Euro 2012 on the Horizon with the Opening of New Arena in Poland
August 16, 2011
The preparations for UEFA Euro 2012 are progressing with the official opening of Gdansk’s PGE Arena in Poland.
The 40,000-seat stadium, which will host three group games and a quarter-final at the Championships, hosted its first match on Sunday as Polish First Division teams KS Lechia Gdańsk and MKS Cracovia Kraków played out a 1-1 draw.
Pawe Adamowicz, the city’s Mayor, said: “Today, we are taking football in Gdansk to a new level.”
This stadium came into being thanks to all the citizens of Gdansk, they can all feel like co-owners because they all funded this construction. I would also like to thank the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, for the Polish government’s financial support.”
The $315 million PGE Arena has been designed to reflect Gdansk’s status as the world’s amber capital, with its curved exterior consisting of 18,000 plates designed to resemble the material. It is also has the first naming rights deal in Polish football and aims to become a true multi-purpose venue for years to come.
“Our dream is that this stadium will be sold out every match,” added Adamowicz. “I believe that today we are witnessing the birth of a new tradition of people spending time not by going to shopping centres but by coming to stadiums with their whole family.”
