BayArena

About

BayArena (German pronunciation: [ˈbaɪʔaˌʁeːnaː]) is a football stadium in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen since 1958.

History: The stadium was originally known as Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion (pronounced [ˌʔʊlʁɪçˈhaːbɐlantˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn]; English: Ulrich Haberland Stadium), named after a former chairman of Bayer AG, the club's founders. Its original capacity was 20,000. In 1986, a rebuilding project began to convert it into a modern facility; the project continued over the following decade and was completed in 1997, creating a modern all-seater stadium with a capacity of 22,500. The stadium was renamed BayArena in 1998. The former name was then used for the youth team stadium next to it. In 1999, a hotel attached to the stadium was completed, with some rooms having a view of the pitch. The stadium complex also includes a restaurant, which also overlooks the pitch, and conference facilities. The city of Leverkusen originally bid to become a venue for the 2006 World Cup, with an expanded Bay Arena as the site. However, the city, Bayer Leverkusen, and the German organizing committee soon agreed that expanding...