Fans sit pretty at UEFA Super Cup

On Thursday 24th September, the UEFA Super Cup was held in Budapest, meaning that Puskás Aréna was the first stadium to partly reopen to fans of UEFA leagues after lockdown. FC Bayern Munich and Sevilla FC supporters arrived to cheer on their teams, and sat comfortably on their seats provided by Forum Seating, a division of Nowy Styl.

Puskás Aréna in Budapest is one of the most modern and most recently constructed stadiums in the world, having opened in the autumn/fall of 2019. The Hungarian facility was one of the arenas where the UEFA European Championship (UEFA EURO 2020) was supposed to be played in 2020. The calendar of football events was, however, ruined by the coronavirus pandemic.

In March, both national league and European Cup games were cancelled. A few months later the players resumed the games, but the stadiums remained closed to the public. Champions League and European Cup, to mention just two, were played in front of an empty stadium. The former was won by German Bundesliga’s FC Bayern Munich, while the latter was claimed by Spanish LaLiga’s Sevilla FC.

Meeting of giants

In late August, UEFA decided that the Super Cup, a meeting of the two abovementioned giants, would be played on 24th September in Budapest. For the first time in a few months, football fans would once again be allowed to enter the stadium. This time, however, there would be no crowds, with the number of spectators reduced to 30% of capacity, which meant that Puskás Aréna could welcome approximately 20,000 spectators, instead of the usual capacity crowd of 65,000.

When the final whistle blew, it was the FC Bayern fans who left victorious, following a nail-biting extra-time victory, which ended 2-1, and sees the German team become only the 10th club to win the UEFA Super Cup more than once.

Sitting pretty

The project completed for the Hungarian national stadium was the largest job in the history of Forum Seating, a brand owned by Nowy Styl, known for providing solutions to public facilities. In addition to the more than 65,000 seats and VIP chairs, Forum Seating provided a range of other solutions to Puskás Aréna, such as commentators’ tables, landings for the disabled and camera operators, and a complete set of railings.

You can read more about the Puskás Aréna stadium design HERE.

Jakub Rachfalik, Forum Seating Brand Managing Director said prior to the Super Cup:

We are sure that the football fans who will have the opportunity to watch the Europe Super Cup live are in for an unforgettable experience, and we hope those watching the game at home will soon be able to cheer their team at the stadium!

Nowy Styl / Forum Seating will be showcasing their Premium Seating and VIP solutions at the next edition of ALSD International, being held at Anfield Stadium, March 15-16, 2021.

Images, courtesy: Forum Seating / Nowy Styl

#football #UEFASuperCup #SportsBiz #Stadia

The upcoming ‘hybrid’ edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector – will focus on increasing revenue via new builds, renovations, service expansions & technology, and reopening with confidence.

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