St. Jakob Park
| Joggeli | |
 |
|
| Location | Basel, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.5415750°N 7.6201806°ECoordinates: 47°32′29.67″N 7°37′12.65″E / 47.5415750°N 7.6201806°E |
| Owner | Genossenschaft Stadion St. Jakob-Park |
| Operator | Basel United AG |
| Capacity | 38,512 (Football) 37,500 (for international matches) 40,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | 15 March 2001 |
| Construction cost | CHF 220 million (2001) |
| Architect | Herzog & de Meuron |
| Tenants | |
| FC Basel (Super League) (1998–present) | |
St. Jakob Park is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland and Austria. After the Euro 2008 a number of seats were removed, thus creating more space between them. The capacity was therefore reduced to 38,512 for Swiss Super League matches or 37,500 seats for international matches The maximum capacity for concerts is 60,000.
The stadium is named after the village of St. Jakob an der Birs, which stood on the site. The name "Joggeli" is the diminutive of "Jakob" in the local dialect, making it the equivalent of "Jake".
The stadium is divided into four main blocks, A, B, C and D, each block covering one side of the stadium, and block G, consisting of the upper balcony added later. St. Jakob Park is a fairly modern stadium; construction started on 13 December 1998, replacing the former St. Jakob Stadium. The re-opening game took place 15 March 2001.
The "Genossenschaft S.J.P" officially owns the stadium, while the stadium itself is managed by "Basel United". The stadium cost around CHF 220 million to build (US$132 million, €143 million in March 2001).
Within the stadium, there are 32 shops on three different floors, as well as two restaurants (the "Restaurant UNO" and "Hattrick Sports Bar"). The stadium has parking spaces for 680 cars on two different floors. The stadium can be reached either by bus, tram or train (the stadium has its own train station).
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