Our Stadium of the Year competition has officially begun and will run until March 15. As many as 36 venues are on the list of nominees this year. One of them is Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium located in Hangzhou, China. Take a look at this candidacy and decide whether you want to vote for it in the contest for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium nominated for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Residents of China are proud of their new venue. The ultra-modern Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium made it to the list of 36 football arenas nominated for the prestigious Stadium of the Year 2022 award. The competition is the largest public vote of its kind in the world. Since the first edition began, a total of more than 400,000 valid votes have been counted.

This year’s contest is highly varied, with stadiums from as many as six different continents taking part: 18 venues are from Asia, 8 from Europe, 4 from Africa, 3 from North America, 2 from South America and 1 from Australia and Oceania. The competition is fierce, so don't hesitate to cast a vote for the stadium you appreciate the most! If you’re still unsure, you can watch a video covering all 36 nominated stadiums:

Get to know Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium

In 2015, Hangzhou was selected to host the 19th Asian Games, scheduled for September 2022, and one of the sporting venues for these event was to be a stadium in the Xiaoshan district, which was scheduled to host some of the football competition matches. The old stadium, which was opened in 1996 was demolished in March and April 2019, after which construction of the new arena began in its place.

The facility was fully completed in mid-2022 and on July 22 of that year it was opened to residents wishing to use its athletics track. In the meantime, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Games in Hangzhou were postponed until 2023. The adjacent sports hall, which will be used for weightlifting competitions, was also to be completely modernised. The entire surroundings were also changed. Here are some interesting facts about the arena: 

• The stadium has a tartan athletics track, surrounded all around by single-tier stands with a capacity of 10,118 spectators.
• The stands are fully covered by a canopy. They are covered by a façade formed by horizontal lines that can be illuminated at night.
• 220 loudspeakers have been installed under the roof.
• Outside the stadium four floodlight masts have been erected.

How to vote for the Stadium of the Year 2022?

In order to take part, everyone has to select five stadiums by giving 5 stars to the best one, 4 stars to the second best, 3 stars to the third, 2 stars for the fourth and finally 1 star for the fifth most interesting. It means that you cannot cast your vote for only one stadium - all 5 venues must be included in your form. To vote visit Stadium of the Year 2022, the voting platform which will be open until March 15. To learn more about the nominated stadiums and the voting rules themselves, it is recommended to watch the video: