Lyon Among Top Ten Future “Super-Stadiums”

By: Inara | April 3rd, 2008

This morning, Forbes published a list of the top ten “Super-Stadiums” that are in the process of being built. Of the ten, four of them will be football stadiums, and only two of them will be located outside the United States, the home to all things grand and excessive.

The mother ship has landed.

Lyon’s new stadium – still unnamed because the bidding for the naming rights haven’t taken place yet – is listed among these top ten “Super-Stadiums.” Extravagant and in your face, the stadium alone will make you want to come to games. And it’ll go a long way into making those higher ticket prices worthwhile (OL tickets are already the most expensive in France).

Positives are that the stadium is eco-friendly, using recycled materials, solar power, reusable water, and a “green design.” And it should hopefully force other stadiums in France to modernize. France, as you all know, is woefully behind in terms of stadium quality.

So what does it take to build a Super-Stadium? According to Forbes, the formula is:

Build new facilities with fewer seats and more luxury boxes, charge higher prices, earn more revenue, hire better players and reap more wins. Then turn around and raise ticket prices. It’s a sports business model that originated in America and is now spreading across the globe.

No wonder Jean-Michel Aulas insisted on having a Super-Stadium. He’s the poster boy of foot-business, a guy who knows how to blend together marketing, sports, and profit quite seamlessly. If all goes according to plan, Lyon will be able to host more games for the France National Team as well as a a Champions League final in the next ten years.

What we know for sure is that Lyon’s new €240m stadium will outclass all those in France and all but a select few in Europe…at least until another group of Super-Stadiums is built.

Top 10 Super-Stadiums:

Name/Team/Sport/Capacity/Cost

1. Unnamed – New York Jets+New York Giants – Baseball and American Football – 82,500 – $1.3 billion
2. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees – Baseball – 51,800 – $1.3 billion
3. Unnamed – Dallas Cowboys – 80,000 – American Football – $1 billion
4. Lucas Stadium – Indianapolis Colts – American Football – 63,000 – $625 million
5. Citi Field – New York Mets – Baseball – 45,000 – $600 million
6. Landsdowne Road Stadium – Irish National Team – Soccer – 50,000 – $576 million
7. Beijing National Stadium – Beijing Summer Olympics – Multi-use – 91,000 – $500 million
8. Unnamed – Olympique Lyonnais – Soccer – 60,000 – $379 million
9. Unnamed – Pittsburgh Penguins – Hockey – 18,500 – $300 million
10. Red Bulls Park – New York Red Bulls – Soccer – 25,189 – $140 million
11. Unnamed – Real Salt Lake City – Soccer – 20,000 – $110 million