10 | SPORTS VENUES 2023/24 www.stadiaworld.com INTRO STADIAWORLD: It’s fair to say, Wembley Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in the UK – what makes Wembley so special? Boylan: When you think of places that help define England, some instinctively leap to mind: Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament … and Wembley Stadium. Over the last 100 years it has been the main pivot point of football history in England, and for numerous other occasions that transcend sport and music, which have now been all etched into our shared heritage. Footballers want to play on the pitch, bands want to perform on stage and fans want to go to watch it all at Wembley because the big moments happen at Wembley. Yes, there are other great stadiums across the UK and the world, but we have a saying here that IT ALWAYS MATTERS MORE at Wembley. STADIAWORLD: What role does Wembley Stadium play in the (inter) national venue landscape? Boylan: Nationally, Wembley is still the home of England for both the men’s and women’s senior teams and the host for all major cup finals here in England. On the international circuit Wembley has hosted a World Cup Final in 1966. It has also been chosen for two men’s UEFA EURO tournaments – in 1996 and 2021. England were semi-finalists in the former and beaten finalists in the latter. Last year Wembley hosted the final of the Women’s EURO 2022 which saw the England senior women’s team – the Lionesses – go one step further and become European champions. At club level, to date Wembley has hosted seven UEFA Champions League Finals – more than any other venue. As a belated birthday present it will hold an eighth final in 2024. STADIAWORLD: Looking back on the history of the Stadium: What were the biggest highlights? Boylan: Although synonymous with football, Wembley has hosted a variety of sports throughout its history. Everything from the Olympics (1948 and 2012) to world title boxing fights, NFL clashes, speedway, show-jumping, Gaelic football, hurling, motorsport and greyhound racing. It has also held rugby matches of both codes and was a venue for the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Perhaps the three biggest events Wembley will always be associated with though, are the World Cup in 1966, Live Aid in 1985 and the Women’s EURO 2022. 1966 was special as it was a World Cup win on home soil. It is still to this day England’s greatest ever performance at a major football tournament. It was also a classic final, beating close rivals Germany 4-2 in extra-time with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick. It had all the drama you would want from a big game with the right result – if you were an England fan of course. Live Aid in 1985 was also special and really put Wembley on the map as a music venue. There were 70,000 fans in the stadium and along with the other Live Aid stage at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium, the concert was broadcast live to more than one billion people across 110 countries. There were many great performances that day from some of the world’s biggest stars at the time, but it was Queen and Freddie Mercury’s ability to get the crowd involved that everyone recalls. It was only 20 minutes but still considered one of the great stadium shows. Last year’s women’s EURO 2002 success was also epic. Not only was it a first success for an England team in over 50 years, it was a moment that propelled women’s football into the mainstream. It put women’s football on the back and front pages of every newspaper in the UK and Chloe Kelly wheeling away with her shirt off will be an iconic moment that will go down in the stadium’s history. STADIAWORLD: 2022 was a record year for Wembley. Can one say you successfully overcame Covid? Boylan: Strangely, we were the busiest venue in the country during the pandemic. We might have had no crowds and then some crowds, but we were operating and helping government with the Event Research Programme (ERP), which ultimately allowed for live events to come back in force. Covid perversely helped us retool and enhance our skill set. However, it was still a strange period, so it was gratifying to bounce back in such style. 2022 was just exceptional. Liam Boylan “The big moments happen at Wembley” On 28 April 2023, Wembley Stadium celebrated its 100th anniversary. In this interview with Liam Boylan, Wembley’s Stadium Director, STADIAWORLD looks back at the most important events of the venue as well as upcoming changes in the future. Picture: Wembley Stadium COVID HELPED US ENHANCE OUR SKILL SET
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