AL AIN // The 25,000-seater Hazza bin Zayed football stadium would be completed on schedule in October, its developer said yesterday, even though building only started midway through last year.
Bam International said it had placed the last roof trestle on the 45,000 square metre stadium, which will be home to Al Ain Football Club and will also host matches at the Fifa Under 17 World Cup in the UAE from October 17 to November 8.
The state-of-the-art stadium will include a six-storey commercial building, a sports complex and a children's club, and will be managed and operated by Al Ain Club Investment Company.
Entertainment events will also be held in the new venue.
Made from structural steel, reinforced concrete on piled foundations, and with aluminium and composite external cladding, it has a sweeping, palm bowl design.
Infrastructure work around the stadium includes roads, car parks, playing fields, landscaping and other utility services.
Bam International, a branch of the Dutch company Royal Bam Group, is working on the project in conjunction with sister company Bam Sports, which specialises in building stadiums, and Bam Contractors.
The complex geometry of the roof is made up of 38-metre-long steel trusses, each of which weighs 25 tonnes and is covered with a PVC tensile membrane, which shades the pitch and seating areas from direct sunlight.
UAE champions Al Ain will move into the new arena from the Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, which lacks modern amenities.
