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 Interactive map of Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore | |
| Former names | Stadio Giglio (1995–2012) Stadio Città del Tricolore (2012–2013) |
|---|---|
| Location | P.le Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, 1 42122Reggio Emilia (RE) |
| Owner | Mapei S.p.A. |
| Capacity | 21,525[1] |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Tenants | |
| Reggiana (1995–present) Carpi (2011–2012) Sassuolo (2013–present) Italy national football team (selected matches) | |
Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore (Italian pronunciation:[tʃitˈtaddeltrikoˈloːre]; with the first half officially written inall caps)[1] is amulti-purpose stadium inReggio Emilia, Italy. It is currently the home ground ofU.S. Sassuolo andA.C. Reggiana, the former playing inSerie A, the latterSerie B.
The stadium holds 21,525 and was built in 1995, replacing theStadio Mirabello. It was given the nameStadio Città del Tricolore on 11 March 2012, having previously been called theStadio Giglio.[2] On 8 July 2013, the stadium was given the current denomination for ownership reason (acquired byMapei from thecomune of Reggio Emilia).[3]
The need for a new stadium in Reggio Emilia started when Reggiana gained promotion to Serie A in 1993: the club launched multi-year season tickets in order to raise money to build a new stadium of its property. The stadium was opened in 1995 with a sold-out match between Reggiana andJuventus. In the aftermath of Reggiana's dissolution and reconstitution in 2005, the club lost the property of the stadium, which was assigned to the Tribunal of Reggio Emilia.
The reconstituted Reggiana continued to play in the stadium and had its headquarters and its historical museum located in the Main Stand; in the same years the shopping mall "I Petali" was built behind the Away End and the East Stand, with a good range of shops, cinemas, gyms and restaurants. Stadio Giglio was renamed by the Municipality "Città del Tricolore", referring to the creation of theItalian Tricolour in Reggio Emilia in 1797.
The stadium is unique in that there is a water-filledmoat built between the pitch and the stands to try to prevent pitch invasions.[4] Because the water is supplied from a nearby river, there have even been cases in which bored fans have been seen successfully fishing in it.[4]
The stadium was being auctioned between 2010–13, after its co-owners A.C. Reggiana and MIRABELLO 2000 - S.p.a. gone bankrupt. Initial selling price of €6 million had to be significantly lowered as no bids were presented.[2] In 2013, an offer was received and accepted from the manufacturer MAPEI, owned by former Confindustria president Giorgio Squinzi, which also ownedU.S. Sassuolo Calcio, promoted to Serie A at the end of the 2012–13 season. The stadium was then renamed "MAPEI Stadium" due to sponsorship reasons.[5][6]
Sassuolo's move and MAPEI's acquisition and subsequent renaming of the stadium have led to significant backlash from Reggiana supporters.[7] The protests included demonstrations at the 2015TIM Trophy and during some Sassuolo's Serie A games and the formation of a group called "Via il Sassuolo da Reggio Emilia" (Sassuolo out of Reggio Emilia), but also marches through the city center to raise the attention on the topic. In June 2016 a group of Reggiana ultras attended theCampionato Primavera match held in the stadium betweenRoma andJuventus and protested against the stadium’s ownership.[8] In September 2016, Luca Vecchi, Mayor of Reggio Emilia, was heavily booed by the fans during the club's presentation due to the Municipality position on the dispute.[9]
It is currently used mostly forfootball matches and is the home ground ofReggiana. It also hosts largerrugby union matches for theUnited Rugby Championship teamZebre ofParma.
Football clubCarpi used the ground for home matches during the 2011–12 season. In the 2013–14 season, the promoted Serie A side,Sassuolo, played at the ground. They signed a two-year rent deal with Reggiana, which manages the venue. The agreement struck with Reggiana also included infrastructural improvements, including new benches and locker rooms, along with the development of new marketing and trade policies, which aimed to take advantage of the business opportunities that come with the club's Serie A promotion.[10] The stadium was consequently renamedMapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore.[3]
The stadium hosted the2016 UEFA Women's Champions League Final betweenWolfsburg andLyon,[11] the2020 Supercoppa Italiana betweenJuventus andNapoli,[12] and the2021 Coppa Italia Final betweenAtalanta and Juventus.[13]
| Preceded by | UEFA Women's Champions League Final venue 2016 | Succeeded by |
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44°42′53″N10°38′59″E / 44.71472°N 10.64972°E /44.71472; 10.64972
