| OFI
Stadium "Theodore Vardinoyannis" |
| Capacity: 9,088 (all seated) |
| Location: |
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The
stadium is located in Heraklion (also: Iraklio) on the island
of Crete. Heraklion has an international airport, but you may also
get there by boat from Piraeus. The stadium is located in Kaminia,
a district west of the city centre. To get there (supposing you start
outside the archaelogical museum) follow the signs to Hania and exit
the venetian walls through Hanioporta.
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Do
not continue on to 62 Martyrs' Av towards Hania, but instead turn
right into Machis Kritis St, passing by the KTEL (intercity buses)
terminal. One km after the Hanioporta, just before you get to the
seafront, turn left into Kantanou St (there is a BP gas station at
the corner). You'll reach the stadium after 100m.
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| Built in: 1951 |
| Record attendance: 12,391 (OFI FC vs Olympiacos CFP - on 25/9/1988) |
| Home of: OFI FC (Superleague) |
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More
data: OFI Stadium is now named "Theodore Vardinoyannis",
to honor the man who linked his life with the club. The unusual shape
of the ground's stands has very much to do with its equally unusual
history. This piece of land used to be the old christian, jewish and
armenian cemeteries and was occupied by the club after the 2nd World
War. OFI's people went there one night and put a fence around the
abandoned graveyard. The place was then leveled with a bulldozer and
turned into a football field. However, part of the Armenian cemetery
exists to this day behind the north stand. It is the reason why this
particular stand has an irregular shape (its right side looks like
it is cut in two).
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Although
its stands remain the same since 1987 (when the... left half of the
northern one was built), the look of the stadium is different than
some years ago. In the summer of 2000 it was all covered with plastic
seats, reducing its capacity from 10,500 to 9,000. The latest works
of 2001 included the complete reconstruction of all the facilities
below the west and north stands and the replacement of their roofs.
For pictures with the old roofs see: 1
2 3.
The stadium was one of the official training venues for the football tournament of the 2004 Olympic Games. After the Olympics, in 2005, OFI FC opted to leave their ground for the then new Pancretan Stadium. The club's demotion to the 2nd Division in 2009 marked their return to their historic home. |
| The stadium is owned by the amateur OFI club. |
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