Brann Stadion
| Stadion, stadda or staddaen | |
 |
|
| Full name | Brann Stadion |
|---|---|
| Location | Bergen, Norway |
| Coordinates | 60°22′0.9″N 5°21′26.9″E / 60.366917°N 5.357472°ECoordinates: 60°22′0.9″N 5°21′26.9″E / 60.366917°N 5.357472°E |
| Owner | Brann Stadion AS |
| Operator | Brann Stadion AS |
| Capacity | 17,686 |
| Record attendance | 24,800 (Cup) vs. Fredrikstad (1961) 23,900 (League) vs. Lillestrøm (1978) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1919 |
| Opened | 25 May 1919 |
| Expanded |
South stand: 1930s (middle part) 1960s (west part) 1997 (east part) Frydenbø stand: 1999 BT stand: 2006 SPV stand: 2007 |
| Tenants | |
| SK Brann (1919–present) | |
Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies 3 km (1.9 mi) south of the centre of the city, at the foot of Mount Ulriken.
The record attendance dates from 1 October 1961, when Brann hosted Fredrikstad in the cup semi-final, in front of 24,800 spectators. Though its league attendance record is 23,900, from 1978, when they hosted Lillestrøm. Brann Stadion has, per. 2009, a capacity of 17,317. A redevelopment project was underway, aimed at increasing the capacity to over 20,000, but it has been put on hold. Brann Stadion has the third largest attendance capacity in Norway.
Brann Stadion was owned jointly by Brann (49%) and Stor-Bergen Boligbyggelag (51%). However, in an act of local-patriotism the Stor-Bergen Boligbyggelag sold its shares to Brann for the same sum they bought the shares for, despite the added value of the stadium as a result of the still ongoing reconstruction (December 2006).
The history of Brann Stadion begins with Christen K. Gran, a member of the sports committee and one of the founders of Brann. It was his idea, in 1917, that Brann build a new stadium to call their own at Fridalen in the borough of Årstad. His proposal was initially met with scepticism, but he was determined to realize this project for the club and set about obtaining the necessary funds. According to tradition, donations ahead of the 1917 Norwegian Cup final between Brann and Sarpsborg secured the last sums of money needed to purchase the land. Construction began the year after and on 25 May 1919, the stadium was inaugurated with a match between Brann and the Norwegian national team.
At first, the stadium had running tracks, and terraces on each side of the pitch, while the west end and the Clock End remained undeveloped. The club house stood at the halfway line on the south side. During the 1930s, the club house was relocated and the current Main Stand built. Originally, it did not run the full length of the pitch. Over the years it has been expanded at both ends, with each expansion being of a different design from the rest. As a result, today's stand has a rather disjointed look about it. The middle part houses an honorary box above the tunnel, called Brannaltanen (The Brann Balcony).
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