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İnönü Stadium (İnönü Stadyumu) was the home of Beşiktaş football club. It was located in the Dolmabahçe area of Istanbul and was also a short walk from Taksim Square.
History
İnönü Stadium was built between 1939 and 1947 by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi (1882-1965). It was originally named Dolmabahçe Stadium and had a capacity of 16,000. The stadium was inaugurated on May 19, 1947, by İsmet İnönü (1884-1973), the second President of Turkey, and Lütfi Kırdar (1887-1961), the Governor of Istanbul.
The first football match at the stadium took place on November 27, 1947, between Beşiktaş and AIK of Stockholm, Sweden. Beşiktaş lost 3-2. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba (1926-2014).
The stadium was renamed Mithatpaşa Stadium in 1952 and finally İnönü Stadium in 1973. It was expanded to 32,145 in 2004.
Final Game
The final game was played on May 11, 2013, with Beşiktaş beating Gençlerbirliği of Ankara 3-0. İnönü Stadium was demolished a few months later. Beşiktaş Stadium was built in its place and was completed in April 2016. The walls of the Eski Açık stand on the south side of İnönü Stadium were incorporated into the new stadium.
Concerts
In addition to football matches, İnönü Stadium was also used for concerts. The first concert to take place there was Bryan Adams on July 28, 1992. Michael Jackson performed there on September 23, 1993, in front of a crowd of 40,000. Other concerts include Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Sting, Rihanna, and Rod Stewart. The final concert took place on July 26, 2013, featuring Iron Maiden.
My Experience
When I lived in Istanbul, I passed İnönü Stadium several times on the way to and from work. I was only able to attend one football match. On April 15, 2011, I saw Beşiktaş play Gençlerbirliği. It ended in a 2-2 draw.
