King Power Stadium

King Power Stadium
	Filbert Way
	Inside view of the King Power Stadium
Sponsor name (s)
	Walkers Stadium (2002-2011);
Data
place	Leicester , UK
Coordinates	52 ° 37 '13.2 " N , 1 ° 8' 31.9" W Coordinates: 52 ° 37 '13.2 " N , 1 ° 8' 31.9" W.
owner	Teachers Insurance
opening	July 23, 2002
First game	August 4, 2002 ; Leicester City - Athletic Bilbao 1: 1
surface	Natural grass with artificial grass fibers; (Desso GrassMaster)
costs	£ 37 million
capacity	32,312 seats
playing area	105 × 68 m
Societies)
	Leicester City;
Events
	Leicester City Games (since 2002); Rugby Union World Cup 2015;

King Power Stadium as seen from the Grand Union Canal

The King Power Stadium is a football stadium in Leicester in the East Midlands , where the Leicester City football club plays its home games. Until mid-2011, the stadium was called Walkers Stadium after the food manufacturer Walkers . In July 2011, the venue was named after the owner of the club and shirt sponsor, the Thai operator of duty-free shops King Power International Co., Ltd.

history

The stadium was built in 2002 and has a current capacity of 32,312 spectators. The former Leicester City venue was nearby Filbert Street with 22,500 seats. Due to the club's success in the 1990s and the growing popularity of football, the stadium became too small; besides, it was partly out of date. After a failed attempt to build a stadium with 40,000 seats at Bede Island South, the club turned its attention to the site of the former Freemans Wharf power station. The building permit was granted in November 2000 and on July 23, 2002 the stadium was officially opened by former Leicester player Gary Lineker . The first game took place on August 4, 2002 against Athletic Bilbao . The stadium on Filbert Street, 200 meters north, was demolished and a student dormitory was built in its place .

The rugby club Leicester Tigers announced in 2005 the intention to give up its own stadium on Welford Road and to share the King Power Stadium, which is almost twice as large, with Leicester City. The two clubs could not come to an agreement, so the plan was abandoned. However, the Tigers occasionally rent the stadium for games that are expected to attract a large number of spectators, particularly those in the Heineken Cup .

The playing field with underfloor heating is made up of natural turf with woven artificial turf fibers . Around 20 million synthetic fibers were inserted 20 cm deep into the ground. Over time, the lawn grows together with the synthetic fibers and becomes more resistant to heavy use.

As the venue for the Rugby Union World Cup 2015 , the stadium was named Leicester City Stadium during the tournament .