Wankdorf Stadium[3] (German: Stadion Wankdorf)[4] is a football stadium in Bern, Switzerland. The second largest all-seater football stadium in Switzerland, it is the home ground of BSC Young Boys. It was also one of the venues for UEFA Euro 2008.
History
Exterior view, 2011
The present-day Stadion Wankdorf was built on the grounds of the former Wankdorf Stadium, which hosted the 1954 FIFA World Cup final (The Miracle of Bern), and was then demolished in 2001. The new stadium has a capacity of 32,000 spectators, all seated. Integrated into the roof are solar panels with a yearly production of 1,200,000 kWh. The stadium was officially opened on 30 July 2005, although the first match in the new stadium had already taken place on 16 July 2005. Young Boys played against Olympique de Marseille and lost 2–3 with 14,000 spectators watching. The match was considered an "infrastructure test", which is why no more than 14,000 tickets were sold.
Fifteen years after the new stadium opened in 2005 (back then called Stade de Suisse), it was renamed Stadion Wankdorf in June 2020, in an effort to return to the stadium's roots.[4][6]
The Wankdorf Stadium before a Champions League Play Off Match in 2019The Wankdorf Stadium before a Champions League Match (2021)
Bon Jovi performed at the stadium on 31 May 2006 during their Have a Nice Day Tour, in front of a sold-out crowd of 38,762 people. The band performed at the stadium for the second time on 30 June 2013 during their Because We Can, in front of a sold-out crowd of 28,868 people.
Depeche Mode performed at the stadium on 7 June 2013 during their The Delta Machine Tour, in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,241 people.
On 15 July 2017, Celine Dion brought her Celine Dion Live 2017 tour to the stadium. She performed her sold-out show to 23,143 people, with a mixed set list of English and French.
A peculiar feature of the Wankdorf Stadium is the presence of a single, red seat (the other seats are black and yellow). This was the first seat installed at the stadium, on 20 January 2005, and the honour of unveiling it was given to former Young Boys player and manager Walter Eich. There are no tickets available for this seat; every game the seat is occupied by a notable personality, often with ties to Young Boys.[citation needed]
Ice hockey attendance record
Ice hockey at the Wankdorf
The Wankdorf Stadium with its artificial turf surface was an ideal candidate to provide Europe its first "new era" outdoor attendance record for ice hockey.[7]On 14 January 2007, the massive local rivalry of SC Bern and SC Langnau managed to fill the Stade de Suisse with 30,076 fans, an event which was sold out within 53 hours of tickets going on sale. These two rivals regularly fill SC Bern's home venue Bern Arena with over 17,000 spectators.
Matches
UEFA Euro 2008
The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2008. The Netherlands played all three games at the stadium during the tournament: