Stadio delle Alpi

Lore & Background

Designed by architect Studio Hutter, the Stadio delle Alpi was originally built in 1990 to host matches for the 1990 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for the aging Stadio Olimpico, then known as the Stadio Comunale. The stadium's original capacity was 69,041 fans. However, due to FIFA rules regarding the segregation of home and away supporters, the actual capacity was reduced to 67,229. Construction began in June 1988, and due to the use of prefabricated concrete, was complete within two years. The Delle Alpi was built by the council of Turin, with both of the city's football clubs using it as their home ground following the closure of the Stadio Olimpico. It was originally intended to be used for not only football but also athletics. Therefore, an athletics track was constructed around the outside of the pitch. However, due to the lack of a warm-up track, the stadium was never used for a major athletics event. The stadium was inaugurated on 31 May 1990 when a joint Juventus–Torino team defeated Porto 4–3. Due to escalating rental costs, disputes arose between the clubs and the city council. In 1994, the Juventus board investigated building a new stadium, which would be owned by the club. The UEFA Cup semi-final and final matches in 1994–95 were moved by Juventus to the San Siro in Milan, attracting an audience of 85,000. The Stadio Delle Alpi was very rarely sold out in its history. Finally, in June 2002, Juventus purchased the Delle Alpi from the Turin city council for a fee of around €25 million. Torino was banned from playing any Serie A matches inside the stadium from 9 March 2003 until 30 June 2003 due to the violence that occurred on 22 February 2003 inside the stadium clash against Milan.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the vast concrete roof as the final whistle blew on another Serie A title race. Alessandro Del Piero stood near the center circle, looking up at the towering tiers where the Curva Nord and South were severed from him by an endless strip of red clay running track. He could see the faces of his teammates, but the connection to the fans felt fractured—a physical gulf between the heroics on the grass and the adoration in the stands. As the players walked off, the stadium echoed with a strange, hollow reverberation, a sonic reminder that while this place held history, it had lost its soul; it was time for something new to rise from these cold ashes.

Reader's Guide

The stadium attendance record was 63,583 set during a UEFA Champions League semi-final (second leg) between Juventus and Real Madrid on 14 May 2003. During the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the stadium hosted (among others) a second round match between Argentina and Brazil, as well as a semi-final between West Germany and England. Both matches attracted around 60,000 fans. The Delle Alpi's design was widely criticised due to the poor visibility. This was caused mainly by the distance between the stands and the pitch due to the athletics running track. Views from the lower tier were also restricted due to the positioning of advertising hoardings. The stadium's location on the outskirts of town never found favour with fans, and the stadium design left spectators exposed to the elements. These factors contributed to attendances significantly below its capacity; in the 2005–06 season, for example, Juventus' average attendance was 35,880. In the Coppa Italia home match against Sampdoria in the 2001–02 season, only 237 spectators showed up. The stadium was one of the venues of the 1990 World Cup, hosting five matches. The first four involved Brazil; All their Group C matches (a 2–1 win over Sweden on 10 June, a 1–0 win over Costa Rica on 16 June and a 1–0 win over Scotland on 20 June) and their round of 16 match against Argentina on 24 June, a 1–0 defeat. The fifth match was the semi-final between West Germany and England on 4 July, with the match ending 1–1 but West Germany winning 4–3 on penalties. The Stadio Delle Alpi was demolished, with plans for a 41,475-seater venue and a number of restaurants and other facilities outside the ground. The new grounds of the stadium covers around 50,000 square metres. The demolition was completed in February 2009. Work on the replacement, Juventus Stadium, began during spring 2009 and it was opened on 8 September 2011, at the start of the 2011–12 season. No longer required to incorporate a running track as in the Stadio Delle Alpi, the new stadium's stands are covered by a roof and are much closer to the pitch action. A new Juventus training centre was also built next to the stadium, together with a set of buildings for a gymnasium, a restaurant and a hotel.

Did You Know?

• The stadium's name means 'Stadium of the Alps' in English.
• It was built in just two years using prefabricated concrete.
• The attendance record was 67,229 for Juventus vs. Real Madrid on May 14, 2003.
• Only 237 spectators attended a Coppa Italia match there in 2001–02.