FOOTBALL clubs are always on the lookout to make themselves stand out and drafting stadium designs is no different.
There have been AI creations of future homes for the Premier League, but an even weirder concept almost became a reality in Saudi Arabia.
The Rock stadium would have been one of the weirdest ever
The pitch would have sunk into the ground
It would have been used by Saudi side Al-Ain
It has been compared to a James Bond villain’s lair
The ground would have been in a mountain range
Al-Ain had a design made up for the Rock Stadium that would be situated in the Jebel Hafeet mountain.
MZ Architects had originally wanted to build the ground in the desert but after a visit to the mountain changed their mind.
The location is a popular tourist spot 14 miles south of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi city of Al-Ain.
The architecture firm was reminded of an Ancient Greek amphitheatre by the location and drew up some innovative ideas.
The Rock Stadium was designed to have a cave-like entrance and to be sunken into the ground.
It would have also featured seats carved out of the natural hills for the visiting spectators.
The roof of the ground would have been modelled after desert hills.
Materials for its construction would have come from the excavated area to make it more sustainable.
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The stadium was estimated to have been able to hold up to 40,000 fans.
This would have made it a bigger capacity ground than the likes of Elland Road, Hillsborough Stadium and The City Ground.
The Rock Stadium’s concept designs drew comparisons to that of a villain’s “secret fortress in a James Bond movie”.
However, the ground has not been constructed, and its future is uncertain.
There is no scheduled date for the building to start according to Bloomberg.
Despite being no closer to being created the designs have earned multiple awards.