Blue Water Arena

Blue Water Arena
Former names Esbjerg Idrætspark (and Esbjerg Stadion) (1955–2007)
Location Gl. Vardevej 62
6700 Esbjerg
Coordinates 55°28′55″N 8°26′22″E / 55.481985°N 8.43941°E / 55.481985; 8.43941
Owner Esbjerg Municipality
Operator Sport & Event Park Esbjerg
Capacity 16,942[1]
Record attendance 22,000 (Esbjerg fB vs. KB, 1961)
Field size 105 x 68 m
Surface Grass
Construction
Built 1955
Opened 1955
Renovated 1999, 2004, 2009
Construction cost 105,000,000 DKK[nb 1]
Architect Friis & Moltke[nb 1]
Structural engineer Grontmij Carl Bro[nb 1]
General contractor Davidsen Partnere[nb 1]
Tenants
Esbjerg fB (Danish Superliga) (1955–present)
European Youth Olympic Festival (1999)

Blue Water Arena (former Esbjerg Idrætspark and Esbjerg Stadion) is a football stadium located in Idrætsparken Gl. Vardevej, Esbjerg, Denmark and is the home ground of Esbjerg fB. It has a capacity of 18,000 of which 11,451 is seated. It is currently the second biggest stadium in Jutland, and the fourth biggest in Denmark.

In 1999, the stadium was venue of the football tournament at the European Youth Olympic Festival.

On account of the 2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack resulting in the forbidding of play of UEFA qualifier matches for Denmark within 250 km of Copenhagen, the Blue Water Arena was mentioned as the only possible venue within Denmark in which Denmark UEFA qualifier home games can be held as it is the biggest stadium in the country more than 250 km from Copenhagen. UEFA later changed the verdict, and on July 9 2007 the Danish Football Association announced that the games against Spain and Liechtenstein would be played in Århus and the games against Latvia and Iceland would be played in Copenhagen.

National games

Blue Water Arena has twice been used as home ground for the Danish national team. Further it has been venue of several youth national matches:[2]

Date Home team Res. Away team Competition Spectators
22 June 1952Denmark U-213–2Sweden U-21Friendly match6,600
10 October 1954Denmark B1–2Sweden BFriendly match15,467
19 May 1956Denmark U-191–2England U-19Friendly match5,000
5 November 1961Denmark U-210–0Poland U-21Friendly match5,800
21 June 1966Denmark1–3PortugalFriendly match14,500
26 May 1969Denmark U-210–3Switzerland U-21Friendly match4,500
14 November 1972Denmark U-230–2Poland U-231974 UEFA European Under-23 Football Championship qualifying1,100
4 September 1974Denmark U-212–2Belgium U-21Friendly match2,000
31 October 1979Denmark U-181–3England U-181980 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship qualifying?
13 April 1994Denmark U-174–1Austria U-17Friendly match?
13 July 1999Denmark U-163–2Rep. of Ireland U-161999 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival?
14 July 1999Denmark U-160–2Switzerland U-161999 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival?
15 July 1999Denmark U-162–1Iceland U-161999 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival?
14 November 2009Denmark0–0South KoreaFriendly match15,789
15 November 2011Denmark2–1FinlandFriendly match14,137

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 2009 renovation

References

See also

External links

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