Hazelnut in the club's crest, a city famous for the cultivation of nuts, the stadium will also be nutty. On January 24, the inauguration of Çotanak Stadyumu will take place, named after the husked hazelnut grown in this part of Turkey.

Giresun Stadium figures

At the end of last year, the stadium in Giresun, a city in the north-east of Turkey, was finally completed. The facility can accommodate 22,028 spectators and is part of a sports complex located in the Aksu district, which will include, among others a football pitch, a sports hall and an Olympic swimming pool with a capacity of 1,200 seats.

© Emlak Planlama İnşaat Proje Yönetimi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

The stadium building consists of a total of 6 floors and has an area of 143,388 square metres. The capacity of Çotanak Stadyumu is 22,028 seats, of which 20,380 are intended for "ordinary" fans, and 1,413 are seats in lounges and VIP zones. In addition, 75 seats are allocated for the disabled supporters and 76 for the press, 84 seats are the so-called protocol. The stadium car park will accommodate over 1,000 cars.

The construction lasted from November 2016 to December 2020. Anyway, the date for commissioning the stadium, which was initially supposed to be completed in 2018, was changed many times. The final works on the site, just before commissioning, were activities related to the care of the hybrid turf. In December, the necessary formalities for the handover of the venue to the Ministry of Youth and Sports were finished.

© Emlak Planlama İnşaat Proje Yönetimi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

Unusual inauguration of the stadium

Giresunspor's first match at the new facility will take place on January 24. Balıkesirspor will be the rival of the green and white team. Until now, Giresunspor has played at the Atatürk Stadyumu, which will be demolished and then turned into a city garden with numerous sports and recreation areas.

The farewell to the old stadium came on January 3, when Giresunspor beat Tuzlaspor 3-0. As we have already mentioned, Atatürk Stadyumu will be demolished, but this does not mean that Atatürk will cease to be the patron of the stadium in the city.

© Emlak Planlama İnşaat Proje Yönetimi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

Recent reports from the Turkish media confirm that many of the city's residents want Atatürk (Turkey's legendary leader, hero of the fight for independence) as the patron of the new venue. Anyway, during the construction of the facility it was not concealed that Çotanak Stadyumu was only a working name.

As of today, it is not possible to play a game at Çotanak Stadyumu with the fans. This did not discourage green and white fans from purchasing virtual tickets, which are a form of support for the club's budget in times of a pandemic. Giresunspor sells tickets, advertising them as a memento of the symbolic opening of the new stadium, to take place on Sunday.

Author: Tomasz Sobura