Parken Stadium
Parken stadium is the venue that normally hosts the international matches of Denmark’s soccer national team. It also plays host to concerts that so far have featured global stars such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Coldplay and many more. Time has finally come to make it home to world-class Volleyball too. “The final weekend at Parken stadium has already sparked echoes and much enthusiasm across Volleyball fans all over the world” says the Managing Director of the 2013 VELUX EuroVolley, Mads Bang Aaen. “This is going to be the experience of a lifetime, something that Volleyball fans simply can’t miss”.
Actually “only” half of Parken stadium will be used to host the semi-final and final matches of the VELUX EuroVolley 2013. The other section will be turned into a huge fan zone where supporters and Volleyball enthusiasts from as many as 30 countries will be able to party all together.
The transformation of Parken stadium into a Volleyball arena isn’t going to be that easy. Everything will get started by “closing” the huge roof which spreads over 14,000 sq. m. and weighs some 550 tons. Once this first step is completed, the lighting system and speakers will be installed so as to create the perfect atmosphere for the real climax of the EuroVolley 2013. While the height of a Volleyball arena normally stands at 12 m, the distance between the playing court and the ceiling at Parken stadium will be 38 m, so Europe’s best Volleyball players will be free to unleash their full power as they spike for glory!
The second step will be laying down 11,000 sq. m. of floor panels to cover the grass of the soccer stadium. This won’t be that easy; since only half of the soccer field will be used for the Volleyball matches, to make sure that the court is all even, a wooden plateau will first be set up. In order to cope with this challenge, the organizers of the VELUX EuroVolley have teamed up with local handball club AC COPENHAGEN that last year played a Champions League match against FC BARCELONA at Parken stadium and will share their experience to provide the right set-up. However, the next challenge – compared to handball – will be the installation of the net poles.
An underground heating system is available at Parken stadium so as to make sure that the grass does not freeze during the cold winter season, so the organizers have prepared two special iron plates that will be holding the net poles without damaging the field and the grass. Once the wooden plateau and the floor panels are laid down, the Gerflor will follow, together with LED advertising panels, a huge screen (50 sq. m.), 500 VIP seats, and Parken stadium will be finally ready to welcome the four best teams in Europe, more than 200 journalists as well as fans from 31 countries.
“The playing area will be located very close to the tribunes so that even though we play in a soccer stadium we’ll be able to create an intimate atmosphere” Mads Bang Aaen says. “Some extra tribunes will be added on the short sides of the court so that the fans will be able to follow the actions of their heroes as closely as possible”.
Once the final and the awards ceremony that follows will come to a close, and the kings of Europe’s Volleyball are crowned, a few hundreds of workers will show up and dismantle the Volleyball facilities to make sure Parken stadium returns to its ordinary look as rapidly as possible. It will be a kind of special hurricane, with that soccer stadium turning into the Mecca of Europe’s Volleyball for only 72 hours before going back to “normal life”.
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