Jury Vote

For the 6th time we include a Jury of architectural experts who cast their votes independently of the Popular Vote. Their vote results in a separate Stadium of the Year title.

The vote ran in two phases. The Jury first evaluated all 21 candidates and the shortlist of 10 finalists was revealed, as seen below. On March 23 the final table of all 10 finalists was revealed with the winner - Japan National Stadium - being only the second Asian venue to ever win the Jury Award!

Japan National Stadium Tokyo Japan Architectural value: 37.5% Functionality: 37.5% Innovation: 15.0% [Points in each category are summed up, maximum possible score is 100%]
Position	Photo	Score
2 77.5%		Bankwest Stadium Sydney Australia Architectural value: 32.5% Functionality: 32.5% Innovation: 12.5%
2 77.5%		Puskás Aréna Budapest Hungary Architectural value: 32.5% Functionality: 35.0% Innovation: 10.0%
4 75.0%		Al Janoub Stadium Al Wakrah Qatar Architectural value: 27.5% Functionality: 32.5% Innovation: 15.0%
5 72.5%		Tottenham Hotspur Stadium London England Architectural value: 22.5% Functionality: 32.5% Innovation: 17.5%
6 62.5%		VTB Arena Moscow Russia Architectural value: 22.5% Functionality: 25.0% Innovation: 15.0%
7 57.5%		New Clark City Athletics Stadium Capas Philippines Architectural value: 22.5% Functionality: 32.5% Innovation: 12.5%
8 50.0%		Štadión Tehelné pole Bratislava Slovakia Architectural value: 15.0% Functionality: 25.0% Innovation: 10.0%
8 50.0%		Wuhan Five Rings SC Stadium Wuhan China Architectural value: 17.5% Functionality: 22.5% Innovation: 10.0%
10 47.5%		Datong Sports Center Stadium Datong China Architectural value: 17.5% Functionality: 20.0% Innovation: 10.0%

Jury members

BENCE POTTYONDY, SPP Architecture, Budapest | Having graduated architecture at Szent István University in Budapest in 2009 and University of Pécs in 2011, it only took him 3 years to work on his first ever stadium concept. First came a competition entry for MTK Budapest new arena, which – despite modest scale – is of significant historical value to Hungarian football.

That same year, in 2014, he began work on a different stadium, this time for DVTK in Miskolc. Not only was the concept successful, the stadium delivered based on his work became one of Hungary's new sporting landmarks, receiving the Pro Architectura award in 2019. It was also voted Stadium of the Year by our Jury last year, becoming the first compact stadium to win the title.

Both these projects were carried out under the brand of KÖZTI Architects, created by Bence's father and renowned Hungarian architect Péter Pottyondy. Since 2017 Bence is part of SPP Architecture. In both practices his works include sports, leisure, commercial and residential architecture.

JOHN RHODES, HOK Architecture, London | John is Design Principal of HOK London’s studio and director of HOK’s global Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice and is based in the London office. With more than 15 years of experience developing high-profile facilities for a range of professional sports and entertainment activities, John’s work helps to spur urban regeneration and economic development in local communities.

John works to advance the next generation of multipurpose sports and entertainment venues that become destinations in their own right. He develops solutions with input from stakeholders including local community leaders, municipalities, investors and fans. John has extensive experience in the design of facilities including arena, stadia, Formula One circuits, conference and exhibition centres, horse racing tracks and high-performance training facilities.

His current work includes the design of the prestigious FC Barcelona Arena. As part of a comprehensive redevelopment of the existing city centre facilities, the 12,500-seat highly flexible complex will create an organic building geometry that supports a seamless progression between the arena, an auxiliary court for 2,000 spectators, an ice rink and the FCB Escola academy training facilities. He is also currently leading the design of Valencia multi-purpose Arena (18,000 capacity) for Valencia Basket, and the £200m Gateshead Quays Multi-purpose arena (12,500 capacity) and Convention Centre, and a scheme for Cardiff Multi-Purpose Arena.

He has been responsible for several major projects in the UAE. He led the design of the Zayed National Stadium refurbishment for the FIFA Club World Cup 2009 (Abu Dhabi), the award winning Al ain Sport City 2500 acre Masterplan 2009, and schemes for Abu Dhabi Mina Zayed Convention Centre & Arena.

His past work includes the design of several arenas around the world, including the award-winning Leeds First Direct Arena, the new Silverstone British Grand Prix Circuit & Facilities.

Before joining HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice, John was a principal at Populous. He graduated from Edinburgh’s Herriot Watt University/Edinburgh College with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

JOHN ROBERTS, AFL Architects, Manchester | As Director of AFL Architects’ Sports & Leisure sector, John has managed and delivered projects for some of the world’s most high-profile clubs and major sporting events. He has extensive global experience in stadia design, having written and updated design guides for the Football Licensing Authority and English Cricket Board, and has presented papers to UEFA. Long-term clients include Everton FC, Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC.

John’s most recent major project has been the delivery of the 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium, the largest stadium and centrepiece venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and the fifth largest future stadium in the world. In the UK, this year marks the completion of the AFL-designed and delivered Brentford Community Stadium, a 17,250-capacity joint venue for Brentford FC and London Irish.

Currently John is working on the delivery of Swansea Central Phase One, a regenerative mixed-use development with a new digital arena at its heart. This project follows the success of the 3,000 capacity Bonus Arena, a legacy project for Hull’s City of Culture celebrations. John is an avid sports fan and, with his Welsh roots, is an enthusiastic supporter of the Welsh rugby and football teams.

ANTONINO VULTAGGIO, HPP Architekten, Düsseldorf | Antonino was born in Offenbach in 1972. After his studies in Frankfurt a.M. he worked in the office of KSP Jürgen Engel Architects where he began as project architect and became vice head of design in 2007. In 2010 he came to HPP where he managed the attendance in design competitions as Head of Design. Since 2012 Antonino Vultaggio is project partner and since 2018 partner at HPP Architekten GmbH.

His recent work includes the nearly 35,000-capacity football stadium for SC Freiburg. Vultaggio is a member of the chamber of Architects and Town Planners in Hessen/ Germany.

Jury Vote Regulations

1. The Jury Vote runs independently from the Popular Vote. Its result will reveal our second Stadium of the Year winner.
2. The Jury consists of highly-experienced architects from various countries. Each year we invite different specialists with fresh experiences in stadium design.
3. Each Juror ranks every stadium individually. First, a quick round reveals shortlist of 10 finalist stadiums. Then every nominated stadium is ranked in three categories: architectural value, functionality and innovation.
4. The stadiums are graded based on best available audio-visual materials and texts. Due to extremely limited schedule visits to the sites are impossible. The criteria are limited only to aspects possible to verify at this early stage of each stadium’s operation as many venues still have work to be done in the future and should not be scrutinised unnecessarily.
5. Announcement of the result is expected around March 18, 2020, along with results of the Popular Vote. Date subject to change depending on vote progress.