AVIVA STADIUM

Dublin, Ireland

WSPE-530

Aviva Stadium is a sporting stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is also commonly known as Lansdowne Road while UEFA refers to it as the Dublin Arena.

The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team. The decision to redevelop the stadium came after plans for both Stadium Ireland and Eircom Park fell through. The Aviva Group signed a 10-year deal for the naming rights in 2009.

The stadium, located adjacent to Lansdowne Road railway station, officially opened on 14 May 2010. The stadium is Ireland's first, and only, UEFA Elite Stadium and in 2011, it will host the Europa League Final. It will also host the inaugural Nations Cup, as well as the regular home fixtures of the national rugby team and national football team from August 2010 onwards. Unlike its predecessor, which was solely owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the current stadium is owned jointly by the IRFU and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

The stadium has four tiers, with the lower and upper tiers being for general access, the second tier for premium tickets and the third tier for corporate boxes. The north stand, however, is single tiered due to its proximity to local housing. This stand is expected to be the away stand for soccer internationals. There are two basement levels and seven storeys of floors. The premium level holds 11,000 spectators, while the box level holds 1,300. The remaining 38,700 seats are shared between the top and bottom tiers. The capacity of the stadium was criticised even before its opening for being too small, particularly in light of the large supporter attendance figures for Irish rugby internationals and soccer internationals at Croke Park since 2007. The stadium's roof is designed to undulate in a wave-like manner so as to avoid blocking light to local residences.

Unused 4" x 6" continental size chrome.

World Stadiums Postcard Edition