Yellow River Sports Center Stadium – construction description

How is the construction of a new football stadium in Jinan progressing?

In 2020, there were reports of plans to build a modern, football-specific stadium in Jinan. The city already had two large stadiums (Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium and Shandong Provincial Sports Center Stadium), but both had a football and athletics layout.

The new facility is to be built on the northern outskirts of the city, in Cuizhai District, on the left bank of the Yellow River, away from the city centre. Along with the stadium, an entire sports and research complex will be built. The plan was approved for implementation in spring 2021. To make room for the project, many houses in the area were demolished.

Implementation of the entire project is expected to cost 8.5 billion yuan. However, the stadium itself is to be built first, costing 1.965 billion yuan. The main contractor for the facility is the China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau. Construction of the arena began in the second half of 2022, with the facility expected to be ready by the end of 2024 and opening in the early months of 2025.

What will the new football stadium in Jinan be like?

The architectural concept for the Yellow River Sports Center Stadium can be seen on a separate subpage

The design of the complex is a collaboration between HPP Architekten and the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD). The centrepiece of the premise will be a football stadium with a capacity of 61,000 spectators. Next to it will be a sports hall and an indoor swimming pool with a fitness centre. Training pitches and park and recreation areas will be part of the complex, while the southern section will house a hotel and buildings for research and development purposes.

The stadium will be built on a circular plan, although inside the stands will adapt their shape to that of a rectangular pitch. The facility will be surrounded by an elevated promenade with four large entrances to each stand. The building will be given a subtle form, intended to symbolise a slightly open shell with a pearl inside. The façade will be covered with overlapping undulating layers, shimmering in golden hues, alluding to the meanders of the Yellow River flowing nearby.

The lower edge of the façade will undulate, revealing the interior at each of the four entrances. The façade will be horizontally divided into two parts, with a gap in the middle to accommodate a wide, panoramic viewing terrace. The upper part of the exterior will merge into one with the roof, which will cover the entire auditorium and will be partly glazed.

The auditorium will be divided into three levels. Shops and other commercial facilities will be located in the stadium to ensure that the venue also functions outside match days. The main user of the stadium will be Shandong Taishan, one of the most successful football clubs in China. The facility is to be designed to host events at the highest international level.