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10 Years of Wembley Stadium
10 YEARS OF THE NEW
WEMBLEY STADIUM
It’s amazing to think that the re-built Wembley Stadium has been around for a decade this year. On 24 March 2007, England U21s and Italy U21s opened the ground, with the first professional event at the stadium.
Even during the initial teething stages of the new stadium, there were plenty of mutterings about its suitability to live up to its billing as a quality venue. However, Wembley Stadium has truly become the go-to venue for the entire country. The stadium has welcomed some of the biggest names in sport and showbiz performing on the famous turf.
It is and always will be the home of English football, with annual games including the Emirates FA Cup final, the EFL Cup final, the FA Community Shield, as well as all home internationals taking place there. Other sports to have graced the turf include the NFL International Series, bringing regular season NFL games to the UK for the first time ever.
In 2015 the Rugby World Cup brought two games to Wembley, and Rugby League’s Challenge Cup final is a well- attended annual event. Carl Frochs and George Groves’ 2014 boxing rematch created a post-war British attendance record for boxing. Even motor racing has taken place at the hallowed ground with the Race of Champions meet seeing top drivers.
like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button all taking to the asphalt to thrill fans. Wembley has also played host to music concerts from the likes of Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and U2, playing to crowds of up to 90,000 people.
The exclusive membership service, Club Wembley, was introduced with the re-built stadium 10 years ago and has played a massive part in the Wembley Stadium’s awakening. A membership is the only way to guarantee VIP seats for
a full range of events, with club members owning seats on the private tier of the stadium for an average of 10 games per season and getting first access to tickets and hospitality for all concerts and events. With a dedicated concourse for VIP guests, featuring everything from fine dining to gourmet burgers and Champagne bars, there’s no better way to enjoy the action off the pitch.
To commemorate 10 years of Club Wembley, the experience is being upgraded for 2017, with a three-season membership option. There is still the opportunity to join the last season of the current membership, and move seamlessly into the new programme until 2019. With flexible pricing and several membership options, this is the time to take your place in Wembley’s history.
2017 also marks the launch of the exclusive 120 Club which offers the ultimate sports membership to a select group of just 120 members and their guests. The very special club will combine the finest hospitality, with the best seats in the house, alongside many other benefits.
June is chocked full of music, with Manchester’s finest The Stone Roses and the legendary Jeff Lynne’s ELO both playing a night under the arch. Global pop sensation, Adele, is also set to play four lung-bursting sell-out shows in the latter half of the month. Autumn sees the England national team take centre stage with fixtures against Slovakia and Slovenia, while the razzmatazz of the NFL returns to London, with Wembley staging the Baltimore Ravens at the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints versus the Miami Dolphins.
Since its initial build in the 1920’s, Wembley has seen some incredible moments in sporting and pop culture history, here are just a few of the all-time greatest moments the famed stadium has seen.
- 1923 – ‘White Horse’ FA Cup Final – the first ever match to take place at what was known as the ‘Empire Stadium’, took place in April 1923 between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United in front of a whopping 200,000 spectators
- 1948 - London Olympics – a recovering post-war London hosted the Games which became known as the ‘Austerity Games’.
- 1963 - Henry Cooper vs Cassius Clay – 55,000 fans saw the controversial bout between Henry Cooper and the up- and-coming Cassius Clay, who went on to be known as the greatest heavyweight of all time, Muhammad Ali.
- 1966 - England’s World Cup win – the greatest moment in English footballing history is now over 50 years old, as Bobby Moore and co, beat the old rivals West Germany in a final for the ages.
- 1975 - Evel Knievel – world famous daredevil Evel Knievel rolled into Wembley attempting to jump 13 red double decker London buses...he didn’t make it. Despite significant injuries, he walked away from the accident, famously giving a thumbs up to the crowd.
- 1985 - Live Aid – Wembley welcomed 72,000 for the UK leg of the worldwide charity telethon, which attracted a TV audience of a whopping 1.5billion.
- 1986 - Queen Live at Wembley – Queen’s last ever tour before Freddie Mercury’s untimely death in 1991, was iconic for the image of Mercury dressed in a cape and crown with the national anthem playing.
- 1996 - Euro 96 – 30 years of hurt, Jules Rimet still gleaming...while England weren’t successful, they captured the nation’s hearts in the summer of ’96, before falling at the semi-final stage.
- 2007 - FA Cup final – the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba scored the winner against Manchester United in front of a crowd of almost 90,000.
- 2011 - Champions League Final – rated as one of the best players ever, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi led the Catalans to a 3-1 win over Manchester United in European football’s grandest occasion.
