Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium

Construction

The idea of constructing a modern stadium in Brunei was first made by the former Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien III to commemorate the visit of Elizabeth II on February 29, 1972. A meeting was held on May 16, 1972 on which the special committee made a decision to build a stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan. Unusually for a public building in Brunei, members of the public donated and contributed towards the building of the stadium. Although the final collection of $1,102,761.57 accounted for a little more than 1.1 percent of the total building cost ($100 million), the public participation showed the Bruneians' great interest and support for this project. The entire project cost for the stadium is about $100 million.

Building

The stadium is 850 ft long and 632 ft wide. It can accommodate 30,000 spectators, which includes 110 seats for the royalties, 500 for the VIPs, and 3,000 in the grandstand section. It has four light towers — each is 198 ft high and equipped with 108 2-kilowatt metal-halide lamps. The grandstand is covered with aluminium roofs which have a total length of 198 ft and a total width of 135 ft. The parking spaces can accommodate 2,785 private vehicles and 158 buses. The building is oriented in north-south direction with the grandstand located at the western section. It has a football field which fulfills FIFA standards, as well as the running track which fulfills IAAF standards. The stadium has a videomatrix scoreboard located at the northern section; it can display both Latin and Jawi writing.

Opening

It was opened on 23 September 1983, the date was chosen to celebrate the 69th birthday of Bolkiah's father and predecessor Omar Ali Saifuddien III. On the evening of the opening day, a friendly football match was played between the Brunei national football team and an invited English Football League team, Sheffield United. Despite the jet lag and the humid weather, Sheffield United won 1–0. The next day another match was held between United and a Brunei invited team which ended in a 1–1 draw.

Renovation

The stadium was renovated from 2021 and completed in the middle of 2022. Home matches for the national football team were held at the Track & Field Sports Complex instead.

On 17 October 2023, the stadium hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Indonesia, opening its doors after last hosting the national team in 2019.

Major events

1999

• 20th Southeast Asian Games on 7–15 August.

2002

• Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy on 16–26 August.

2005

• Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy on 13–25 March.

2007

• Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy on 3–12 March.

2012

• Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy on 24 February–9 March.

2014

• Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy on 9–23 August.

References

Indonesia Main Venue Malaysia

References

1. "Stadium Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah - Soccerway".
2. (March 2010). "BRUNEI TODAY".
3. [http://www.bt.com.bn/en/life/2008/10/26/national_stadium_celebrates_its_25th_year National Stadium celebrates its 25th year] {{webarchive. link. (2009-02-14 [[The Brunei Times]], 26 October 2008)
4. (25 March 2021). "National stadium's renovation to be completed next year". Borneo Bulletin.
5. (18 October 2023). "NO HOME COMFORT FOR WASPS". BruSports News.