Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...

in Enugu,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. It is currently used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

matches and is the home stadium of

Enugu Rangers Rangers International Football Club, commonly known as Enugu Rangers, is a Nigerian professional association football team. They are based in Enugu and play their home games at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. Enugu Rangers are one of the three olde ...

. The stadium has a capacity of 22,000 and it was named after the first president of the Republic of Nigeria,

Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), usually referred to as "Zik", was a Nigerian statesman and political leader who served as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. Considered a driving force behind the ...

History

Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium used to belong to the

Nigerian Railway Corporation Nigerian Railway Corporation (commonly abbreviated as NRC) is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria. History and legislative background The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year ...

(NRC). Until then it was the most flamboyant playing facility in Enugu. As far back as 1959, the facility was the sports ground of the corporation, the Eastern District. This is not surprising as the corporation was in the forefront of the promotion of sports during and even after the colonial era. As time went on, apparently because of its strategic location right at the heart of Enugu, the defunct Eastern Nigeria Government took over the management of the venue and raised its profile. The stadium continued to serve as the rallying point for sportsmen and women residents in the eastern region, until the outbreak of the Nigeria/Biafra civil war. It was refurbished after the civil war with hostel facilities to accommodate athletes. It also housed the state's sports council. Rangers International of Enugu were also founded at the time and made the stadium their home base. The image of Rangers loomed large in the 1970s, particularly because of the impressive results they posted shortly after forming. There was, thereafter, clamour to rebuild the facility. This led to teamed efforts by the then old Anambra State Government in partnership with the private sector to raise funds for the rebuilding of the stadium, which was inaugurated in 1986. Thirteen years after, the stadium was refurbished again to pave way for the staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Nigeria 1999. It staged important matches including Nigeria's loss to Mali in the quarter-finals. The stadium, which previously had natural grass, now has an artificial turf and a new videomatrix scoreboard. These, and other refurbishing works, were designed to give the stadium a more modern and technologically driven edifice because it was one of the hosting stadiums of FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009.. It hosted matches in Group D, which comprised Turkey, Costa Rica, Burkina Faso and New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009.

Notable football tournaments

1999 FIFA World Youth Championship

2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup

References

FIFA.com
/ref> Multi-purpose stadiums in Nigeria Enugu Buildings and structures in Enugu State Football venues in Nigeria Rangers International F.C. {{Nigeria-sports-venue-stub