Vodafone Arena

Istanbul, Turkey

The Vodafone Arena is an all-seater, multi-purpose stadium in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the home ground of Beşiktaş J.K. The stadium was built on the site of Beşiktaş's former home, BJK İnönü Stadium. It has a capacity of approximately 43,500 spectators, after initially being planned for 41,903. Vodafone Arena houses 144 executive suites, and one "1903 Lounge" which will entertain 1,903 spectators in total. The "1903 stand" has a capacity of 636 spectators. The new stadium also has 2,123 square metres of restaurants, 2,520 square metres of terrace restaurants and a VIP parking capacity of 600 vehicles. The ground is a 'smart stadium', where fans enjoy StadiumVision and high-speed Wi-Fi technology, being planned in conjunction with Cisco. Demolition works on the BJK İnönü Stadium started on 2 June 2013, following the end of promotion play-offs for the TFF First League. The estimated cost of the project was around $80 million. The new stadium was designed by DB architects. The old stadium was demolished, except for the Eski Açık stand, since this stand and its towers are considered historical monuments by the government. The Eski Açık stand is re-arranged to resemble the look of an antique amphitheatre. The new stadium is "in harmony with the natural and historic landscape of the Bosphorus" when seen from the sea.