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Elbasan Arena

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Elbasan Arena
Elbasan Arena stadium in Elbasan, Albania 2.jpg
LocationSheshi Ruzhdi Bizhuta 1, 3001 Elbasan, Albania
Coordinates41°06′57.15″N 20°05′31.17″E / 41.1158750°N 20.0919917°E / 41.1158750; 20.0919917Coordinates: 41°06′57.15″N 20°05′31.17″E / 41.1158750°N 20.0919917°E / 41.1158750; 20.0919917
OperatorFSHF
Capacity12.800[1]
Record attendance12.800 Albania vs. Denmark (11/10/2014, Euro 2016)[2]
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1967
Renovated2001, 2014
Tenants
Albania national football team (2014–present)

Elbasan Arena (Albanian: Elbasan Arena, formerly known as Ruzhdi Bizhuta) is a multi-purpose stadium in Elbasan, Albania. The stadium was completed in 1967 and has been the home ground of KF Elbasani ever since. The stadium was under reconstruction and was officially inaugurated on 8 October 2014 in time for the match against Denmark, valid for the qualifiers of UEFA Euro 2016, with total capacity of 12,800,[1] making it the 3rd largest in Albania, after the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana.

Discover more about Elbasan Arena related topics

Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that language family. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. With perhaps as many as 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other modern language.

Multi-purpose stadium

Multi-purpose stadium

A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multifunctionality over specificity. It is used most commonly in Canada and the United States, where the two most popular outdoor team sports – Canadian football/American football and baseball – require radically different facilities. Football uses a rectangular field while baseball is played on a diamond and large outfield. Since Canadian football fields are larger than American ones, the design specifications for Canadian facilities is somewhat less demanding. The particular design to accommodate both is usually an oval, although some later designs use an octorad. While building stadiums in this way means that sports teams and governments can share costs, it also imposes some challenges.

Elbasan

Elbasan

Elbasan is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central Albania.

Albania

Albania

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. The country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions, in an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi). The landscape ranges from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas along the Mediterranean. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

KF Elbasani

KF Elbasani

Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani is an Albanian professional football club based in the city of Elbasan, that last competed in the Kategoria e Dytë, the third tier of football in the country.

Tirana

Tirana

Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location at the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

History

Elbasan Arena first opened in 1967 under the name of Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadion who was one of KF Elbasani’s most famous players. Constructed in the 1960s, the ground was built to replace the club’s former ground which had slowly become a set of outdated facilities.

For the majority of Ruzhdi Bizhuta’s history, the stadium has been used exclusively by KF Elbasani but in January 2014 it was announced that the ground would host Albania’s qualification matches of Euro 2016. This decision was taken by the Albanian Football Federation in order to allow the usual national stadium Qemal Stafa to undergo extensive renovation work.

2014 Reconstruction

Before Elbasan Arena could host the matches however it would have to undergo refurbishment itself, and in total over €5.5 million[3] invested into the stadium. Work to bring up the stadium to UEFA’s required standards began in February 2014, and finished 7 months later in October.

Cheering at Elbasan Arena
Cheering at Elbasan Arena

Numerous improvements were made to the stadium including the installation of new floodlights, 12,500 new plastic seats, new changing rooms, executive seating areas, new scoreboards, and to top it all of a brand new playing surface was laid.

The stadium then reopened on 8 October when Albania hosted Denmark[4] in their second qualification match of the campaign. Played out in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,800 – the record attendance to date, Albania earned a 1-1 draw against their more favoured opposition.

Inauguration

The opening ceremony of the stadium was held on 11 October 2014,[5] with a historical exhibition match against Denmark. Playing for the first time at the recently refurbished Elbasan Arena, the hosts grabbed a 38th-minute lead through Ermir Lenjani's deflected strike but Denmark substitute Lasse Vibe slotted home an 81st-minute equaliser as the Group I rivals went joint-top.

Albania1–1Denmark
Ermir Lenjani 38' Lasse Vibe 81'
Elbasan Arena, Elbasan
Attendance: 12,800
Referee: Viktor Kassai
Albania (4–3–3):
GK 1 Etrit Berisha
RB 4 Elseid Hysaj
CB 5 Lorik Cana
CB 15 Mërgim Mavraj
LB 7 Ansi Agolli
DM 13 Burim Kukeli
CM 22 Amir Abrashi
CM 14 Taulant Xhaka downward-facing red arrow 82'
RW 2 Andi Lila downward-facing red arrow 87'
LW 3 Ermir Lenjani
CF 19 Bekim Balaj downward-facing red arrow 69'
Substitutions:
GK 12 Orges Shehi
GK 23 Alban Hoxha
CB 6 Debatik Curri upward-facing green arrow 87'
RW 8 Herolind Shala
FW 9 Edmond Kapllani
LM 10 Valdet Rama upward-facing green arrow 82'
RM 11 Emiljano Vila
FW 16 Sokol Cikalleshi upward-facing green arrow 69'
CM 17 Alban Meha
FW 18 Hamdi Salihi
CM 20 Ergys Kaçe
MF 21 Armando Vajushi
Manager:
Gianni De Biasi
Denmark (4–3–3):
GK 1 Kasper Schmeichel
RB 2 Peter Ankersen
CB 3 Simon Kjær
CB 5 Andreas Bjelland
LB 7 Nicolai Boilesen
RM 9 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg
CM 10 William Kvist
LM 11 Christian Eriksen
RW 12 Yussuf Poulsen
LW 19 Michael Krohn-Dehli
CF 23 Nicklas Bendtner
Manager:
Morten Olsen


Discover more about History related topics

KF Elbasani

KF Elbasani

Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani is an Albanian professional football club based in the city of Elbasan, that last competed in the Kategoria e Dytë, the third tier of football in the country.

Albania national football team

Albania national football team

The Albania national football team represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.

Albanian Football Association

Albanian Football Association

The Albanian Football Association is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the First Division, the Second Division, the Third Division, the Albanian Cup and Supercup. Albania women's national football team, Albanian women's football championship, and the Albanian Women's Cup are also overseen. The association also coordinates the activities of the Albania national football team and the Albania national youth football teams such as Under-21, Under-20, Under-19, Under-18, Under-17, Under-16 and Under-15.

Qemal Stafa Stadium

Qemal Stafa Stadium

The Qemal Stafa Stadium, named after Qemal Stafa (1920–1942), a World War II hero, was a national stadium and the largest football stadium in Tirana, Albania. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugurated in 1946 for the Balkan Cup, which was won by the Albania national football team. The stadium has been used for football matches of the Albanian Superliga and the national team, athletic events, and the six Albanian Spartakiads. Although it was enlarged in 1974 to accommodate up to 35,000 spectators, in the 1990s it became an all-seater stadium, and its capacity was reduced to 19,700.

UEFA stadium categories

UEFA stadium categories

UEFA stadium categories are categories for football stadiums laid out in UEFA's Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. Using these regulations, stadiums are rated as category one, two, three, or four in ascending ranking order. These categories replaced the previous method of ranking stadiums on one to five star scale in 2006.

Denmark national football team

Denmark national football team

The Denmark men’s national football team represents Denmark and Greenland in men's international football competitions. It is controlled by the Danish Football Association (DBU), the governing body for the football clubs which are organised under DBU. Denmark's home stadium is Parken Stadium in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen; their head coach is Kasper Hjulmand.

Ermir Lenjani

Ermir Lenjani

Ermir Limon Lenjani is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish club Ümraniyespor and the Albania national team.

Lasse Vibe

Lasse Vibe

Lasse Vibe is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward or winger. After beginning his career in his native Denmark, he came to prominence in Sweden with IFK Göteborg and has also played in England and China. Vibe was a Denmark international and captained the 2016 Denmark Olympic team.

Elbasan

Elbasan

Elbasan is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central Albania.

Viktor Kassai

Viktor Kassai

Viktor Kassai is a Hungarian football official and a former referee who is the current head of refereeing department of the Bulgarian Football Union. He participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and refereed the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2003. He retired as a referee on 30 December 2019.

Etrit Berisha

Etrit Berisha

Etrit Fadil Berisha is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Torino and captains the Albania national team.

Source: "Elbasan Arena", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, August 23rd), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbasan_Arena.

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References
  1. ^ a b "Elbasan Arena - Albania". Football Tripper. 8 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Albania-Denmark | European Qualifiers 2016". Union of European Football Associations.
  3. ^ "Elbasan Arena - Stadiumi Ruzhdi Bizhuta, Elbasan | ACP". Albanian Construction Portal.
  4. ^ "Shqipëri- Danimarkë, ndeshja e parë në "Elbasan Arena". Ja çmimi i biletave".
  5. ^ "Elbasan Arena, të mërkurën inagurimi". Albanian Football Association. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2016.


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