Who's paying, and how much. How tall the arch is, and how many toilets will be in the stadium. Everything you ever wanted to know about the New Wembley Stadium, and then some more.
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Key Features
Athletics: The new stadium will be able to host major athletics events as well as football and rugby games. If required a prefabricated platform will be built over the lower bowl which will create the increased surface needed for an athletics track. The stadium will meet IAAF standards set for world athletics championships.
It will take 11 weeks to insert the platform, and six weeks to remove. This is less than half the time estimated in the original plans submitted in 1999. The capacity will be reduced to 68,400 for such events although temporary seating could bump that figure upto around 70,000.
Stadium Design:
Standing 133 metres tall the steel arch presiding over the North Stand will become a landmark to rival, or even surpass, the famous twin towers of the old Wembley Stadium. The arch itself will be 315 metres long, and supports the entire weight of the north roof as well as 60% of the south roof and ensuring that now view-obstructing pillars are needed.
A sliding roof is designed to ensure the pitch grows perfectly, as sunlight is not obstructed from reaching any part of it. It takes 15 minutes to move which should ensure spectators never have to suffer a soaking. On a bright sunny day then there will not be a single shadow on the pitch, ensuring beautiful TV coverage and sun in the eyes of everyone in one side of the stadum.
Who's Paying:
The total project cost is estimated at £757million, with £352million of that the basic building cost. According to the Football Association this works out at £3,918 per seat, we're hoping their maths is good on this one. This is still higher than any other stadium in the world though, £600 more per seat than the Stade de France built for the 1998 World Cup.
£120 million was the cost to purchase the current stadium. To build the stadium you have to fork out £353 million, and then to paint it all and put in the all important bars will set the project back £93million.
Add to that interest on the bank loan, management and wages as well as £21million on local infastructure and you get total expenditure of £757 million.
As you might expect, £757million is a lot of money to get your hands on unless you own a small country. But that is where Germany bank WestLB come in with a loan of £433 million towards the project. Government agency Sport England will donate £120 while the FA will add £148million, with the London Development Agency and the Department of Culture Media and Sport completing the input with around £20million each.
Useless Information:
If placed end to end the seating would stretch for 54 kilometres.
23,000 tonnes of steel will be used in construction.
The London Eye could fit underneath the arch, which towers 133 metres high.
In the stadium there will be 2000 toilets, which is being heralded as more than any other building. Ever. In the world.
The roof will weigh 7,000 tonnes and there will be 1,500 people working on the site at peak construction times.
With 90,000 seats the new Wembley Stadium will be the largest football stadium in the world. Even better, there will be no obstructed views - apart from the bloke in front of you wearing a stupidly big hat. |
