New Workers' Stadium Set to Open Next Month

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After three years of construction, Workers' Stadium is finally set to reopen in mid-April for the 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) football season, according to the Global Times (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287421.shtml).

As we reported last year, the completely reconstructed Workers' Stadium, dubbed New Gongti by the stadium's construction company and local media, will have greater capacity: 2,000 new seats have been added to the total. Four tiers of seating and the erasure of the original stadium’s running track means capacity will top out at 68,000.

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While it won't be completed by April, the area surrounding Workers' Stadium will be made home to a host of fitness, lifestyle and dining facilities. The complex will be connected directly to the as-of-yet-to-be-opened Beijing Subway Lines 3 and 17 (which will have an interchange station under the stadium). The Global Times reports that Line 17 is scheduled to open in December of this year.

The original Workers' Stadium was first built in 1959, and underwent a major renovation in 2004. Before its complete teardown in 2020, it hosted hundreds of sporting events and concerts, including the 2008 Gold Medal Women's Football match; the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1990 Asian Games; visits from Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and FC Bayern Munich; and concerts from such notables as Mariah Carey, Linkin Park and Jay Chou.

While it isn't officially open yet, Gongti played host to a special New Year's gala put on by BRTV, which saw the return of Cui Jian to Gongti, who first played at the original Gongti way back in 1986.

We'll keep you posted with the latest on Workers' Stadium's reopening, as well as how to get tickets for the upcoming CSL season, as soon as we have details.

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Images: courtesy of 中赫工体

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