BJK Inönü Stadi – historical stadium description

First plan of locating the very first Beşiktaş stadium next to the Dolmabahce palace was drawn in 1939, but construction was halted before actually starting, due to WWII outbreak. Groundbreaking finally took place in 1943 and allowed for the new ground to be delivered in 1947.

Its name from the start honoured İsmeta İnönü, successor of Atatürk as president of Turkey. For political reasons the name was changed in 1952 to Mithatpaşa and İnönü was reinstated in 1973.

Most significant elements of the stadium are the south stand's front with two towers and main club offices entrance to the west.

Initially it had 16,000 capacity on stands along a running track, but was soon expanded to cope with larger crowds, up to 40,000. With all-seater regulations the size halved in 1990s and required expansion. Thus, in 2003-04 the pitch was sunken more into the ground and new sections for fans replaced the old running track.

Since the last revamp numerous attempts to rebuild the stadium were made, but numerous constraints of the plot made it extremely hard to push forward. Success wasn't reached until 2013, where a vision respectful to the surroundings was given green light.