Lillekula Stadium

The Lillekula Stadium (known as A. Le Coq Arena for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. It is the home ground of football club Flora and the Estonia national football team. With a capacity of 14,336, it is the largest football stadium in Estonia.

History

In July 1998, Flora submitted a planning application to Tallinn City Council, requesting permission to build a new stadium on wasteland between railway lines in Kitsekula, close to the border with neighbouring Lillekula. Receiving the council's approval, Flora signed a 99-year lease on the estate and construction began in October 2000. The stadium was designed by Haldo Oravas.

The stadium was officially opened 2 June 2001, with a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Estonia and the Netherlands. The match saw Estonia's Andres Oper become the first player to score at the new stadium when he scored in the 65th minute, with the full-time result being a 2–4 loss.

In January 2002, A. Le Coq bought naming rights for the stadium and Lillekula Stadium.

Aside from football and other sporting events, several concerts have been held at Lillekula Stadium. Lenny Kravitz performed in 2005 and Aerosmith in 2007.

During the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, the stadium hosted 6 out of 15 tournament matches, including the final.

In 2012, Flora completed the transfer ownership of the Lillekula Football Complex, including Lillekula Stadium, to the Estonian Football Association.

In September 2016, it was announced that the stadium would host the 2018 UEFA Super Cup. In preparation for the match, the stadium's capacity was increased from 10,000 to 15,000. The 2018 UEFA Super Cup match between the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League winners Atletico Madrid was held on 15 August 2018, with Atletico Madrid winning 4–2 in extra time.

This page also has a version in other languages :  А. Ле Кок Арена (russian)