Structure and Facilities
Gateshead International Stadium and its various facilities occupy 24.4 hectares (60 acres) of land. The main athletics arena at Gateshead International Stadium is an all-seater, bowl-shaped arena consisting of four stands of red seats. The precise capacity of the stadium is difficult to ascertain; some sources claim it to be 11,750, others 11,762 and some sources provide a figure of 11,800 The main stand is the Tyne and Wear Stand, a steep, cantilevered structure and which seats 3,300 spectators. The stand contains toilet and catering facilities and also a bar area. Opposite is the East Stand, a 4,000 seat capacity stand which had been uncovered until 2010 when a cantilevered canopy roof was installed. A bespoke design by Fabric Architecture and built by Willmott Dixon Construction, the roof is a 30 metres (98 ft) structure incorporating five barrel vault forms. Part of the improvement plan which saw the roof installed was the additional provision of toilet and catering facilities in the East Stand and these too were completed in 2010. The South Terrace, sometimes referred to as simply the 'South Stand', consists of a continuous, uncovered bank of seating in eight blocks with access through four turnstiles. The North Terrace is opposite and consists of two blocks of uncovered seating separated by a large scoreboard.
The athletics track in the main arena was laid in 2003 and is an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) standard, 400m oval consisting of eight lanes. It is a polymer synthetic tartan track track with a depth of 3 centimetres (1.18 in). The sprint straight also consists of eight lanes and is situated in front of the Tyne and Wear Stand, adjacent to the long and triple jump area. A height-adjustable water jump, for use in steeplechase racing, is located on the inside of the track. Floodlights are used to allow for athletics events to be held at night. The inner track area, which is also floodlit, is an IAAF standard-sized grass surface used for athletics field events, rugby and football. When used for the latter, the pitch diameter is 100 by 64 metres (109.4 yd × 70.0 yd). The stadium has facilities to host all standard field events.
The facilities in the main arena are supplemented by various supplementary facilities. To the rear of the North Terrace are two third generation artificial pitches. The pitches were constructed by Desso Sports Systems, are UEFA licensed, fully floodlit and full sized for use in competitive rugby, football and American football. Alongside these are two grassed and one sand dressed playing areas which are also floodlit. Behind the Tyne and Wear Stand is an indoor sports hall. This contains a 33 by 44 metres (36.1 yd × 48.1 yd) playing area which is marked out for various sports including badminton, netball and tennis. An indoor athletics facility used to be housed alongside the sports hall. This consisted of a 50 metres (55 yd) long, synthetic sprint straight and facilities for throwing and jumping events, but the facility was somewhat bedeviled by problems and a more modern indoor facility replaced it in 2006. There is now a 60 metres (66 yd) sprint straight in an 82 metres (90 yd) hall, throwing and jumping facilities and a weights room and gymnasium.
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