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National Stadium, Lagos

Multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria

Summary

Multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria

Field	Value
name	National Stadium, Lagos
image	National Stadium Surulere.jpg
fullname	National Stadium
former_names	Surulere Stadium
location	Surulere, Lagos
built	1961
opened	1961
renovated	1972, 2024
expanded	1972
architect	Isaac Fola-Alade
project_manager	Albino Luigino Davanzo
owner	Nigerian government
surface	Grass
capacity	55,000 (1972)
45,000 (1999)
record_attendance	85,000
tenants	Cowrie Rugby Football Club (rugby union)

45,000 (1999)

The Lagos National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria. It comprises an Olympic-size swimming arena and a multipurpose arena used for athletics, rugby union, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling and boxing matches. It was used mostly for football matches until 2004. It has hosted several international competitions, including the 1980 African Cup of Nations final, the 2000 African Cup of Nations final, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. It also served as the main stadium for the 1973 All-Africa Games.

History

When the stadium was built in 1972, it had a capacity of 55,000. The capacity was later reduced to 45,000 in 1999. The highest attendance, 85,000, was recorded in the final match of the African Cup of Nations in 1980 between Nigeria and Algeria.

Its 50-meter pool was closed in 1999.

For unknown reasons, the National Stadium had been left in dilapidated state since the early 2000s until 2022 when the FG began renovation work at the stadium. It last hosted a national team game in 2004, with football matches moved to the nearby Teslim Balogun Stadium. It is now occasionally used for religious gatherings and has been taken over by area boys and squatters. In 2009, the National Sports Commission begun a concerted effort to bring the facility back to world class status.

Notable football events

[[1980 African Cup of Nations]]

Date	Team 1	Result	Round
8 March 1980		3–1	Group A
	2–1
12 March 1980		2–1
	0–0
15 March 1980		1–1
	1–0
19 March 1980		1–0	Semifinal
21 March 1980		2–0	Third place match
22 March 1980		3–0	Final

[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship]]

Date	Team 1	Result	Team 2	Attendance	Round
2 April 1999		1–1		37,500	Group A
4 April 1999		4–0		2,500
7 April 1999		2–0		20,000
	1–3		18,000
10 April 1999		1–2		25,000
	2–1		22,000
14 April 1999		2–2		1,500	Round of 16
18 April 1999		2–1		10,000	Quarter-final
21 April 1999		1–2		8,000	Semi-final
24 April 1999		1–0		35,000	Third place play-off
	4–0		38,000	Final

[[2000 African Cup of Nations]]

Date	Result	Attendance	Round
23 January 2000	4–2	80,000	Group D
25 January 2000	1–0	8,000
28 January 2000	0–0	60,000
29 January 2000	0–0	5,000
1 February 2000	2–2	2,000	Group C
3 February 2000	2–0	60,000	Group D
7 February 2000	2–1	Quarterfinal
10 February 2000	2–0	Semifinal
13 February 2000	2–2	Final

Architecture

The National Stadium was designed by Fola Alade Associates in the year 1970. Construction and supervision took place between 1971 and 1973 by Fola Alade the architect who designed the stadium, before the All African games that happened in 1973 you can find more details here. The stadium was used as the major sporting facility for the games.

Gallery

File:ASC Leiden - Rietveld Collection - Nigeria 1970 - 1973 - 01 - 090 Pan African Games Lagos January 7-18, 1973. Runners in the starting position on courts in the stadium - Lagos.jpg|Pan African Games Lagos January 7–18, 1973. Runners in the starting position on courts File:Swimming Pool In National Stadium Lagos.jpg|Swimming Pool In National Stadium Lagos

References

Lashem, Favour. (2023-04-28). "National Stadium Lagos prone to danger due to neglect – Expert Newsdiaryonline".
Ayeyemi, Dayo. (2023-04-25). "Worry over derelict National Stadium, other abandoned buildings".
Aiyejina, Tana. (2023-04-24). "Lagos stadium: From West Africa's best to national shame".
(2023-09-04). "FG considers rebuilding National Stadium Lagos".
Olanike Igandan-Dada. (October 26, 2015). "How poor Lagos facility hampers Nigeria's quest for swimming medals". [[The Guardian]].
(2006-11-09). "The abandoned National Stadium in Lagos (Editorial)". Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com.
"2004 LG Cup results (rsssf.com)".
Ugbodaga, Kazeem. (2006-11-06). "Lagos Agog For Bonnke". Independent Communications Network Limited.
Adingupu, Charles. (2007-03-04). "Hoodlums on Lagos highway". Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com.
Salami, Adekunle. (2008-01-02). "Squatters take over National Stadium". Punch Nigeria Limited.
(January 2018). "NSC promises to refurbish Lagos National Stadium". Guardian Newspapers Limited (12-23-2009) }}{{dead link.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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