Stadio Friuli – historical stadium description

The stadium was built thanks to mayor Angelo Candeloni, whose goal was to put Udine on the map of Italy’s Professional sports. Before his initiative the city had no major stadium and Udinese Calcio were struggling in lower leagues. That is not so say that old Stadio Moretti wasn’t a venue with traditions, but opened back in 1924 it was too old at that time.

Design and engineering of the new stadium were carried out by Lorenzo Giacomuzzi Moore and Giuliano Parmegiani who are both responsible for the stadium’s key feature – the massive concrete arch. It was inspired by St. Louis’ Gateway Arch delivered just a couple years earlier. Although of course the scale was different, especially that in Udine the arch was to carry roof over the western grandstand. Overall the arch, created with 17 concrete blocks, spans across 200 meters and rises to 33.8m.

At the time of opening in 1976 it was the highest point of the stadium, later outgrown by floodlight masts reaching nearly 60m. However, the initial shape was rather modest as only the main grandstand was built with concrete. Remaining sides were only a low sunken bowl with no steps, just grass. Over time these sections were upgraded and, particularly before the 1990 World Cup, largely expanded to reach the stadium’s peak capacity of over 41,000 people.

Unfortunately the stadium’s shape quickly proved unfit for demand. The running track was used only 3 times during the stadium’s history, while football never drew enough people to fill the aging structure. That’s why in 2012 Udinese Calcio took over, becoming Italy’s 3rd professional club to own its private stadium. The club’s intent was to convert Friuli to a smaller football-only venue. However, the monumental main stand was retained after thorough renovation.