AEL FC Arena is a football stadium in
Larissa
Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...
,
Greece, with a current seating capacity of 16,118. Since its completion in 2010 and for 8 seasons, it has been the home ground of
AΕL. Owner of the ground is Gipedo Larissa A.E.
The stadium was developed in a total of 144,000 square meters in the Mezourlo Hill, district of Neapolis,
Larissa
Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...
. Construction of the stadium started in September 2009 and was completed in November 2010. According to
UEFA stadium categories, AEL FC Arena is rated as category three of four, (renamed from elite) in ascending ranking order.
The
seating capacity is 16,118 all covered, with the possibility to expand to 18,000. It also includes 38
VIP boxes, for 12 spectators each. The stadium complex, called Crimson Park, includes parking lots for 1,104 vehicles, commercial spaces, a
movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
, and a 1,500-seat
open-air theater
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
, 12
tennis courts and lies near the
Neapolis Indoor Hall. The new sports venue is ideally located - regarding the urban location - with a fair accession in the transport system and has good accessibility from two main motorways and proximity to the city's center.
The stadium was inaugurated on 23 November, followed by a concert by
Filippos Pliatsikas (himself a fan of the team) and Dionysis Tsaknis.
History
The first football match at AEL FC Arena took place on December 5, 2010 in the framework of its 13th Super League game 2010–11, in the match between AEL FC and
PAOK FC, which ended with a score of 1–2. The first goal scored on the field came at 11' by PAOK's Chilean footballer,
Pablo Contreras.
Gallery
File:AEL Arena.jpg, AEL FC Arena
File:AELFCARENA.jpeg, Aerial view
File:AEL FC Arena Inside View.jpg, Inside view
File:AEL FC Arena Main Building.jpg, External view
File:AEL FC ARENA.jpg, The stadium under heavy fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
References
External links
AEL FC Arena at AEL's official websiteAEL FC Arena project page
Football venues in Greece
Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C.
Buildings and structures in Larissa
{{Greece-sports-venue-stub