The New Wembley

Construction of the new Wembley started in 2003 when the old Wembley was demolished with the opening date scheduled for 2006, this was later deferred to 2007 with many events being moved to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. This project was to become the most expensive stadium in history costing over £798 million going over budget by more than £400 million.

Inaugural Event

The first ever event at the new Wembley was due to be a Bon Jovi concert but due to building difficulties at Wembley it was forced to move to Milton Keynes Bowl.  The first official event therefore was on March 26th 2007 with an Under 21 International Friendly with England taking on Italy which ended in a 3-3 draw and was watched by 55,000 fans, the highest ever attendance for an under 21 friendly.  The first FA Cup final Wembley hosted was the 2007 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Stadium Trivia

• 90,000 seats
• 310 wheelchair spaces
• 47 retail units
• 164 turnstiles
• 26 lifts
• 30 escalators
• 212,000 tonnes of concrete were used to construct the stadium
• 2,618 toilets
• There are 35 miles of heavy-duty power cables in the stadium
• The pitch is 115 yards long by 75 yards wide
• The roof weighs 6350 tonnes, but is not fully retractable

Though designed primarily for football, rugby and music events, the new Wembley Stadium is also capable of hosting world class athletic events.