Retractable roofs are becoming much more popular in football and sport in general.
Real Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabeu is the latest ground to feature a convertible roof. There are various other examples of football stadiums with retractable roofs, so we have gathered together some of our favourites.
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Santiago Bernabeu – home of Real Madrid
The Bernabeu reopened in 2023, with huge expansions in the hospitality sectors across the ground, along with a retractable roof and pitch surface.
While retractable roofs are usually closed at sports stadiums to protect the pitch in the event of inclement weather, they can also be used to try and gain an advantage.
Before Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City last season, they were given permission by UEFA to close the roof for the entire game.
This was done to ensure that the Madristas inside the ground created a cauldron atmosphere.
For league matches, Los Blancos don’t require permission to close the roof – a key difference to European matches.
The renovations at the Bernabeu, which cost the club over £1.5 billion, have certainly given the famous stadium an extra edge.
Johan Cruyff ArenA – home of Ajax
The Johan Cruyff Arena opened in 1996 and was the first football-specific stadium in Europe to have a retractable roof. In its early years, though, the condition of the grass when the roof was closed was problematic due to a lack of sunlight.
This issue has been resolved in the last couple of decades, with the introduction of an artificial sensor system to monitor the condition of the turf 24 hours a day. Ajax released an in-depth article on the “high-tech turf” at their home stadium back in May 2023.
Ajax said: “The Johan Cruijff ArenA has high-tech turf, enabling us to closely monitor the health and quality of the pitch. Sensors under the turf and light sensors on the roof assist in ensuring that the turf’s condition is scrutinised by a high-tech measurement and monitoring system 24 hours a day. The system thus calculates how much light, water or food each blade of grass needs, giving the ArenA’s turf specialists precise insight into how the grass is feeling and what it requires.”
Deutsche Bank Park – Home of Eintracht Frankfurt
Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, many stadiums in Germany were renovated, including the Waldstadion in Germany, which is now known as Deutsche Bank Park. The roof can be closed within 15 minutes and is connected with the huge TV screens which are located in the middle of the stadium above the pitch.
According to ECCON, “the entire roof spans over an area of 37,500 m², whereof 9,000 m2 are covering the playing field.” England played under a closed roof at Eintracht Frankfurt’s home stadium during their 1-1 draw against Denmark in the group stages at Euro 2024.
Other retractable roofs in football
There are other retractable roofs at football stadiums across Europe, including:
- Veltins-Arena – Home of FC Schalke 04
- Strawberry Arena – Home of AIK and Sweden National Football Team
- GelreDome – Home of Vitesse Arnhem
- Stadion Narodowy – Home of Poland National Football Team
- Tele2Arena – Home of Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby IF.
- Gazprom Arena – Home of Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Stade Pierre-Mauroy – Home of Lille
- Merkur Spiel-Arena – Home of Fortuna Dusseldorf
- Parken Stadium – Home of F.C. Copenhagen and Denmark National Football Team
FAQ’s
Why do some stadiums have a retractable roof?
There are numerous reasons that stadiums have retractable roofs, and one of them is to ensure that they can hold events all year-round, including concerts. As mentioned, the ability to close the roof can protect the playing surface and create a cauldron atmosphere inside the ground.
When was the first one designed?
The first sports stadium to have a fully retractable roof was the SkyDome in Toronto. It opened in 1989, and the first football match to be held at the ground was between Denmark League XI and Canada in January 1995. Ajax’s Johan Cruyff Arena opened a year later, which was the first retractable roof for a football-specific stadium in Europe.