Top facts about Vodafone Park, Kara Kartallar's home

Welcome to Sportmob's Top facts about Vodafone Park! Vodafone Park is an all-seater, multi-purpose stadium in Istanbul's Beşiktaş district. It is Beşiktaş JK's home ground. BJK nönü Stadium, Beşiktaş's former home, was demolished to make way for the stadium. It has a capacity of roughly 42,590 spectators, up from 41,903 originally anticipated. The 2019 UEFA Super Cup was held at the stadium.

Vodafone Park has 144 executive suites and one "1903 Lounge," with a total capacity of 1,903 spectators. The "1903 stand" has a seating capacity of 636 people. The Stadium has high definition interactive monitors that give a live TV feed, advertising systems, player information, and so on is installed in VIP seats around the stadium.

The new stadium also contains 2,123 square meters of restaurant space, 2,520 square meters of terrace restaurant space, and 600 automobiles for VIP parking. The stadium is a smart stadium,' with StadiumVision and high-speed Wi-Fi technologies designed in collaboration with Cisco.

The demolition of BJK nönü Stadium began on June 2, 2013, following the conclusion of the TFF First League promotion play-offs. The project's anticipated cost at the time was roughly $80 million. Bünyamin Derman of DB architects designed the new stadium.

Except for the Eski Açk stand, which is considered a historical landmark by the government, the previous stadium was dismantled. The Eski Açk stand was rearranged to look like an antique amphitheater. When viewed from the sea, the new stadium was planned to be "in harmony with the natural and historic scenery of the Bosphorus." Of course, that's not all interesting facts of our

Top facts about Vodafone Park

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Let's start Sportmob's Top facts about Vodafone Park

Before we start our Top facts about Vodafone Park, we will dive into some quick facts that can help us understand this stadium's history and find out every untold fact and legend about it.

• Former name:

  Vodafone Arena

• Location:

  Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey

• Owner:

  Beşiktaş JK

• Operator:

  Beşiktaş JK

• Capacity:

  42,590

• Record attendance:

  39,623

• Field size:

  105 by 68 meters (115 yds × 74 yds)

• Surface:

  Hybrid grass

• Opened:

  11 April 2016

• Construction cost:

  €110 million

Vodafone Park Origin

Now that we know the basic info we needed, let's start our Top facts about Vodafone Park. The BJK nönü Stadium, formerly known as the Dolmabahçe Stadium, was designed by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi, who worked on the project with Turkish architects Inasi Ahingiray and Fazl Aysu.

The first foundation stone was placed on May 19, 1939, but development was delayed due to the onset of World War II. The stadium was dedicated on May 19, 1947, by Smet nönü, Turkey's second President and a Beşiktaş fan, and Lütfi Krdar, the Governor of Istanbul.

The original capacity was 16,000 people. The Eski Açk stand was supposed to include two bronze statues of athlete figures, one throwing a discus and the other a javelin, according to the original project proposal.

However, due to funding constraints, the statues were never erected. The oil factory discovered behind the stadium was dismantled in 1950 to make way for the Yeni Açk stand on the stadium's west end (thus the name Yeni Açk, meaning "New Open-top," alluding to the two covered stands (Numaral and Kapal) and the two open-top stands (Eski Açk and Yeni Açk).

The stadium was renamed the Mithat Paşa Stadium in 1952, and again in 1973, as the nönü Stadium. In February 1998, a leasing contract was signed between Beşiktaş JK and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, granting Beşiktaş JK exclusive use of the nönü Stadium for 49 years.

The Old story of Vodafone Park

President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk brought French architect and urban planner Henri Prost (1874–1959) to Turkey in 1936. He was responsible for the rough-cut urban planning and restoration of Istanbul, which lasted until 1951.

Prost thought that the area of işli may be a desirable location for a city stadium in the first proposal. However, Muhittin Üstünda, the governor of Istanbul, urged Prost to site the stadium in the Dolmabahçe region rather than the stable of the Dolmabahçe Palace as a fait accompli in his master city plan, which went into effect in 1939.

The first football match at the Dolmabahçe Stadium took place on November 27, 1947, between Beşiktaş JK and

of Sweden, and the first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba; the club's most famous and longest-presiding President (in the 1980s and 1990s) when he was a player for Beşiktaş JK. Beşiktaş was defeated 3–2 in this match.

For many years, Galatasaray S.K. and Fenerbahce S.K. shared the stadium with Beşiktaş JK before

. built the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in 1964 and Fenerbahce S.K. renovated the ükrü Saracolu Stadium in 1982.

In 2004, the BJK nönü Stadium underwent renovations. The tartan track was removed as part of these efforts, and the ground level was reduced by 4 meters to raise the stadium's capacity to 32,145 spectators. The press seats were moved from the Kapal stand to the Numaral stand.

The sofas discovered in the center of the Kapal stand were dismantled. The number of gates has been increased by a factor of two. Inside the stadium, a press center for Beşiktaş TV was created. Restrooms and food counters have been updated. A metallic framework encased the Yeni Açk stand. The work was completed in accordance with UEFA guidelines.

The renewal project had to be modified and postponed several times due to the unique location of nönü Stadium, which is considered one of the best in the world, and its legal status as a "historic monument" protected by the Turkish High Council of Monuments, and all official requests, efforts, and renewal attempts were denied.

Former club president Yildirim Demirören initiated a project developed by HOK sports in 2008, with a capacity of 42,000 spectators. However, this proposal was also canceled due to worries that the new project would not fit in with Beşiktaş's historical surroundings.

Finally, in 2013, current club president Fikret Orman concluded the administrative procedures after lengthy bureaucratic talks and obtained all necessary approvals by proposing precise design ideas.Now that we read the old story of Vodafone, it's time to move on and dive into the new era's story in Sportmob's

Top facts about Vodafone Park!

New era, new name

Two bombs exploded outside the stadium on December 10, 2016, killing at least 46 people (38 police officers and 8 civilians) and injuring 136 others. The first and larger explosion occurred around 7:30 p.m., following Beşiktaş's 2–1 victory against

in the Turkish Super League.

According to an official with knowledge of the incident, the timing of the bombing was designed to maximize casualties. The civilian death toll was smaller, though, because people had already departed the stadium after the game.

Following the blasts, witnesses reported hearing shootings. According to officials, the initial explosion was triggered by a passing vehicle that exploded in an area where police special forces were stationed near the stadium exit.

The objective appeared to be a riot police bus. According to Turkish officials, a person who was stopped by police in neighboring Maçka Park committed himself seconds later by detonating explosives.

On May 26, 2017, Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, revealed that he had directed his minister of sports to remove the word "arena" from all stadiums around the country due to his personal objections to the name, equating it with its original Roman meaning.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said the word would be removed the next day. A week later, Beşiktaş announced that the Vodafone Arena would be renamed, Vodafone Park.

When French referee Stéphanie Frappart took command of the UEFA Super Cup match between

and Chelsea FC on 14 August 2019, Vodafone Park witnessed the first female referee in a major European men's football final match.

Nicole Petignat became the first female referee in a UEFA-organized men's football match in August 2003, when she officiated in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup between AIK Fotboll (SWE) and Fylkir (ISL).

The Stadium's design

The architecture firm DB Architects created Vodafone Park. The project's architect of record was Bünyamin Derman. The stadium satisfies UEFA Category 4 criteria, the most stringent in the stadium infrastructure classification set by

regulations.

Three design criteria required by the authority and nature of the construction site distinguish Vodafone Park from current stadiums. "The architecture of the stadium portrays the history, heritage, and prosperity" as a result of these design goals.

Because of the vicinity to the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, the Dolmabahçe Mosque, and, of course, the Bosphorus, the Turkish High Council of Monuments wanted a more historic look that would fit the surrounding historical area.

The majority of the suggested architectural concepts for the new stadium were contemporary constructions with gleaming external surfaces composed of metal, glass, or composite materials. To achieve the first design goal, the high council proposed and adopted colosseum architecture. Colosseum architecture was employed at stadiums such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Busch Memorial Stadium in the past, but largely decades ago.

The height of the stands at modern stadiums is generally the same. Because the Vodafone Park construction site is tight and flanked by roadways, the height of the stands decreases notably at the corners and widens at the borders.

 The fluctuating elevation provides a large waveform-shaped pattern in the stands, giving it a traditional appearance. The east stand is lower in height, which is another architectural goal imposed by the High Council in order to preserve the silhouette of the Bosphorus.

The bulk of modern football stadiums is square, rectangular with rounded corners or circular in shape. Tartan tracks can be found in some historic stadiums, particularly

. Because of the tartan tracks, these stadiums have circular shapes, similar to the traditional nönü stadium.

Vodafone Park has an elliptical shape to be consistent with the former architecture designed in 1939 and the two remaining historical towers of the ancient Inönü stadium, albeit there is no tartan track inside the stadium. By extending the main arc between the two original towers throughout the construction, the design repeats the same idea of complete symmetry achieved in 1939.

The Vodafone Park is nature friendly

The new stadium project sought to have a low environmental impact by utilizing cutting-edge sustainable technologies. The stadium was built to reduce energy consumption from nonrenewable energy sources by decreasing waste and maximizing available resources.

Vodafone Park's Green Building concept provides ecologically friendly and resource-efficient methods at every level of construction, from site selection and design through construction utilizing Green Building certified construction materials, in order to have the least possible environmental impact.

The stadium will generate electricity by capturing solar radiation with photovoltaic panels capable of providing 500 kVA per year. This equates to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 100 ordinary houses and a CO2 savings of approximately 250 tonnes. Rainwater will be collected in cisterns at the stadium and stored for later use in watering the pitch and other reasons.

All concrete and metal parts from the demolished BJK Inönü Stadium were separated and utilized; other elements were classified and recycled, resold, or reused. With a seating capacity of 7,962, the eastern-side stand was known as Eski Açk (Old Tribune). Two towers stand on the left and right sides of the Eski Açk stands, with an iron gate in the midst of the two towers. During the construction of the new stadium, the towers and gate were conserved as a historical landmark.

On August 21, 2013, Beşiktaş struck a $145 million contract with Vodafone. The agreement includes jersey sponsorship for three years, advertising, and stadium technological infrastructure investment rights for ten years.

 Vodafone Park location

Vodafone Park's height was limited to 32 meters due to the neighboring proximity of Dolmabahçe Palace and Dolmabahçe Mosque. The Dolmabahçe Clock Tower could be seen from two distinct stands in the former nönü Stadium, namely the Kapal and Yeni Açk stands.

On matchdays, TV broadcast cameras would frequently focus on the tower, providing viewers with a distinctive image. The Dolmabahçe Mosque, like the clock tower, was visible from two stands.

Supporters and visitors have traditionally approached the stadium from the Beşiktaş area via the old Dolmabahçe Street, known in Turkish as "Aaçl Yol" (the Wooded Road). This ceremony from the nönü Stadium days is performed on match days and has inspired various songs and chants created in the past.

Sultan Abdulmecid (1839–1861), the 31st Ottoman Sultan, erected Dolmabahçe Palace. The palace, whose construction began on June 13, 1843, was completed on June 7, 1856, with the completion of the encircling walls. The palace is divided into three sections: the Imperial Mabeyn (State Apartments), the Muayede Salon (Ceremonial Hall), and the Imperial Harem.

The Imperial Mabeyn was designated for state administrative affairs, the Imperial Harem for the sultan's and his family's private lives, and the Muayede Salon, located between these two sections, was designated for exchanging "Bayram" greetings between the sultan and dignitary statesmen, as well as use for some important state ceremonies. The main building has three stories (including the basement) on the seaside and four floors on the inland side, which includes the Harem quarters and the musandra (garret) floor.

The Dolmabahçe Clock Tower is a clock tower located outside of the Dolmabahçe Palace. The tower was built between 1890 and 1895 by the famed Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan on the orders of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842–1918).

The four-sided, four-story tower, designed in Ottoman neo-baroque style, stands 27 meters tall. Its clock was made by the famed French clockmaker house of Jean-Paul Garnier and mounted by Johann Mayer, the palace clock master. The original mechanical clock was partially converted to an electric clock in 1979. The tughra of Sultan Abdul Hamid II may be seen on two opposite sides of the tower.

Dolmabahçe Mosque is located on the seaside, south of Dolmabahçe Palace. It was initially commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid's mother, Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan. Sultan Abdülmecid resumed it after she died.

Garabet Balyan designed the mosque, which was finished in 1855. Dolmabahçe Mosque is one of the ornate mosques built in the Baroque style. Because the mosque is close to the palace, a two-story Sultan maksoorah was built on the front part to accommodate the Sultan and statesmen's prayers as well as public processions and meetings.

With its peacock-tail shape, the circular window design, which is rarely seen in Turkish mosque construction, gives the building a unique appeal. There are two minarets and a single balcony in the mosque. The interior is decorated in a combination of baroque and ampere themes. A priceless chandelier hangs from the dome.

Vodafone Park Transportation

Located in the center of Istanbul's business district, Vodafone Park is a 5-minute walk from Taksim Square, a bustling transportation hub that serves the entire city. It is served by a number of bus routes, as well as the Taksim metro rail station, the Kabataş tram station, and the Taksim-Kabaţan funicular.

For guests arriving from the Anatolian side of the city, scheduled water transport options are also available. Steamships run services to and from the Beşiktaş and Kabataş ferry wharves, with the Kabataş wharf also being served by sea buses. Thanks for reading Sportmob's

Top facts about Vodafone Park

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