Viking Stadion

Viking stadion

Location	Jåttåvågen, Stavanger
Owner	Viking FK
Operator	Viking FK
Record attendance	16,600 (vs Brann in 2007)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	2003
Opened	1 May 2004
Construction cost	€ 20 million
Architect	LINK signatur AS / NBBJ Design
Tenants
Viking FK (2004–present)

Viking Stadion is a football stadium, built at Jåttåvågen, in Stavanger, Norway. It is the "sister" stadium to US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. It was inaugurated in May 2004 and cost 160 million NOK to build (€ 20 million). 50 million NOK, plus the lot it was built on, was a gift from the municipality. It replaced Stavanger Stadion as the home stadium for Viking FK. Among the persons present at the official opening match were the coach of the Norwegian national football team Åge Hareide, Norwegian Idol winner Kjartan Salvesen and Kjell Inge Røkke.

Viking stadion 17 September 2006

The stadium can also host large music concerts and events, and among the artists who have played in Viking Stadium are Bryan Adams, R.E.M., Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, Sissel Kyrkjebø & Plácido Domingo, The Eagles, KISS, Robbie Williams and Ylvis.

In 2006, the stadium was expanded beyond the original capacity of 15,000, and now fits 16,300 people. The record attendance is 16,600 when Viking met Brann on 24 June 2007.

Right outside the stadium is Jåttåvågen Station, which serves the Jæren Commuter Rail.

The venue has hosted Norway national under-21 football team matches four times, playing 1–0 against Spain on 31 May 2006, 1–1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 6 September 2006, 2–2 against Slovakia on 10 June 2009 and 2–2 against Belgium on 10 November 2011. In a 2012 survey carried out by the Norwegian Players' Association among away-team captains, Viking Stadion was found to be the league's fourth-best stadium, with a score of 4.27 on a scale from one to five.

Attendance

Attendance

Season	Avg	Min	Max	Rank	Ref
2004	12,450	10,041	15,300	4
2005	13,699	11,967	15,231	4
2006	13,910	11,351	16,251	3
2007	15,842	13,808	16,600	3
2008	15,377	14,439	16,500	3
2009	13,071	11,374	15,328	3
2010	11,529	9,939	14,283	4
2011	10,255	8,898	12,584	4
2012	9,894	7,541	13,443	4
2013	10,284	8,525	13,218	3

Future expansion

In 2009, Viking planned a further permanent expansion of the stadium. By adding a new upper tier to the south and east stands, the capacity would be increased to 22,000. The plan was to have the expansion completed by 2016.

A decline in Viking's attendances did not deter plans in 2010. Local politicians were skeptical about the expansion, but decided to commence a formal planning process. By 2012, a continuing decline in attendances had made it obvious that the plans were not immediately viable.