Intility Arena
Intility Arena,[2] also referred to as Vålerenga Stadion, is an association football stadium in Oslo, Norway. The stadium is the home stadium for the Vålerenga Fotball, currently playing in the Eliteserien, and it has a seating capacity of 16,555 people.[1]
Valle Hovin, Valle | |
_(8._september_2018).jpg.webp) Aerial view of Intility Arena | |
| Location | Valle Hovin, Oslo, Norway |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 59°55′4″N 10°48′25″E |
| Public transit |  |
| Owner | Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark AS, owned by Vålerenga Fotball |
| Operator | Vålerenga kultur- og idrettspark AS |
| Capacity | 16,555[1] 15,389 (International capacity) |
| Record attendance | 17,011 (Vålerenga vs Sarpsborg 08, 10 September 2017) |
| Field size | 105 by 68 metres (115 by 74 yd) |
| Surface | Artificial grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2015 |
| Opened | 9 September 2017 |
| Architect | Lille Frøen AS |
| Tenants | |
| Vålerenga Fotball (2017–present) | |
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.[3] 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
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 business man 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.[4] On 10 June 2014, the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority accepted the plans for the stadium.[3]
Construction and opening
The foundation stone of the new stadium was laid on 29 July 2015, the club's 102nd anniversary.[5] Construction started in the summer of 2015.[3]
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.[6] The men's opening game was played on the following day, 10 September 2017, an Eliteserien game Vålerenga lost 1–2 against Sarpsborg 08.[7] 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.
References
- "FAKTA OM INTILITY ARENA" [Facts About the Intility Arena]. VIF-Fotball.no (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- "Vålerenga får grønt lys, starter stadionbygging til høsten" (in Norwegian). vkip.no. Retrieved 12 Jun 2017.
- Sørgjerd, Christian (10 Jun 2015). "Vålerenga får grønt lys, starter stadionbygging til høsten" (in Norwegian). Osloby.no. Retrieved 10 Jun 2015.
- Eriksen, Per Øivind (11 Feb 2015). "Det nærmer seg byggestart for Vålerenga Stadion på Valle Hovin men stadion blir enklere enn tidligere vist på bilder" (in Norwegian). Ensjo.org. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- "Grunnsteinen til vålerenga stadion legges" (in Norwegian). vif-fotball.no. 29 Jul 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 1 Aug 2015.
- "Vålerenga 2-0 Kolbotn". www.fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- "Vålerenga 1-2 Sarpsborg 08". www.fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
