What is the Aviva Stadium?
The Aviva Stadium is a 51,700 capacity, fully seated sports stadium, which is the official home of the IRFU (Irish Rugby Football Union) and where the Irish national soccer team play their home matches.
So when it comes to sport, the Aviva Stadium is a very busy attraction.
Every year there are many sold-out international rugby matches, as the 6 Nations and other international ties are hosted here. The local professional provincial rugby team; Leinster, also play many of their bigger games here, including major European Cup and Pro14 ties, which are generally sold-out events too.
As well as those mammoth rugby games, there is never too much time before the next International football match – with the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches every 4 years and the qualifier matches for the UEFA European Football Championship in between that, plus an array of friendlies filling-in any long gaps. The boys in green are regularly fueling that world-famous atmosphere here and occasionally creating golden memories for the enthusiastic fans.
As well as international sports events, Aviva Stadium has hosted many extraordinary music concerts. AC/DC, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and Madonna are among the many iconic musical characters to have staged their shows inside this legendary sporting venue. Since the new and improved stadium was opened in 2010, there have been about two major concerts per year at the Aviva.
Also Known As ‘Lansdowne Road Stadium’
You may still hear people refer to this stadium as “Lansdowne Road” and there are two good reasons why they would.
The first is that from the 1870’s up until 2007, this sports ground was known as ‘Lansdowne Road Stadium’. The second reason is simply that it is located on Lansdowne Road, in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin 4.
It’s well worth remembering this fact because the Lansdowne Road DART station (Dublin area train service) is a stop located directly at the stadium.
In 2007 the old stadium was demolished to make way for a more modern stadium, which was up to UEFA and FIFA standards. Since the total rebuild, which was officially completed in 2010, the stadium has been branded as The Aviva Stadium, as part of a 10-year sponsorship deal with an insurance brand of the same name.
The new stadium is Ireland’s first and only UEFA Category 4 stadium (the highest level) which led to the 2011 Europa cup final being held in Dublin and a successful bid to be one of the 12 cities to host some games in the Euro 2020 international football championship as part of the UEFA’s 60th anniversary.
How Far is the Aviva Stadium From Dublin City Centre?
The Aviva is located deep into the south side of Dublin city, in the Dublin 4 area.
From O’Connell Bridge (roughly the centre of the city), for example, it is about 3km (under 2 miles) away. By foot, it would be a 35-40 minute weave through the city. However, if you were to take a train from one of the central DART (train) stations (i.e. Connolly, Tara St., Pearse St.) it would take a mere 5-10 minutes. So, really it’s not that far away. Obviously, if you’re enjoying what the south side of the city centre has to offer (e.g. the Dublin 2 area) you will be that bit closer to the stadium.
