Stadio Ennio Tardini

About

Stadio Ennio Tardini, commonly referred to as just Il Tardini, is a football stadium in Parma, Italy, located near the centre of Parma, between the town centre and the city walls. It is the home of Parma Calcio 1913. The stadium was built in 1923 and was named after one of Parma's former presidents, Ennio Tardini. The stadium is the nineteenth largest football stadium in Italy and the second largest in Emilia–Romagna with a capacity of 22,352 spectators. The stadium is the sixth oldest Italian football ground still in use. The ground underwent significant expansion under Parmalat's ownership of the resident football club in the 1990s, as the ground's seating capacity was increased from around 13,500 to 29,050. In 2006, the capacity was reduced to 27,906 although only 21,473 are authorised to enter for all-seater events and even those seats are very seldom all sold. The expansion has allowed meant a number of Italy matches have been played at the Tardini. Expansion plans were made public in Italy's unsuccessful bid for Euro 2016 and would have made the permanent capacity of the stadium 31,397.

The Tardini was the idea of Ennio Tardini, who was a graduate in Law and club president from 1921 to 1923, but although much of his work was political his passion was sport. In January 1922, the authorities in Parma granted Parma F.B.C. a sum of ₤ 10,000 and Tardini instigated a national competition for the design of the new stadium in February 1922. To raise further funds, Tardini sold a plot of land for £163,000 to the municipal administration. The club had previously had no fixed home. In September 1922, Parma's committee admitted two projects for consideration: one by Atanasio Soldati and one by Riccardo Bartolomasi, both architects working in Parma. Soldati's plans looked to architectural simplicity with classical Greek features, while Bartolomasi opted for a more convenient and modern approach.

Neither candidate had their work realised. It was architect Ettore Leoni who submitted the final draft for the new stadium, drawing influence from French and German stadia – Lyon 's Stade de Gerland in particular – while celebrating the history of Parma. On 26 December 1922, ground was broken on the construction of the stadium and the first stone was laid. The municipal contribution was then raised to £100,000 because of the public nature of the project. Tardini died shortly after, on 16 August 1923, but the stadium – originally to be called Stadio Municipale – would be named in his honour. During the 1970s, the capacity of the stadium stood at approximately 20,000. The stadium originally featured a cycle track that was converted into a clay athletics track in 1935, which was in turn built over at the end of the 1980s. A modern floodlight system was also installed by Azienda Elettrica Comunale in 1954. The Tribuna Petitot – the main grandstand – was completely restructured by the municipal authorities between 1985 and 1990 with reinforced concrete, but the club was beginning to outgrow its stadium and external expansion had become impractical as residential buildings occupied the surrounding area.

Reconstruction of north, south and main stands (1990–1993)

Promotion to Serie A in 1990 required a legal minimum of 30,000 seats for any clubs playing in that division. The seating capacity of the stadium at that time was just 13,500. Both viable options were considered: the adaptation of the current stadium and the construction of a new ground in another part of the city. A consortium filed plans for a new stadium to be built near Baganzola, a few miles outside Parma, on 14 June 1990. The idea was praised by the city's authorities, but political change in the city's halls led to delays in the approval of the plans. Consequently, on 29 May 1991 the club voted by a slim majority to renovate the current stadium. First, the grandstand was enlarged. Next, the construction of "English" corner stands – stands which fill in the corners of the stadium and make a rectangular base with all four stands close to the pitch, thereby replacing the oval shape of the stands which had facilitated a running track in previous years – was begun. The Curva Nord, where the club's most dedicated fans sit, was re-developed in this style after Parma's triumph in the Coppa Italia in 1992 before the opposite stand was completed a year later.

Renovations were finally completed in 1993, having begun in 1991, but further plans to improve the stadium were approved by the city on 23 December 1993 with local funding in excess of £12 billion. This time the Tribuna Est was the target. The outcome of the overhaul of the stadium – designed by architects Stefano Della Santa, Italo Jemmi, Paolo Simonetti and Fabrizio Fabbri – begun in the spring of 1991 led to a number of issues relating to inflows and outflows of thousands of people. Other problems included the urban location of the stadium and the consequent necessary construction of the stadium within a defined perimeter. This caused difficulties in the provision of a good view from all seats and of adequate safety features. While the most striking differences to the stadium were the increase in capacity and the removal of the running track, amenities were also vastly improved.

In 1997, the stadium was authorised to hold around 28,000 spectators, although there were in fact around 29,200 physical seats. In late August 1997, following the installation of yellow seats, the official capacity of the Stadio Tardini was increased to around 29,000 seats. Again in 1997, next to the Tribuna Petitot further work was completed and underneath the stand, Emporium the club's own megastore was opened, selling branded products. 2000 saw the ticket office re-located to the entrance monuments, and a change to the layout of the forum with the creation of a separate restaurant and dining room under the stands. In 2002, an agreement between the Comune di Parma and Parma A.C. meant the club had a lease of the stadium for thirty years. The agreement is in place to allow the club to continue to renovate the stadium with the goal of optimising in-stadium services for fans and maximising matchday attendance and revenue, but many of the goals envisioned were unattainable due to the financial crisis of Parmalat who were part of the same corporate group as Parma A.C..

Despite the financial misery, the club – now re-formed under the name of Parma F.C. in 2004 – sought to continue to work to its goals and the summer of 2006 saw the upper part of the Tribuna Est removed in preparation for a new grandstand. The tragic death of Parma fan Matteo Bagnaresi led supporters to change the name of the Curva Nord to the Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi in his honour. On 31 March 2008, Bagnaresi, a member of Boys Parma 1977, a group of over 100 Parma ultras, was run over on the way to Turin 's Stadio Olimpico by a coach which was carrying the opposition Juventus fans, although the extent of intent is not known. In 2006, the maximum capacity of the stadium was reduced from 29,050 to 27,906, although attendance was capped at 15,645 with the closure of the Curva Nord, the lower part of the Tribuna Est and the reduction in capacity of the main stand by the club for its one-season stay in Serie B due to structural problems.

Fatality, investment and Euro 2016 bid (2009–present)

In May 2009, Vicenza -supporting away fan Eugenio Bortolon was fatally injured in the Curva Sud on the last day of the season, despite the stadium being in full compliance with all safety regulations. The club was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2012. Shortly after, the stadium's remaining capacity was partially restored so that it could hold just over 20,000. Partly as a result of the partial re-opening of sections the stadium, the club has spent €3.5m on improvements to the ground since Tommaso Ghirardi 's arrival as club president in 2007. This includes the summer of 2010 spend of €830,000 on the renovation. The Tribuna Est was re-roofed, access was improved with the installation of readers for Parma card holders, a giant screen was installed, improvements were made to drainage, media boxes in the Tribuna Centrale Petitot were built and investment in a new hospitality facilities were made.

The stadium was part of Italy's unsuccessful bid for the right to host Euro 2016 and plans to increase the capacity to 31,397 (30,225 for the tournament) and roof the corners and ends of the stadium were submitted as part of the bid. It would have hosted matches in the group stage and a round of 16 match and the cost of the renovation would have been €40 million had Italy been selected to host the tournament and Parma been chosen as one of the nine host cities, whittled down from the twelve nominated. UEFA praised Parma's ground transport links as "above the benchmark", despite this being perceived as a weakness of the stadium by the club owners, but airport links were criticised as the only airport-stadium link was to be by bus, although the assessment of Parma Airport itself was "slightly above the benchmark".

The Tardini was the idea of Ennio Tardini, who was a graduate in Law and club president from 1921 to 1923, but although much of his work was political his passion was sport. In January 1922, the authorities in Parma granted Parma F.B.C. a sum of ₤ 10,000 and Tardini instigated a national competition for the design of the new stadium in February 1922. To raise further funds, Tardini sold a plot of land for £163,000 to the municipal administration. The club had previously had no fixed home. In September 1922, Parma's committee admitted two projects for consideration: one by Atanasio Soldati and one by Riccardo Bartolomasi, both architects working in Parma. Soldati's plans looked to architectural simplicity with classical Greek features, while Bartolomasi opted for a more convenient and modern approach.

Neither candidate had their work realised. It was architect Ettore Leoni who submitted the final draft for the new stadium, drawing influence from French and German stadia – Lyon 's Stade de Gerland in particular – while celebrating the history of Parma. On 26 December 1922, ground was broken on the construction of the stadium and the first stone was laid. The municipal contribution was then raised to £100,000 because of the public nature of the project. Tardini died shortly after, on 16 August 1923, but the stadium – originally to be called Stadio Municipale – would be named in his honour. During the 1970s, the capacity of the stadium stood at approximately 20,000. The stadium originally featured a cycle track that was converted into a clay athletics track in 1935, which was in turn built over at the end of the 1980s. A modern floodlight system was also installed by Azienda Elettrica Comunale in 1954. The Tribuna Petitot – the main grandstand – was completely restructured by the municipal authorities between 1985 and 1990 with reinforced concrete, but the club was beginning to outgrow its stadium and external expansion had become impractical as residential buildings occupied the surrounding area.

Promotion to Serie A in 1990 required a legal minimum of 30,000 seats for any clubs playing in that division. The seating capacity of the stadium at that time was just 13,500. Both viable options were considered: the adaptation of the current stadium and the construction of a new ground in another part of the city. A consortium filed plans for a new stadium to be built near Baganzola, a few miles outside Parma, on 14 June 1990. The idea was praised by the city's authorities, but political change in the city's halls led to delays in the approval of the plans. Consequently, on 29 May 1991 the club voted by a slim majority to renovate the current stadium. First, the grandstand was enlarged. Next, the construction of "English" corner stands – stands which fill in the corners of the stadium and make a rectangular base with all four stands close to the pitch, thereby replacing the oval shape of the stands which had facilitated a running track in previous years – was begun. The Curva Nord, where the club's most dedicated fans sit, was re-developed in this style after Parma's triumph in the Coppa Italia in 1992 before the opposite stand was completed a year later.

Renovations were finally completed in 1993, having begun in 1991, but further plans to improve the stadium were approved by the city on 23 December 1993 with local funding in excess of £12 billion. This time the Tribuna Est was the target. The outcome of the overhaul of the stadium – designed by architects Stefano Della Santa, Italo Jemmi, Paolo Simonetti and Fabrizio Fabbri – begun in the spring of 1991 led to a number of issues relating to inflows and outflows of thousands of people. Other problems included the urban location of the stadium and the consequent necessary construction of the stadium within a defined perimeter. This caused difficulties in the provision of a good view from all seats and of adequate safety features. While the most striking differences to the stadium were the increase in capacity and the removal of the running track, amenities were also vastly improved.

In 1997, the stadium was authorised to hold around 28,000 spectators, although there were in fact around 29,200 physical seats. In late August 1997, following the installation of yellow seats, the official capacity of the Stadio Tardini was increased to around 29,000 seats. Again in 1997, next to the Tribuna Petitot further work was completed and underneath the stand, Emporium the club's own megastore was opened, selling branded products. 2000 saw the ticket office re-located to the entrance monuments, and a change to the layout of the forum with the creation of a separate restaurant and dining room under the stands. In 2002, an agreement between the Comune di Parma and Parma A.C. meant the club had a lease of the stadium for thirty years. The agreement is in place to allow the club to continue to renovate the stadium with the goal of optimising in-stadium services for fans and maximising matchday attendance and revenue, but many of the goals envisioned were unattainable due to the financial crisis of Parmalat who were part of the same corporate group as Parma A.C..

Despite the financial misery, the club – now re-formed under the name of Parma F.C. in 2004 – sought to continue to work to its goals and the summer of 2006 saw the upper part of the Tribuna Est removed in preparation for a new grandstand. The tragic death of Parma fan Matteo Bagnaresi led supporters to change the name of the Curva Nord to the Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi in his honour. On 31 March 2008, Bagnaresi, a member of Boys Parma 1977, a group of over 100 Parma ultras, was run over on the way to Turin 's Stadio Olimpico by a coach which was carrying the opposition Juventus fans, although the extent of intent is not known. In 2006, the maximum capacity of the stadium was reduced from 29,050 to 27,906, although attendance was capped at 15,645 with the closure of the Curva Nord, the lower part of the Tribuna Est and the reduction in capacity of the main stand by the club for its one-season stay in Serie B due to structural problems.

In May 2009, Vicenza -supporting away fan Eugenio Bortolon was fatally injured in the Curva Sud on the last day of the season, despite the stadium being in full compliance with all safety regulations. The club was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2012. Shortly after, the stadium's remaining capacity was partially restored so that it could hold just over 20,000. Partly as a result of the partial re-opening of sections the stadium, the club has spent €3.5m on improvements to the ground since Tommaso Ghirardi 's arrival as club president in 2007. This includes the summer of 2010 spend of €830,000 on the renovation. The Tribuna Est was re-roofed, access was improved with the installation of readers for Parma card holders, a giant screen was installed, improvements were made to drainage, media boxes in the Tribuna Centrale Petitot were built and investment in a new hospitality facilities were made.

The stadium was part of Italy's unsuccessful bid for the right to host Euro 2016 and plans to increase the capacity to 31,397 (30,225 for the tournament) and roof the corners and ends of the stadium were submitted as part of the bid. It would have hosted matches in the group stage and a round of 16 match and the cost of the renovation would have been €40 million had Italy been selected to host the tournament and Parma been chosen as one of the nine host cities, whittled down from the twelve nominated. UEFA praised Parma's ground transport links as "above the benchmark", despite this being perceived as a weakness of the stadium by the club owners, but airport links were criticised as the only airport-stadium link was to be by bus, although the assessment of Parma Airport itself was "slightly above the benchmark".

Completed in 1990, the Tribuna Petitot is the largest stand and it has three levels internally. The dressing room is housed on the ground floor; the first floor is home to the club's administrative offices, as well as newsrooms, reception rooms and the honours room; and the second floor is used for surveillance and security services control and to house the media. It holds around 8,000 seats, including 348 corporate seats and 148 in the press gallery. The stadium also houses the Emporium, where fans can buy official club merchandise. The club's biggest fans tend to sit in the Curva Nord and the opposition's in the Curva Sud, which were both built in the early 1990s. The area formerly used for away fans alongside the Settore Ospiti, the Curva Sud Ospiti, was closed after a fatal fall by a Vicenza fan during a match in 2009, so the home section of the Curva Sud currently houses away fans only from the summer of 2011. The Tribuna Est, whose capacity was reduced in 2006 in anticipation of its expansion, includes the disabled fan area.