Aarhus -Århus FC - The Atletion Stadium/ NRGi Park - Capacity: 20,220 All Seater
The Stadium – Stadion Alle 70, DK-8000 Arhus The Stadium at Arhus is very impressive for such a small club. It consists of a single two tiered main stand, and then a continuous curved stand that runs from end to end. All of the seats offer an unobstructed view, although the athletics track may mean that fans in the lower tiers may feel a bit removed from the action. The stadium was redeveloped in the early part of the decade with help from the local government to act as a single multi-sports facility for the whole town.
When it re-opened in 2001 it became one of the best stadiums in Denmark. Last season the club averaged just over 7,000, whilst this season attendances have dipped slightly. The stadium is actually owned by the local authorities, and they have recently signed a sponsorship deal with Energy firm NRG for naming rights to the stadium.
Who Plays there? The north east of Denmark is not really known for a hotbed of Football, but that soon may change. In this beautiful corner of Europe, there are a couple of teams who are trying to break the monopoly of the teams from Copenhagen in the SAS Ligaen. One of those teams is AGF. The club was formed in 1880 as a Gymnastics association (hence the AGF initials). The team was one of the founding members of the league in 1927, and also the Superliga in 1991. AGF hold one record in Danish football that will not be beaten for a while – the fact that they have won more Danish Cup’s than any other team. Their first victory came at the start of their golden period in 1955, the last of the nine in 1996, when they almost captured a domestic double after finishing the league as runners up. The team also has five league titles to its name. The so called golden period for the team came between 1955 and 1960 when AGF won four League titles and four Cup Final victories – including the double in 1955, 1957 and 1960.
Today the team are managed by ex-International Ove Pederson, who took over at the end of last season when Brian Steen Nielsen was promoted to Director of Football on the club’s relegation from the top division. The club can also boast ex-Internationals and well known players Marc Rieper and Jesper Olesen as directors. Unfortunately last season was an accumulation of many years of under performance – the club had not finished higher than 8th since 1998. In fact it is over ten years ago that the club finished in the UEFA Cup spots. This season the objective must be to return to the top flight at the first opportunity. Halfway through the season the club has not yet found the form to back this objective up and are in 6th place. They have also had to face local derbies with Aarhus Fremad for the first time in over a decade.
If you do fancy trying to catch two games over the weekend, then Fremad play at the small Riisvangen Stadion which is located to the north of the city centre, not far from the sea front in Hans Egedesvej 21.
How to get to the Atletion Stadium Stadion Allee runs out of the city centre and is a pleasant 15 minute walk from the bars and restaurants along the river banks. Just follow Fredericks Allee southwards until you reach the junction with De Mezas Vej, and then turn left in to Stadion Allee. Bus numbers 4 and 19 run from the city centre every 15 minutes and take approximately 5 minutes.
For a more detailed view on football in Aarhus, and who plays where in the town, go to Footiemap.com to view their excellent and comprehensive Aarhus map.
How to get a ticket for the Atletion Stadium Fans flying in for a weekend will have no problems getting in to see a game in Aarhus. The club average just over 10,000 for their league matches, meaning that an average stadium utilisation of 50% should see you gain entry on the day without a problem. Ticket prices for the majority of games start at 100Dkr for adults and 40Dkr for concessions. For the matches versus Kopenhagen and Brondby ticket prices rise to 130Dkr and 50Dkr accordingly. Tickets can be purchased online from http://ww.athletion.com. Around the Atletion Stadium The Stadium is located just to the south of the inner ring road, and virtually next door to the Tivoli Amusement park. The whole area is dedicated to recreation so do not be surprised if the majority of fans either walk or cycle to the stadium.
Aarhus airport is located around 20 miles north west of the town centre, close to the town of Kolind. The airport has a small restaurant, with a viewing gallery, wireless internet throughout and a large duty free shop. The twice daily Ryanair flight from London Stansted is the only service to the UK – the majority of the remaining flights are internal or to other Scandinavian destinations. There is a bus that runs from the airport to Aarhus central station that meets the Ryanair flights. A single ticket costs 80Dkr and the journey takes around 35 minutes. A taxi will cost around 500Dkr.
If you are coming from Copenhagen, then the best bet is to catch one of the inexpensive internal SAS flights from Karstup’s Terminal 1 in Copenhagen to Aarhus.
The Stadium – 