Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadyumu – stadium description

In September 1999 dismantling of the old south stand began at the outdated Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, dating back to 1908, when football was first played on this site. Double-tiered stand replaced the old structure in 2001, being partially opened for derby against Besiktas (Dec 2001) and fully open against Galatasaray (Feb 2002).

In a similar fashion the north and east stands were delivered. All three stands received their roof in the same time. The steel trusses supporting membrane cover are mounted atop corner sections, which in turn have very small capacity.

Finally in 2006 the main grandstand came as well, finishing the development. That section accommodates vast majority of the corporate clients. At first the stadium had 58 skyboxes, but that number was later increased to 132. Apart from matchday functions the stand also has a multi-storey parking integrated and room for commercial uses, like shopping outlets or car dealership.

Overall architects at the A&Z Aksu office came across a challenging project with plot constraints making the stadium’s access compromised and stands steeper and taller than at some other grounds.

This stadium was the first new football-specific ground among Turkish top tier clubs and one of the first in a wave of sports investments across Turkey.

Apart from hosting domestic and international ties of ‘Fener’, the stadium was also chosen as 2009 UEFA Cup venue, the very last time before the tournament was rebranded as Europa League.