AIK

Ground: Friends Arena

Visits (AIK match): 1

Visits (Sweden match): 3

AIK

Date: 7th April 2013

Match: AIK - Syrianska 0-0 (Allsvenskan)

Attendance: 43 463

Sweden

Date: 22nd March 2013

Match: Sweden - Ireland 0-0 (FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifier)

Attendance: 49 436 (personal record for a match in Sweden)

Date: 14th June 2015

Match: Sweden - Montenegro 3-1 (Euro 2016 qualifier)

Attendance: 32 224

Date: 7th June 2019

Match: Sweden - Malta 3-0 (Euro 2020 qualifier)

Attendance: 26 421

At the start of the last decade more and more people realised something had to be done about Sweden´s national stadium. Råsunda Stadion was opened in 1937 and was feeling old and tired. At first the plans were to rebuild Råsunda but those proposals became too expensive and other sites were looked into. Next to Solna commuter station a site was found and after discussions with Solna city council it was decided the new stadium was to be built here. The plans also include shopping malls, hotels, offices and residential apartments. In May 2009 Crown Princess Victoria took the first sod and the building works could start. Swedbank bought the naming rights for the new stadium and our new national stadium was supposed to be called Swedbank Arena. In March 2012 it was announced Swedbank had given the naming rights to the Friends foundation though. Friends is a foundation working against bullying. Friends Arena has a capacity of 50 000 and a retractable roof. In Sweden we have long cold winters but with the new stadium matches can be played even in February without fans freezing.

27th October 2012 Sweden´s new national stadium was inaugurated with a concert and 14th November the first ever football match was played at Friends Arena. Sweden hosted England and after four goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, including THAT bicycle kick, Sweden won 4-2. In March 2013 Sweden played Ireland in the qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was the first ever competitive match at Friends Arena.

Report (AIK-Syrianska):

Sweden had already played three matches at Friends Arena but for supporters of Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) the real home premiere was AIK´s first ever Allsvenskan match at their new home. Kick-off for the match against Syrianska was 15.00 on Sunday afternoon. This meant I could travel to Stockholm/Solna and back the same day. At 07.06 my train left Kristianstad and by 11.44 (on time!) I was once again at Stockholm C. I had something to eat at the station before making the short journey to Solna. It was quite cold (around 5 °C) and a clear blue sky, making this a perfect opportunity for taking exterior pictures. For this match I had bought a seat in tier 2, I will probably not be back at Friends Arena for a while a thought it would be a good idea to have a really good view for this historic match. for this match 48 000 tickets had been sold. AIK only count people actually at the match meaning I was still not sure if this match would be a new all-time record attendance for an AIK home match.

Unlike for Sweden matches Friends Arena is not all-seated for AIK matches. Around 5 000 fans can stand in the lower tier of the North Stand ("Norra Stå", exactly like at Råsunda). For the three matches Sweden have played at Friends Arena the atmpshere have been poor. This time around it was completely different. Am impressive tifo was followed by more or less non-stop singing and chanting from the AIK-supporters. Even the 2 000 or so visiting fans from Södertälje did their best to create an atmosphere this afternoon. What about the match then? Well, it finished 0-0 and was a scrappy affair. AIK the inside of the post in the first half and Syrianska had some half chances but most fans left Friends Arena disappointed. They had hoped for something memorable this historic day. For AIK Friends Arena could be a real money spinner and if they can sort out the acoustics it will be the home ground they really want and have dreamt of. The old attendance record (40 669 from 1975) was beaten today but with a derby against Djurgården coming up the new record might be beaten then

Between 1937 and 2012 AIK played their matches at Råsunda in Solna. This stadium was also "Sveriges nationalarena för fotboll" (Sweden´s national stadium for football).

Pictures and info about Råsunda can be found at Råsunda

Report (Sweden - Ireland):

Sweden have started the qualifying to the 2014 World Cup with two wins and a draw. Germany will most likely win the group so Sweden vs Ireland is an important match when it comes to deciding the runner-up spot. I travelled to Stockholm by train and after a 4,5 h journey I arrived around 17.50 at Stockholm C. Staying for one night only I felt it would be convenient to stay at a hotel close to the train station. Being a one minute walk from the main exit the hotel was a close as it gets. Kick-off at Friends Arena this Friday evening was at 20.45 and by 18.55 I was standing outside our new national stadium. It was a bitterly cold night, around -8 °C when the match started, but thankfully the roof was shut meaning a slightly more comfortable +18 °C. My seat was in block 101, row 18, right behind the goal. This block was for members of the supporters club only and prices were discounted at 250 SEK (30 Euros). It was 800 SEK for the side stands and 400 SEK for the end stands for non-members. After taking a few pictures I had something to eat and drink. Friends Arena ticks every box when it comes to being a modern ground but it felt more like being at a cinema/event than a football match.

The match itself was awful and ended 0-0, the only logic result considering the poor display from both teams. Camp Sweden tried to get the home fans going but even though there was a decent atmosphere early on it was difficult to excite the fans. The 4000 or so Irish fans did their best as well but I wouldn´t say this was a match with a good atmosphere. I will be back at Friends Arena for AIK´s opening match (vs Syrianska) and hopefully that match will bring a better atmosphere

friends arena, vy