BJK İnönü Stadium
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İnönü Stadium ( tr, İnönü Stadyumu) was a
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 ...
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club
Beşiktaş J.K. Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü (), also known simply as Beşiktaş (), is a Turkish sports club founded in 1903 that is based in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul. The club's football team is one of the Big Three in Turkey and one of the most ...
Previously, the ground had also been shared with
Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
and Fenerbahçe S.K. The ground was located in Dolmabahçe, close to Dolmabahçe Palace in the district of
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
, on the European side of Istanbul. The stadium was demolished except for the walls of the ''Eski Açık'' stand and its historical towers in order to build a new stadium for
Beşiktaş J.K. Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü (), also known simply as Beşiktaş (), is a Turkish sports club founded in 1903 that is based in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul. The club's football team is one of the Big Three in Turkey and one of the most ...
at the same location - Vodafone Park. The all-seater stadium had the capacity to host 32,145 spectators.https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/StatDoc/competitions/-Publications/01/67/58/96/1675896_DOWNLOAD.pdf


Structure

The BJK İnönü Stadyumu had four stands. The ''Kapalı'' stand which was parallel to the pitch at the north side could hold up to 5,881 supporters. It was regarded as the heart of the stadium, traditionally housing the most fanatical supporters. Facing the ''Kapalı'' was the ''Numaralı'' with a seating capacity of 5,237. The stands behind the goal areas were ''Eski Açık'' with a seating capacity of 7,962, and ''Yeni Açık'' with a seating capacity of 13,065. There were two towers on the left and right side of the ''Eski Açık'' stands that have been incorporated into the design of Vodafone Park, the current home of Beşiktaş. Before the stadium became an all-seater, the ground's capacity was over 39,000. The
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
, Dolmabahçe Palace, Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, Dolmabahçe Mosque, and Maiden's Tower were all viewable from the top rows of the ''Yeni Açık'' stand of the stadium, which made it the only stadium in the world from which a football fan could view two continents: Europe and Asia, which are separated by the Bosphorus strait.


History

BJK İnönü Stadium (originally named the Dolmabahçe Stadium) was designed by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi, who collaborated with Turkish architects Şinasi Şahingiray and Fazıl Aysu for the project. The ground of Dolmabahçe Palace's
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
was chosen as the location to build the stadium. The first foundation was laid on May 19, 1939, but construction work was halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The stadium was eventually inaugurated on May 19, 1947, by İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey and himself a Beşiktaş fan, and Lütfi Kırdar, the Governor of Istanbul. The initial capacity was 16,000. In the original project plan, there were two bronze statues of athlete figures at the ''Eski Açık'' stand: one throwing a discus, and the other throwing a javelin. However, the statues were never built due to financial concerns. The oil factory which was found behind the stadium was demolished to construct the ''Yeni Açık'' stand at the west part of the stadium in 1950 (hence the name ''Yeni Açık'', meaning the ''New Open'' stand - referring to the two covered stands ''Numaralı'' and ''Kapalı,'' and the other uncovered stand, ''Eski Açık''). ''Yeni Açık'' was eventually covered with a separate roof structure in 2004. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe shared the stadium with
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
for many years, until the construction of the
Ali Sami Yen Stadium Ali Sami Yen Stadium ( tr, Ali Sami Yen Stadyumu) was the home of the football club Galatasaray S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey, from 1964 to 2010. It is named after the founder of the club, Ali Sami Yen. The stadium had a capacity of 23,477 (all-seater) ...
in 1964, and the renovation of
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is th ...
in 1982. The first football match at the Dolmabahçe Stadium took place between Beşiktaş and
AIK Stockholm AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. T ...
of
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, on November 27, 1947. The first goal in the stadium was scored by
Süleyman Seba Süleyman Seba (; 5 April 1926 – 13 August 2014) was a Turkish football player of Abkhazian origin and was the longest presiding Chairman of the Istanbul based multisports club Beşiktaş J.K. He was also an intelligence officer for National I ...
, the most famous and longest-presiding Chairman of the club (in the 1980s and 1990s), when he was a player at Beşiktaş. Beşiktaş lost this match 3–2. In 1952, the stadium was renamed as ''Mithat Paşa Stadium'', and later in 1973, it was renamed as ''İnönü Stadium''. A leasing contract was signed between Beşiktaş JK and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in February 1998 which gave all usage rights of İnönü Stadium to Beşiktaş JK for 49 years. Renovation work took place at the stadium in 2004. The tartan track was removed within the scope of these renovations and the ground level was lowered by 4 meters to increase the capacity of the stadium to 32,145 spectators. The press seats were relocated to the ''Numaralı'' stand from the ''Kapalı'' stand. The executive suites that were found in the middle of the ''Kapalı'' stand were demolished and for the first time in Turkey, the wire fence between the stands and the pitch was removed for space. The number of gates was increased by 100%. A press center for Beşiktaş TV was built inside the stadium. Restrooms and lunch counters were also renovated. The ''Yeni Açık'' stand was covered with a metallic roof, and the stadium complied with UEFA standards. The stadium's location is near the
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
and is very close to Taksim Square. The stadium could be reached easily by many means of public transport (bus, ferry, metro, light-rail, funicular etc.) due to its central location. There were four different parts of the stadium: ''Kapalı'' was where the most hot-blooded fans were during the matches. ''Yeni Açık'' was on the western side, facing the Bosphorus. ''Eski Açık'' was the smaller stand opposite ''Yeni Açık'' where visiting supporters were typically seated. ''Numaralı'' is where press, VIP, and protocol seats were located. The 2012-2013 season was the last season of İnönü Stadium as Beşiktaş's home ground. The club played their 2013-14 and 2014-15 season home games mostly at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium and the
Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium The Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium ( tr, Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu) is a football stadium in the Başakşehir district of Istanbul, Turkey. The stadium is named in honour of Turkish footballer and manager Fatih Terim. Opened offici ...
. Their new ground, Vodafone Park, was completed in April 2016.


Records


Music

*İnönü Stadium was used for many major music concerts. The first concert to take place at the stadium was Bryan Adams on July 28, 1992. This marked the first stadium concert in Istanbul. * Michael Jackson performed during his '' Dangerous World Tour'' on September 23, 1993 in front of a crowd of 48,000. He also scheduled to perform at the stadium during his Dangerous World Tour on October 4, 1992, but was cancelled due to a vocal cord ailment. *
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
performed during her '' The Girlie Show World Tour'' on October 7, 1993 to an audience of 54,000 people. * Iron Maiden performed at the stadium on July 26, 2013 as part of their
Maiden England World Tour The Maiden England World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden, which began on 21 June 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina and ended on 5 July 2014 with a performance at the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, UK. The tour's setlist was largely ba ...
, marking the stadium's last concert before its demolition and reconstruction. *Other major events in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s included performances by:
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
, as part of the Use Your Illusion Tour;
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
as part of the
Nowhere Else to Roam The Nowhere Else to Roam was the concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica, which took place in 1993 in support of their fifth studio album '' Metallica'' (commonly known as the ''Black Album''). This tour was the third part of the ...
and
World Magnetic Tour The World Magnetic Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of the band's ninth studio album, ''Death Magnetic'', which was released on September 12, 2008. The tour officially kicked off in October 2 ...
;
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
as part of the I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour;
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
as part of The One Tour; Scorpions as part of the Face The Heat Tour;
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
as part of the Ten Summoner's Tales Tour;
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
as part of the A Spanner in the Works Tour; Tina Turner as part of the Wildest Dreams Tour and
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
as part of the Diamonds World Tour. The stadium also hosted the heavy metal Sonisphere Festival in 2010, featuring the "big four" of thrash metal:
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
, and
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
, in addition to
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
, Rammstein and Alice in Chains.


New Inönü Stadium project

Due to the unique location of the stadium and its legal status as a "historic monument" protected by the High Council of Monuments of Turkey, the renewal project had to be modified and postponed several times and all official requests, efforts, renewal attempts were denied until 2013. The administrative procedures were eventually completed, and all required permission was given to the club. Club president Fikret Orman announced that the new stadium, with a total capacity of 41,903 spectators, 143 luxury lodges, and one "1903 stand", will be constructed. Demolition works started on 2 June 2013, following the end of the promotion play-offs of the
TFF First League The TFF 1. Lig, officially known as Spor Toto 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization of the ...
. Construction works were completed in April 2016, and the estimated cost of the project was around $80 million. The project of the new stadium was designed by DB architects. The old stadium was demolished, except for the walls and two towers of the ''Eski Açık'' stand, since these structures are considered historic monuments.


See also

*
Beşiktaş J.K. Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü (), also known simply as Beşiktaş (), is a Turkish sports club founded in 1903 that is based in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul. The club's football team is one of the Big Three in Turkey and one of the most ...


References and notes


External links

*
Beşiktaş J.K. official website: Project of the new İnönü Stadium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjk Inonu Stadium Beşiktaş Football Sports venues in Istanbul Football venues in Turkey Bosphorus Süper Lig venues İsmet İnönü Sport in Beşiktaş Athletics (track and field) venues in Turkey Sports venues completed in 1947 Defunct association football venues in Turkey Sports venues demolished in 2013 Defunct sports venues in Turkey Demolished buildings and structures in Istanbul 1947 establishments in Turkey Beşiktaş J.K. facilities 2013 disestablishments in Turkey