Work first began on the new Wembley Stadium in 2003 to replace the famous old venue that had seen so many wonderful days and held so many happy memories for so many.
The initial plan was for the old stadium to be demolished in 2000 with a new one being ready for 2003, but a series of financial and legal battles delayed things.
The stadium
was designed by HOK Sport, which included the work of Sir Norman Foster, with
engineers Mott MacDonald, and was built by the Australian company Brookfield
Multiplex. The stadium was funded by Sport England, Wembley National Stadium
Ltd, the FA, The Government Department for Media Culture and Sport and The
London Development Agency.
Originally,
it was proposed that the stadium would also be able to stage athletics, but
after many hearings and consultations, this was vetoed. In 2004, Brent Council
unveiled plans to regenerate the whole area into a new Wembley City. The
Wembley Conference Centre and multi-storey car park were demolished, and the
Arena was upgraded.
Delays during construction were caused by disputes over the arch as well as contractual and safety issues. Opening dates were put back on several occasions, much to the embarrassment of the FA and Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn.
The stadium was handed over to the FA on the 9th March 2007. Residents of the Borough of Brent were admitted to a test event on Saturday, 17th March, with England Under 21s playing a game with a reduced capacity to satisfy the safety certificates.
The stadium quickly became home to concerts, the Rugby League Challenge Cup final, and regular season NFL American Football games, along with other events. The following article highlights football at Wembley.
A statue of Bobby Moore was unveiled on Friday, 11th May, overlooking the stadium approach with the FA Trophy Final between Stevenage Borough and Kidderminster Harriers being played the following day.
A statue of Bobby Moore was unveiled on Friday, 11th May, overlooking the stadium approach with the FA Trophy Final between Stevenage Borough and Kidderminster Harriers being played the following day.
This was before Wembley Stadium was officially opened on Saturday, 19th May 2007, for the FA Cup Final, which saw Chelsea defeat Manchester United 1-0 with a Didier Drogba goal.
The first full international at the new stadium saw a 1-1 draw between England and Brazil on the 1st June 2007. Germany became the first foreign national side to defeat England there the following August.
The first full international at the new stadium saw a 1-1 draw between England and Brazil on the 1st June 2007. Germany became the first foreign national side to defeat England there the following August.
The stadium became home to the EFL playoff finals and FA Cup semi-finals, the League Cup Final, FA Trophy Final, FA Vase Final, as well as all full England international
games. As well as football, Wembley also began to host an annual regular season NFL match and an annual motor festival, as well as many music concerts.
In 2011, the stadium was chosen as the venue for the Champions League Final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. Barca put on such an incredible display that it was felt that it could take many years before it was bettered.
2012 saw the stadium being used for football, both men's and women during the London Olympics. The 2013 Champions League final returned to Wembley, such was the previous staging so successful. That game saw Bayern München defeat Borussia Dortmund.
UEFA Euro 2000 was delayed by a year owing to the worldwide pandemic. Wembley hosted several games when the tournament was played in 2021, including both semifinals and the final, when Italy defeated England on penalties, a game marred by major crowd disorder in gaining access.
The final of the Women's Euro 22 tournament was also played at Wembley as England defeated Germany.
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