand with VIP areas was raised. This gave the facility a compact, closed appearance.

Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas through reconstruction has grown to over 15,000 seats. Its inauguration ceremony in October was well attended by the public. 13,000 spectators were seated in the stands and special guests included, among others, the legendary basketball player, Arvydas Sabonis. Here are some interesting facts about the arena: 

• The cost of the works amounted to €43 million
• An interesting architectural feature is the gaps in the exterior on either side of the east stand, through which the trees of the nearby Oak Grove can be seen.
• The facility has an athletics track that surrounds the pitch with a heated, hybrid turf.
• It is the largest and most modern facility in Lithuania, as evidenced by UEFA's awarding it with the highest, fourth category.

How to vote for the Stadium of the Year 2022?

In order to take part, everyone has to select five stadiums by giving 5 stars to the best one, 4 stars to the second best, 3 stars to the third, 2 stars for the fourth and finally 1 star for the fifth most interesting. It means that you cannot cast your vote for only one stadium - all 5 venues must be included in your form. To vote visit Stadium of the Year 2022, the voting platform which will be open until March 15. To learn more about the nominated stadiums and the voting rules themselves, it is recommended to watch the video: