Napoli can win their first Serie A title in 33 years at the Dacia Arena on Thursday: here’s all you need to know about the Udinese stadium.
Udinese’s new stadium is the second club-owned facility in Italy after Juventus‘. It was the first with stadium naming rights in Italy and the first stadium in Europe to be sponsored by a car manufacturer brand.
Refurbishment works of the old Stadio Friuli, where Udinese made history in the last decade, even qualifying for the Champions League play-offs in 2011 under Francesco Guidolin, started in 2014 and the first game at the Dacia Arena was played on January 17 2016, against Juventus.
Environmental considerations were behind the decision to use the existing site for the construction of the new facility and to recycle material from the demolition. It was thus possible to use the parking area and part of the existing structure while building a complex new structure on the same land as the old stadium.
The Dacia Arena includes many innovative features. The size of the 25,000-seat arena was carefully thought-out to offer an impressive visual impact and make it fit for hosting international competitions.
With sustainability in mind, President Gianpaolo Pozzo decided to build a facility that is not only for sport but also capable of attracting people seven days a week, including meeting centres, offices, bars, gyms and shops. Currently, the sports facilities, Club headquarters, external offices and meeting centres have all been completed. Work is soon to begin on completing the commercial area, which will provide a range of indoor and outdoor services for families focusing on leisure, health, well-being, sport and entertainment.
Probable Serie A line-ups: Udinese-Napoli