Explore the fascinating history of the sport through the lens of iconic stadiums that were eventually demolished and others that were demolished to make way for modern stadiums. These ten legendary arenas, once the heart of important events and unforgettable memories, now live in the annals of sports history.
In this article, we go back to the time when these stadiums were alive and we will see the comparisons with yesterday and today.
1 Stadion Dziesięciolecia (71,008)
Stadion Dziesięciolecia opened in 1955, was for decades the largest stadium in Warsaw, and one of the largest in Poland. The stadium was demolished in 2008 to prepare for the construction of the new National Stadium which housed 55,000 spectators.
The Stadion Dziesięciolecia was demolished in 2008 to prepare for the construction of the new National Stadium which housed 55,000 spectators.
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2 San Diego Stadium (70,561)
San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997.
On September 15, 2020, San Diego State University announced that the stadium would be demolished in early 2021. The stadium was taken down in pieces starting in December 2020 rather than being imploded due to the California environmental law.
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3 Stadio Delle Alpi (69,000)
The Stadio delle Alpi was a football and athletics stadium in Turin, Italy, and was the home of both Juventus Football Club and Torino Football Club between 1990 and 2006.
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 a new stadium began during spring 2009 and it was opened on 8 September 2011.
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4 Wembley Stadium (82,000)
Wembley Stadium was a football stadium in Wembley, London, best known for hosting important football matches.
The old ground closed in October 2000 and demolition started in 2002, with the twin towers being dismantled in December. Redevelopment started in 2003.
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5 Giants Stadium (80,242)
Giants Stadium was a located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The stadium’s maximum seating capacity was 80,242.
Giants Stadium was the first major league sporting venue in New Jersey (though the Brooklyn Dodgers had played seven home games at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City in 1956 and 1957), and its success, along with that of the Giants in the 1980s was a major impetus behind increased pride and enthusiasm among New Jersey residents.
The Giants Stadium was completely demolished in 2010.
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6 Miami Orange Bowl (74,476)
The Miami Orange Bowl was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, from 1937 until 2008. The stadium was located in the Little Havana neighborhood west of Downtown Miami.
The Orange Bowl was demolished in May 2008, and LoanDepot Park is now on the site. Despite some protests, the historic stadium had been earmarked for demolition when the University of Miami announced that they were moving out of the Orange Bowl after the 2007 season to begin play at Sun Life Stadium in 2008 in a 25-year deal.
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7 Arena Națională (60,120)
“The National Stadium” was a multi-purpose stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It was first known as Stadionul August 23, and later on as Stadionul Național. The sports complex that included Național Stadium, is named Lia Manoliu (1932–1998) after the famous Romanian athlete.
In October 2005, it was decided to rebuild the stadium completely; however, initially no funding was found, so some repairs proceeded in lieu of rebuilding. Later, funds became available and the rebuilding is expected to begin in November 2007. The plan calls for completion of a new five-star arena by April 2010. The last football match played was a 6–1 win against Albania on November 21, 2007. After the match, a few seats were removed from the stadium, as a symbolic start of the rebuilding operations. The stadium has subsequently been demolished to make room for a new one.
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8 Vicente Calderon Stadium (62,000)
The Vicente Calderón Stadium was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966. The stadium was originally called the Estadio Manzanares, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, in honour of their long-term President Vicente Calderón.
The iconic stadium was demolished in 2017 – Football fans of a certain era will always remember Atletico Madrid’s iconic Vicente Calderon, which was unique thanks to the motorway running underneath.
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9 Maine Road (35,150)
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City Football Club from 1923 to 2003.
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10 Boleyn Ground (35,016)
The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, East London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years of financial difficulty. The seating capacity of the ground at closure was 35,016.
