Intility Arena
{{Short description|Football stadium in Oslo, Norway}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Intility Arena
| nickname = Valle Hovin, Valle
| image = Intility Arena (bilde05) (8. september 2018).jpg
| caption = Aerial view of Intility Arena
| location = Valle Hovin, Oslo, Norway
| coordinates = {{Coord|59|55|4|N|10|48|25|E|type:landmark_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| publictransit = File:OSLO T-bane orange icon.png Helsfyr
| broke_ground = 2015
| opened = 9 September 2017
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark AS, owned by Vålerenga Fotball
| operator = Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark AS
| surface = Artificial grass
| construction_cost =
| architect = Lille Frøen AS / Stefan Ekberg Arkitekter AS
| structural engineer =
| services engineers =
| project_manager =
| general_contractor =
| former_names =
| tenants = Vålerenga Fotball (2017–present)
| seating_capacity = 16,555{{cite web|url=http://www.vif-fotball.no/om-stadion/fakta-om-stadion|title=FAKTA OM INTILITY ARENA|website=VIF-Fotball.no|access-date=15 August 2018|language=no|trans-title=Facts About the Intility Arena|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025145734/http://www.vif-fotball.no/om-stadion/fakta-om-stadion|archive-date=25 October 2017|url-status=dead}}
15,389 (International capacity)
| record_attendance = {{formatnum: 17011}} (Vålerenga vs Sarpsborg 08, 10 September 2017)
| dimensions = {{nowrap|{{convert|105|by|68|m|yd}}}}
}}
Intility Arena,{{cite news |url=http://vkip.no/ |language=no |title=Vålerenga får grønt lys, starter stadionbygging til høsten |publisher=vkip.no |access-date=12 Jun 2017}} also referred to as Vålerenga Stadion, is an association football stadium in Oslo, Norway. The stadium is the home stadium for Vålerenga Fotball, currently playing in the Eliteserien, and Vålerenga Fotball Damer, currently playing in the Toppserien. It has a seating capacity of 16,555 people.
The stadium plans were accepted by the city council of Oslo in 2014 and by EEA in June 2015. Construction started in August 2015, and the stadium opened in September 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.osloby.no/nyheter/Valerenga-far-gront-lys_-starter-stadionbygging-til-hosten-8052387.html |language=no |title=Vålerenga får grønt lys, starter stadionbygging til høsten |publisher=Osloby.no |first=Christian |last=Sørgjerd|date=10 Jun 2016
|access-date=10 Jun 2015}} The stadium was initially called Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark.
History
=Early grounds=
From the 1960s till the 1980s and a short period in the end of the 1990s Bislett Stadion was Vålerenga's home ground. Bislet Stadion also hosted speed skating and track and field events in addition to football, and hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics. Poor conditions and maintenance of Bislett forced Vålerenga to move to Ullevaal and a groundshare with FK Lyn.
=Planning=
File:2017-01 Valle Hovin vgs.jpg
After Vålerenga moved from Bislett Stadion plans for building their own ground were conceived, but poor results on the field combined with financial problems kept those plans at bay for a few years. After the second place in 2004 and the league title in 2005 as well as shipping magnate John Fredriksen's deletion of the club's debt in 2003, the talks of building a ground for Vålerenga resurfaced.
Following a press statement made on 15 May 2008, Vålerenga announced that they will be moving home to Valle Hovin after purchasing the area of the proposed stadium for the symbolic sum of 1 Norwegian Krone. In late 2014, the plans were accepted by the city council of Oslo.{{cite news |url=http://www.ensjo.org/det-naermer-seg-byggestart-for-valerenga-stadion-pa-valle-hovin-men-stadion-blir-enklere-enn-tidligere-vist-pa-bilder/ |language=no |title=Det nærmer seg byggestart for Vålerenga Stadion på Valle Hovin men stadion blir enklere enn tidligere vist på bilder. |publisher=Ensjo.org |first=Per Øivind |last=Eriksen |date=11 Feb 2015 |access-date=8 April 2015}} On 10 June 2014, the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority accepted the plans for the stadium.
=Construction and opening=
The foundation stone of the new stadium was laid on 29 July 2015, the club's 102nd anniversary.{{cite news |url=http://www.vif-fotball.no/news/article/k854txui40qd177aofvzesp69/title/se-grunnsteinsnedleggelsen |language=no |title=Grunnsteinen til vålerenga stadion legges |publisher=vif-fotball.no |date=29 Jul 2015 |access-date=1 Aug 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827184713/http://www.vif-fotball.no/news/article/k854txui40qd177aofvzesp69/title/se-grunnsteinsnedleggelsen |archive-date=27 August 2016 |url-status=dead }} Construction started in the summer of 2015.
The first game at the stadium was played on 9 September 2017 and was a women's Toppserien game Vålerenga Damer won 2–0 against Kolbotn.{{cite news |url=https://www.fotball.no/fotballdata/kamp/?fiksId=6649296 |language=no |title=Vålerenga 2-0 Kolbotn |publisher=Football Association of Norway |website=www.fotball.no |date=9 September 2017 |access-date=24 April 2019}} The men's opening game was played on the following day, 10 September 2017, an Eliteserien game Vålerenga lost 1–2 against Sarpsborg 08.{{cite news |url=https://www.fotball.no/fotballdata/kamp/?fiksId=6650114 |language=no |title=Vålerenga 1-2 Sarpsborg 08 |publisher=Football Association of Norway |website=www.fotball.no |date=10 September 2017 |access-date=24 April 2019}} The record attendance of 17,011 spectators dates from this game.
=Naming rights=
In October 2017, Norwegian technology company Intility reached an agreement with Vålerenga to buy the stadium's naming rights for ten years. The deal saw the stadium's name change to Intility Arena.
Transport
The stadium will be served by several stations on the Oslo Metro. Helsfyr Station is the closest station, approximately 500 metres away from Valle Hovin. Ensjø Station and Hasle Station are both approximately one kilometre away.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Intility Arena}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150723190953/http://www.vif-fotball.no/news/article/fehermgj900212kou6m6mq1rv/title/esa-godkjenner-avtalen-med-oslo-kommune Vålerenga's press release confirming the beginning of construction]
- [http://www.nordicstadiums.com/intility-arena Opening match of Intility Arena]
{{Eliteserien venues}}
{{Toppserien venues}}
{{Vålerengens IF}}
{{Portal bar|Association football|Norway}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intility Arena}}
Category:Sports venues in Oslo