A spectacular opening ceremony attended by a crowd of 40,000 opened the 52,500-seat Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul on 15 January.

AEG Facilities opened the 52,500-seat Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul on 15 January with a friendly match between home team Galatasaray SK of the Turkish Spor Toto Super Lig and Dutch club AFC Ajax. A spectacular opening ceremony was attended by a crowd of 40,000.

AEG Facilities has entered into a long-term operating agreement with Galatasaray to manage the venue. Turk Telekom Arena is AEG Facilities’ first Turkish venue in its network of more than 100 venues worldwide. The multi-purpose venue replaces Galatasaray’s 45-year-old Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul. In addition to Galatasaray’s home matches, the stadium will host concerts, special events, banquets, conferences and family shows.

Citation details: Article published by kind permission of Stadia Magazine, February 2011
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