ten years after the event
The TEDA soccer stadium, which carries the memory of Tianjin soccer, is back!
According to the Chinese Super League (CSL) schedule, in 2023, the Tientsin Tigers will have a dual home stadium system, with the Water Drop Stadium and the TEDA Football Stadium each hosting half of their home matches.On July 21st, the Tientsin Tigers will face Shenzhen at the TEDA Football Stadium. The TEDA soccer stadium will return to the Chinese Super League as the home of the Tianjinmen Tigers, and the upgraded new TEDA soccer stadium will also welcome the first official game. At the same time, according to the schedule of the Super League and the schedule of the FA Cup, in July this year, the Tianjin Tigers will play three consecutive home matches at the TEDA Football Stadium, i.e., July 21st against Shenzhen, July 25th against Shanghai Harbor, and July 28th against Changchun Yatai. By then, the TEDA soccer stadium, which carries countless beautiful memories of Tianjin fans, will once again appear in the public eye, presenting a smarter and more beautiful new posture.
TEDA soccer stadium witnessed the opening of the first Chinese Super League match
It also witnessed the most glorious decade of TEDA soccer.
Tianjin TEDA Football Stadium started construction in June 2002 and was completed and put into use in April 2004, which is the second professional soccer stadium in China after Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium. As one of the first professional soccer stadiums in China, TEDA stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the 2004 Chinese Super League. Since then, it has replaced the Civil Stadium as the home of Tianjin TEDA.
The first match at the TEDA soccer stadium to be officially opened was a friendly match between Tianjin TEDA and South Melbourne of Australia. It was the head coach of the Tianjin Tigers, Yu Genwei, who scored a goal for his team. For the next ten years, the TEDA Stadium was the home of Tianjin TEDA. From the opening match of the inaugural Chinese Super League (CSL) on May 15, 2004 to the last CSL match on October 30, 2013, the TEDA Football Stadium and the TEDA team hosted a total of 107 CSL matches, 3 FA Cups, 2 CSL Cups, and 9 AFC Champions League matches, and experienced the excitement of the AFC Champions League victories over Gamba Osaka and Jeju United as well as the hardships of relegation by penalty.
TEDA Football Stadium is located on the northeast side of the junction of Beihai Road and TEDA Street, with a construction area of more than 80,000 square meters. As one of Tianjin's iconic sports buildings, TEDA Football Stadium has just completed a renovation and upgrade project this year. The upgrade retains the original overall structure and mainly improves the local functions. The audience can still feel the familiar flavor of the "old friend" when watching the game.
In accordance with the latest standards of AFC, TEDA Football Stadium has been remodeled in terms of building and grounds. The building renovation includes: building functional layout adjustment, structure, eaves maintenance renovation, interior decoration, water supply and drainage, HVAC, strong and weak electricity, fire protection, floodlighting and other renovations. The field renovation includes: seat maintenance and replacement, field turf replacement, field-specific lighting, sound reinforcement system renovation, and outdoor integrated broadcasting area renovation.
The renovation transformed 36,000 new seats, with spectator seating in blue and yellow to emphasize the vibrant atmosphere of the stadium. The iconic four light towers and 22 steel trusses symbolizing the 22 players on both teams took on a new look, and the field lighting was upgraded to not only provide higher illumination, but also to save more electricity. The stadium's two large screens were also replaced with high-definition screens, while maintaining the same appearance. In addition, the stadium's turf is made of internationally leading anchor grass technology, which can meet the technical requirements of high-density fixtures and high-level events, as well as the strength requirements of international Grade A and above events.
In a match just concluded on July 2, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers turned back Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 on the road to go undefeated for 14 rounds in the Chinese Super League. The Jinmen Tigers now have six wins and eight draws in the 2023 Chinese Super League season, winning two consecutive matches and scoring 26 points to remain in fourth place and improve their unbeaten streak to 14 matches.
