New arena - FAQ

What are the plans for a new arena? How will it look, and how many spectators will fit into it? I’ll try to answer these questions here, and more. The sources from my information are various contacts and news articles. All of this is built on the assumption that we will, in fact, build a new arena.

Where will it be built?
The new arena is most likely to be placed just south of the Globe Arena .

For how many?
In the early discussions, the Stockholm municipality wanted to build a massive arena for 55.000 spectators that was supposed to become the new national arena. “Madness,” most people commented, and others said that if it was built it would only be a monument over the founding politicians. Something to show their grandchildren. During all this, Hammarby themselves have always said that they wanted an arena for about 25.000 spectators. That number has now been revised to 30.000, since that is the lower limit for an arena that can be used for a future European Championship or a final in one of the European cups. So, until we know more, we can quite safely assume that the new arena will be built for 30.000 spectators.

Will it be grass, semi-grass or artificial?
We dunno. Stockholm is a mere 1000 kilometers from the polar circle; the climate is not optimal for all-year grass. There are benefits with natural grass, but we will not know for sure until the plans are made official.

Will it have a retractable roof?
Most likely, yes. The upsides with a retractable roof are enourmous; you can have all-year concerts and games.

Won’t it cost much, and if so, how the hell will Hammarby pay for it?
It will cost a lot. The financing will probably consist of a 4-part juncture; Municipality funds, Company funds (i.e. the name of the arena), Hammarby funds (most likely through a beneficial long term loan) and AEG. AEG is currently the owner of 49% of the shares in Hammarby Football Ltd. They are also one of the world’s largest arrangers of concerts. This autumn, AEG Live opened their Scandinavian office to compete with other, already established concert organizers.

What effects will a new arena have on Hammarby?
Well, first of all it will most likely have an enormously positive upside for the economy. The turnover will probably triple the first year, and will most likely continue to grow after that. In a sporting point of view, it cannot be stressed too much how important a new arena will be. Hammarby will be more attractive to potential transfers. To play on a new arena with excellent facilities is something all football players want to do. Higher transfer funds can be allocated to attract even better players, we will probably to compete economically with the largest clubs in Norway and Denmark (which have a more beneficial tax system). Not the least, Hammarby will probably increase sponsor income dramatically, at least initially. Companies will be able to use the facilities for conferences and shows, either when there’s a football match or at some other time. Additionally, Hammarby can sell more attractive seats to sponsors. Today, the attractive seats on our current arena are very limited (either by sight or comfort). Another aspect will be the possibility to attract more and new spectators.

All this sounds really nice. But aren’t there any negative sides to all this?
One thing that supporters are concerned with is the possibility that we will lose “our soul”. We are closely identified with our current arena and the atmosphere that we create during the games. There’s also speculations whether or not the supporter section (today standing) will be moved to behind one of the goals (present time we are located on one of the main sections).

To summarize: There are negative aspects with a new arena, some might say. But the positive upsides are far more than the negative ones, and Hammarby has since long outgrown our current arena. From an economic-, spectator- and sponsor-point-of-view, the plans for a new arena are extremely exciting. Hopefully we will know more before the end of 2007.