BJK İnönü Stadium


İnönü Stadium was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş J.K.. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray S.K. and Fenerbahçe S.K.. The ground was located in Dolmabahçe, close to Dolmabahçe Palace in the district of Beşiktaş, on the European side of Istanbul. The stadium was demolished except for the walls of the Eski Açık stand and its historical towers in order to build a new stadium for Beşiktaş J.K. at the same location - Vodafone Park.
The all-seater stadium had the capacity to host 32,145 spectators.

Structure

BJK İnönü Stadium had four stands. The Kapalı stand which was parallel to the pitch at the north side could hold up to 5,881 supporters and it was regarded as the heart of the stadium, traditionally housing the most fanatical supporters. Facing the Kapalı was the Numaralı with a seating capacity of 5,237. The stands behind the goal areas were Eski Açık with a seating capacity of 7,962, and Yeni Açık with a seating capacity of 13,065. There were two towers on the left and right side of the Eski Açık stands that have been incorporated into the design of Vodafone Park. Before the stadium became an all-seater, the ground's capacity was over 39,000.
The Bosphorus, Dolmabahçe Palace, Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, Dolmabahçe Mosque, and Maiden's Tower were all viewable from the top rows of the Yeni Açık stand of the stadium, which made it the only stadium in the world from which a football fan could view two continents: Europe and Asia, which are separated by the Bosphorus strait.

History

BJK İnönü Stadium was designed by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi, who collaborated with Turkish architects Şinasi Şahingiray and Fazıl Aysu for the project. The ground of Dolmabahçe Palace's stable was chosen as the location to build the stadium. The first foundation was laid on May 19, 1939, but construction work was halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The stadium was eventually inaugurated on May 19, 1947, by İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey and himself a Beşiktaş fan, and Lütfi Kırdar, the Governor of Istanbul. The initial capacity was 16,000. In the original project plan, there were two bronze statues of athlete figures at the Eski Açık stand: one throwing a discus, and the other throwing a javelin. However, the statues were never built due to financial concerns. The oil factory which was found behind the stadium was demolished to construct the Yeni Açık stand at the west part of the stadium in 1950. Yeni Açık was eventually covered with a separate roof structure in 2004. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe shared the stadium with Beşiktaş for many years, until the construction of the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in 1964, and the renovation of Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in 1982.
The first football match at the Dolmabahçe Stadium took place between Beşiktaş and AIK Stockholm of Sweden, on November 27, 1947. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba, the most famous and longest-presiding Chairman of the club, when he was a player at Beşiktaş. Beşiktaş lost this match 3–2. In 1952, the stadium was renamed as Mithat Paşa Stadium, and later in 1973, it was renamed as İnönü Stadium. A leasing contract was signed between Beşiktaş JK and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in February 1998 which gave all usage rights of İnönü Stadium to Beşiktaş JK for 49 years.
Renovation work took place at the stadium in 2004. The tartan track was removed within the scope of these renovations and the ground level was lowered by 4 meters to increase the capacity of the stadium to 32,145 spectators. The press seats were relocated to the Numaralı stand from the Kapalı stand. The executive suites that were found in the middle of the Kapalı stand were demolished and for the first time in Turkey, the wire fence between the stands and the pitch was removed for space. The number of gates was increased by 100%. A press center for Beşiktaş TV was built inside the stadium. Restrooms and lunch counters were also renovated. The Yeni Açık stand was covered with a metallic roof, and the stadium complied with UEFA standards.
The stadium's location is near the Bosphorus and is very close to Taksim Square. The stadium could be reached easily by many means of public transport due to its central location.
There were four different parts of the stadium: Kapalı was where the most hot-blooded fans were during the matches. Yeni Açık was on the western side, facing the Bosphorus. Eski Açık was the smaller stand opposite Yeni Açık where visiting supporters were typically seated. Numaralı is where press, VIP, and protocol seats were located.
The 2012-2013 season was the last season of İnönü Stadium as Beşiktaş's home ground. The club played their 2013-14 and 2014-15 season home games mostly at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium and the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium. Their new ground, Vodafone Park, was completed in April 2016.

Records

Music

Due to the unique location of the stadium and its legal status as a "historic monument" protected by the High Council of Monuments of Turkey, the renewal project had to be modified and postponed several times and all official requests, efforts, renewal attempts were denied until 2013. The administrative procedures were eventually completed, and all required permission was given to the club. Club president Fikret Orman announced that the new stadium, with a total capacity of 41,903 spectators, 143 luxury lodges, and one "1903 stand", will be constructed. Demolition works started on 2 June 2013, following the end of the promotion play-offs of the TFF First League. Construction works were completed in April 2016, and the estimated cost of the project was around $80 million.
The project of the new stadium was designed by DB architects. The old stadium was demolished, except for the walls and two towers of the Eski Açık stand, since these structures are considered historic monuments.