Football stadiums are a sight to behold and are rightly regarded as engineering masterpieces. However, a question that comes up frequently is why the majority of these stadiums do not have roofs. Considering the weather in places like the UK, one has to wonder why roofed stadiums are hard to come by.
In summary, football stadium do not have roofs for several reasons. These reasons include the costs of construction, the complexity of construction and the natural light and air requirements of grassed playing surfaces. In addition , football is culturally known as a fun, outdoor sport. Having roofed stadiums may negatively impact this perception. However, there are advantages to having roofed stadiums. These include the fact that weather can no longer cause cancellations and that venues can be multifunctional.
Let’s take a look at the reasoning behind this.
Table of Contents
Why football stadiums do not have roofs
Construction costs are high
The standard cost associated with building an open air, traditional stadium is extremely high. To give examples; the construction costs for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (constructed in 2018) and Wembley Stadium (constructed in 2007) were reportedly USD$1.1 billion and USD$1.5 billion respectively.
It is estimated that adding a roof to a stadium could increase the costs of the project by up to USD$165 million.
Complexity of construction
A stadium is already a complicated structure requiring several moving parts; adding a roof would only increase that complexity.
“Building an unsupported structure that spans some 600 to 800 feet (180 to 245 meters) is more like building a bridge than a ceiling”. These were the words of Mark Waggoner, the CEO of an American based structural engineering firm.
Playing Surface Requirements
The grass that most football stadiums use is a half synthetic grass, half natural grass hybrid. However, it still needs natural sunlight to survive. This grass hybrid also needs air which it gets from natural winds in open air stadiums.
It would be difficult to simulate these air requirements in a permanently close environment. Having a permanently roofed stadium would require a playing surface that does not require natural light or air.
Many American football teams use permanent roof stadiums. However, this is not a problem as far as the playing surface is concerned; the majority of these stadiums use Artificial grass (AG) playing surfaces.
AG surfaces typically consist of a layer of rubber between the concrete bottom surface and an artificial grass layer. Although AG is easier to maintain, there are many reasons why football players would not want to make the switch. The main reasons for this are the following.
Artificial grass is much harder and rougher
The ground provides very little cushioning when you fall on AG. The rough surface also means you can easily bruise yourself. In addition, footballers require agility and quick turning movements during matches.
This means that softer surfaces that do not offer high resistance are favorable. Playing on hard surfaces (such as AG) can be bad on the joints because there is lots of pushback.
In the past there have been concerns over players playing on artificial surfaces due to the risk of Injury. A recent high-profile example of this is the match between Manchester United and AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.
United, who were used to soft and natural grassed playing fields, had to play on an AG surface. Although Paul Pogba was injured at the time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (The Manchester United manager) was quoted as saying “I wouldn’t risk Paul Pogba on astroturf even if he was available.”
Artificial grass makes the ball behave unpredictably
harder surfaces cause a difference in bounce, making the ball move quicker.
Artificial grass require different boots:
Different stud arrangements and soleplates are required for AG football boots. Although these AG boots do provide some relief to the effects of the harder surfaces, they can take a while to break in.
For a more detailed breakdown of the different materials used in football boots, click here to see another article I wrote. And for a more detailed description of stud arrangements of football boots, take a look at this article I wrote.
Solutions to playing surface requirements
Having said all of this, retractable roofs, that can be opened to allow natural light and wind in and closed off when required, do exist. For example, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is one of a small handful of stadiums in Europe with a fully retractable roof.
However, this leads back to our dilemma of cost and complexity of construction. To give you some numbers, the Millennium Stadium roof has roughly 4,500 components, 3.2km of tensioning cable, 200,000 nuts and bolts, and weighs an estimated 400 tons.
It also takes about 20 minutes for the roof to open or close. It’s fair to say that a structure of this magnitude and complexity requires a stroke of Engineering genius. Also lots of steel, lots of concrete and lots of cables (and money).
Despite this, innovative solutions to the problems associated with roofed stadiums are constantly being introduced. For example, the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand is the only permanently roofed stadium in the world with natural grass.
The roof is made of a strong, heat resistant plastic known as ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.
Weather isn’t a problem for football fans and players
Rain, snow, wind and beach balls are all considered to be welcome additions to football matches. They add unpredictability to the game by affecting the movement of the ball, causing teams to change tactics on the fly.
Besides, football stadiums are large, robust structures that can shield those inside from harsh winds. In addition, many stadiums do have partial roofs to provide at least some cover for spectators.
Atmosphere and Culture
This is entirely subjective, but the appeal of not having a roof also comes down to atmosphere and culture. Watching and playing football in open aired environments is tradition.
An argument could also be made that having football at the highest level played indoors could remove the idea that it is an inclusive sport.
Why having a roof is beneficial
Roofed stadiums can be multifunctional
A stadium with a roof can have far more functions than just being a venue for sporting events. Anything from concerts, boxing matches, tennis matches, and theatrical performances could be hosted in these stadiums. Also, with a closed roof, performers don’t have to worry about issues such as loss of acoustics.
Adaptable for the weather
There is a lot of flexibility with having the ability to call upon a roof to provide full coverage for both spectators and players when the weather takes a turn for the worst.
Which football stadiums have retraceable roofs?
Despite all of the above, there are still several roofed football stadiums in Europe. Below is a list of some of the largest roofed stadiums in Europe:
| Stadium name | Seating Capacity | Location | Stadium owners |
| Millenium Stadium | 74,000 | Cardiff, Wales | Wales national Stadium |
| The Johan Cruijff Arena | 55,000 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFC Ajax Stadium |
| The Gelredome | 34,000 | Arnhem, Netherlands | Vitesse Arnhem Stadium |
| Veltins-Arena | 62,200 | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Schalke 04 Stadium |
| Stade Pierre-Mauroy | 50,100 | Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France | Lille OSC Stadium |
| Krestovsky Stadium | 68,000 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Stadium |
Closing thoughts
There are several reasons for why roofed stadiums have not caught on in the European footballing scene.
Another factor worth considering is the frequency of construction and renovation of stadiums. Generally, large structures are built to last for up to 60 years before the need for renovations comes up.
It could be the case that decision-makers of stadiums have roofed design in their future plans.