Gateshead International Stadium
Gateshead International Stadium is a multi-purpose, all-seater venue in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally known as the Gateshead Youth Stadium, the venue was built in 1955 at a cost of £30,000. Its capacity of around 11,800 is the greatest in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead and the sixth-largest in North East England. It is built on the site of two large chemical works opened in 1827 and 1834.
About Gateshead International Stadium in brief
Gateshead International Stadium is a multi-purpose, all-seater venue in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally known as the Gateshead Youth Stadium, the venue was built in 1955 at a cost of £30,000. It has since been extensively re-developed on three occasions. Its capacity of around 11,800 is the greatest in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead and the sixth-largest in North East England. Five world records have been set at the stadium, including two by pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and a tied 100 metres record by Asafa Powell in 2006. Although the venue primarily caters for athletics, it is the current or former home to teams in several sports. The stadium has also been used as a concert venue by numerous musical artists including Little Mix, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Tina Turner. It is built on the site of two large chemical works opened in 1827 and 1834. The works initially thrived, but by the early part of the 20th century both were in terminal decline, and were demolished in 1932 to leave behind a 2-million-tonne heap of spoil. In early 1955, Gateshead Council began work on transforming this land. The original venue contained little more than a cinder running track and an asphalt cycling track, though floodlights and a seating area were added soon after. On 1 July 1961, the arena hosted its first major competition—the Vaux Breweries International Athletics Meet. Gateshead Harriers Athletic Club, which includes Foster and Jonathan Edwards among its life members, are the oldest tenants, having used the site since 1956.
It has been used by the town’s main football club since 1973. The replacement Gateshead Thunder club played home games in the main arena, which was known as The Thunderdome when used by that team until the club relocated to Newcastle in 2015. The main arena is principally used for athletics and has hosted the British Grand Prix and the European Team Championships in 1989, 2000 and 2013. In April 1974, Gates head Council inaugurated a sport and recreation department. In July 1974, the council appointed Brendan Foster—a former schoolteacher turned athlete as the Council’s sport and Recreation manager. Foster became the driving force behind the programme of improvements to the Youth Stadium. He was interviewed for the managerial position and took it upon himself to run the stadium and break a world record in the men’s 3,000 m. In December 1973, Foster was told that a new synthetic track was being laid at the venue. His response was a promise that if the Council was serious, he would run the track and break the world record. In 1981, the stadium was renamed Gateshead International. Stadium, which included the main stand and three accompanying stands; the main stands; and a reception stand, covered by three covers; and was renamed the Tyne & Wear International Stadium. It was opened by Jim Peters on 27 August 1955.
You want to know more about Gateshead International Stadium?
This page is based on the article Gateshead International Stadium published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
