Football stadiums aren't in short supply. If we look worldwide, every large town in every top footballing nation has somewhere for the cream of its players to perform in front of adoring (let's say) fans. A place where inhabitants of the town can go and pay to watch players perform and in some cases, people from other areas can travel to see football. This can explain why a town such as Villareal in Spain, with a population of just 50,000, can justify having a stadium that could fit half that number. Does half the town go to games? Most certainly not. People travel to see the side.
A team that has taken that idea and run with it is TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Based in a village of three thousand, they now have a stadium that fits ten times that amount to witness their remarkable climb to the summit of the German Bundesliga. A beautiful example of modern architecture that is more than just functional. The stadium is large but not overbearing, surely inspirational and a source of pride in the region. A look and feel on the inside in keeping with modern traditions whilst looking to the future with its subtle but unmistakeably German lighting on the outside.
In some areas, however, it could be said that locals could fill a stadium many times over. This is why Club Deportivo Guadalajara - or "Chivas" - of Mexico will be shortly moving to a new modern purpose built stadium which is bizarrely based on a volcano topped with a huge cloud of dust. This will surely become an enormous place of interest (students, book your gap year now) but primarily the stadium will be able to fit up to 55,000 people. It's the kind of design that runs the risk of becoming an eyesore but the ambition can only be commended. We wait to see how it will turn out.
Even when popular demand for football isn't as large, there can be a need. As long as the funding and justification for a stadium is present then purpose-built stadia can arise. In Sweden we see a modern, simplistic and classy approach being taken with the new home of IFK Göteborg (as well as GAIS Göteborg and Örgryte IS) emerging in time for Sweden's hosting of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. It may only contain less than 7,000 people at any one time but it was required.
Much larger, but still built for necessity notwithstanding proximate stimulus, is the new Bucharest national stadium. A design created apparently with inspiration from the Far East via Frankfurt's current home, it's incredibly modern and somewhere for Romanians to cheer on their national side with pride whilst also impressing visiting national teams and international club sides in European finals. The fact that the modestly supported FC Dinamo Bucureşti are likely to take up tenancy and leave much of the ground empty is almost a side issue. And if it works for Queen's Park in Hampden Park...
So we have several examples of new and exciting stadia. This is certainly something to be in favour of. A new stadium well-financed almost invariably boosts a local economy and the short-term fortunes of related football clubs and associations. Arsenal fans arriving at the impressive Emirates Stadium for the first time may have been still teary-eyed with Highbury in mind, and may have been disconcerted to find themselves sitting next to rugby-following investment bankers, but there is no denying that the success of the Ashburton Grove project has helped turn the club into a sustainable major player in the football world. Hence why their rivals Tottenham Hotspur are so eager to follow their lead with their new home.
In these times of financial uncertainty what price the beautiful projected new stadium for Liverpool FC in Stanley Park? Merseyside has been hit by severe economic pressures for as long as many can remember and things are due to get worse. If a training stadium for South Africa 2010 can generate 2,200 new jobs and 30,000 will be created by the redevelopment of part of east London for the London 2012 Olympics then a replacement for Anfield (and also one for Everton's Goodison Park) could be a fillip in the nick of time and recent examples whet the appetite.
But every stadium built needs money. Can a team fill a stadium? It's difficult to project attendances when we know people will be losing jobs and disposable income will be eroded so banks will be reluctant to provide funding. It may be time to welcome any investment from any corner of the globe. Dubai International Capital, we await your next move.
