First game in the Aviva Stadium anounced

[Superhoops]

The Football Association of Ireland today (May 31) announced that agreement has been reached with the Argentine Football Association to bring the two time world champions to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

The Republic of Ireland senior team will play Argentina on August 11, 2010, an occasion that promises to generate an electric atmosphere and will mark the first international match at the new 50,000 seat stadium.

Aviva stadium is on schedule to open next year and will be a magnificent sporting venue. Already, the curved stands form a steep cauldron on Dublin’s skyline, eleven months before completion.

In recognition of Aviva stadium’s stature, it has been selected to host the 2011 UEFA Europa Cup final and will also host all six matches of the 4 Associations Tournament involving, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland the same year.

John Delaney, Chief Executive Officer of the Football Association of Ireland said: “I am very happy to have reached this agreement with Argentina, who will be fitting opponents to mark an opening international match of such significance. Aviva Stadium will be joint owned by the FAI and the IRFU and represents the single largest infrastructural project in the Association’s history. I look forward to welcoming Argentina to Dublin next year to help us celebrate that achievement.”

[tetsujin1979]

Excellent news, Argentina were my pick for the first opposition, along with Spain, so I'm delighted to hear this.

[Crosby87]

Whats the UEFA Europa Cup? Any chance they will ever host the Champions League final? That would be fun. Supposedly Maradona cant wait to get there and sample the Hotels fire alarms.

[peadar1987]

Whats the UEFA Europa Cup? Any chance they will ever host the Champions League final? That would be fun. Supposedly Maradona cant wait to get there and sample the Hotels fire alarms.

The new name for the UEFA Cup.

I doubt they will ever hold the CL final there, 50 000 isn't really big enough, and we're probably too much on the fringe of Europe to be considered (although that said they held it in Hampden a few years back.)

[CarrickFan]

Athens or Istanbul are hardly central Europe either!!!!...think the capacity is the only thing to stop us hosting a CL Final...Argentina is a great fixture to open with especially if they bring a full squad!!..with the price of tickets in the new ground the needed to get a big draw!!!

[stojkovic]

It will not be a UEFA Grade A stadium so it will NEVER host a CL Final. Think there are only 8 to 10 Grade A stadia.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Believe Croke is a 'Grade A' stadium, and one of the few, to get on a first visit!!


Otherwise, Good news re.Argentina.


Hopefully we can get the chance to thank Diego for his marvellous gesture, all those years ago......

[CarrickFan]

If Croke Park is a Grade A there has to be way more than 8 to 10!!..Croke Park only has 3 sides!!!..was never in it until the Internationals started being played there..not overly impressed with it..cant wait to get back to Lansdowne...was much more impressed with Stade De France,Nou Camp amongst others.

[holidaysong]

It should be the UEFA Europa League, not the Europa Cup... Can the FAI not even get that right? :confused:

[stojkovic]

UEFA Stadium Ranking

5-Star Stadiums
Camp Nou, Barcelona
San Siro, Milan
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Old Trafford, Manchester
Olympiastadion, Munich
Ibrox Park, Glasgow
de Kuip, Rotterdam
Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna
Stade de France, Paris
Delle Alpi, Turin
Luzhniki, Moscow
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Arena auf Schalke, Gelsenkirchen
Estadio Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon
Estadio do Dragao, Porto
Estadio Jose de Alvalade, Lisbon
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Stadio Olimpico, Sevilla
Ataturk Olympia Stadi, Istanbul
AOL Arena, Hamburg
Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid
Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic, Barcelona
Olympiastadion, Berlin

4-Star Stadiums
Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian
Anfield Road, Liverpool
Parken, Copenhagen
Gottlieb Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart
Rasunda Stadion, Stockholm
Koning Boudewijn Stadion, Brussels
Stadio San Nicola, Bari
Spyros Louis, Athens
Villa Park, Birmingham
Philips Stadion, Eindhoven
Parc des Princes, Paris
Nya Ullevi Stadion, Goteborg

[stojkovic]

That first list doesnt have the Bernabeu on it but this one does !


http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/elite-stadia-in-europe_2009.gif

[CarrickFan]

as i thought a lot more than 8!..nice one stojkovic!...the majority better than Croke Park IMO.

[stojkovic]

Yeah I didnt realise that Madrid, Barcelona, Glasgow and Lisbon would each have TWO stadia on the list. Cant imagine the 'second' stadium in each case ever being used for a CL Final though.

[Crosby87]

Luzhniki stadium seems to be a closer to China than central Europe. How is Moscow in Europe? I never understood that.

[NeilMcD]

what a stupid comment. Alaska is closer to Russia than it is to New York but its still in America. Its in Europe cause its in Europe. Borders have to end sometime

[Colbert Report]

Luzhniki stadium seems to be a closer to China than central Europe. How is Moscow in Europe? I never understood that.

Surely you're joking?

[newrynyuk]

Luzhniki stadium seems to be a closer to China than central Europe. How is Moscow in Europe? I never understood that.

You'll be asking why Israel is in Europe next!

[paul_oshea]

and it shouldn't be!

[Crosby87]

Yes I was joking.
But, moscow wasnt always considered Europe. For example if you are from Western Russia, and you live in Asia, but play football for Russia, you play in UEFA despite not being from Europe was more my point. They could play in Asia just as easily as Europe.

[as_i_say]

Not to mention the Turks-a shower of w@nkers imo. They should be playing with Iraq and not have the opportunity to repeat their dispicable antics of 2000 against us. And I'm not bitter at all.

[SkStu]

Yes I was joking.
But, moscow wasnt always considered Europe. For example if you are from Western Russia, and you live in Asia, but play football for Russia, you play in UEFA despite not being from Europe was more my point. They could play in Asia just as easily as Europe.

Im not sure you were joking but anyway, if your from western Russia then politically you are from Europe. Political borders determine where a country is more so than geography. Hence Alaska is a US State and not a province of Canada. Whether your from St. Petersburg or Magadan youre from Russia.

Tomorrows lesson will be on maths.

[Scram]

I'm hoping this "Aviva" nonsense doesn't catch on and we still call it Lansdowne

[Dodge]

I'm hoping this "Aviva" nonsense doesn't catch on and we still call it Lansdowne

Why you so attached to the road the ground was on?

Oh and the UEFA 5 star grounds thingy is gone. UEFA now rank grounds Category 1, 2, 3 or Elite

Wiki gives you the basic of an "Elite" stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Stadia_List

UEFA.com gives the details

http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/551788.pdf

[Scram]

Why you so attached to the road the ground was on?

Oh and the UEFA 5 star grounds thingy is gone. UEFA now rank grounds Category 1, 2, 3 or Elite

Wiki gives you the basic of an "Elite" stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Stadia_List

UEFA.com gives the details

http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/551788.pdf

I'm not, just opposed to people acting like sheep and calling something by the sponsor's name. I like the link with past stories, glories and failures!

[Dodge]

35 years of history? (and yeah I know we played there earlier but its really only 35 years as a regular ground)

Nothing sheeplike at all in calling a ground by its name.

[jbyrne]

..with the price of tickets in the new ground the needed to get a big draw!!!

arent ticket prices frozen for the next few years?

[DeLorean]

35 years of history? (and yeah I know we played there earlier but its really only 35 years as a regular ground)

Nothing sheeplike at all in calling a ground by its name.

Exactly what I was thinking. Think people get too hung up on sentiments and in Lansdownes case there's not that much to be sentimental about. It was a rubbish stadium anyway and the less links we have to it the better in my opinion. Some good times obviously but if we played our home games in a caravan park for 35 yrs I'm sure we'd have some fond memories from there too. Aviva is fine by me.

[passinginterest]

Exactly what I was thinking. Think people get too hung up on sentiments and in Lansdownes case there's not that much to be sentimental about. It was a rubbish stadium anyway and the less links we have to it the better in my opinion. Some good times obviously but if we played our home games in a caravan park for 35 yrs I'm sure we'd have some fond memories from there too. Aviva is fine by me.

In other words "viva l'Aviva"!

[Docboy]

I'd be more opposed to the idea of naming grounds after large face-less corporations, not for me. I'm sure that those evil capitalists would love it if they could spread their message at every juncture. It'll remain Lansdowne to me but to each their own.

[Dodge]

I'd be more opposed to the idea of naming grounds after large face-less corporations, not for me. I'm sure that those evil capitalists would love it if they could spread their message at every juncture. It'll remain Lansdowne to me but to each their own.

As opposed to what Lansdowne Road was named after?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess_of_Lansdowne

[amaccann]

I suppose it depends on which of the two is the lesser case of prostitution. Naming something after a person seems more innocuous than the naming after a company. For better or worse, Landsdowne has a historical link with this country (judging by that provided link & hell, every facet of our modern nation is defined by those times, not least the language we're debating in), so I have no problem with the roots of the old stadium's name. "Aviva" on the other hand means nothing.

[Scram]

As opposed to what Lansdowne Road was named after?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess_of_Lansdowne

Subsidiary titles: Earl of Kerry (created 1723 in the Peerage of Ireland); :eek:

Aviva it is so!!

Any association with Kerry should be erased from memory.