The Aviva Stadium - Lansdowne Road, Dublin

This attractive stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team (soccer).

The stadium's roof is designed to undulate in a wave-like manner so as to avoid blocking light to local residences.

The stadium was officially opened on 14 May 2010 but I have not had the opportunity to see the inside of it until today.

The stadium has four tiers, with the lower and upper tiers being for general access, the second tier for premium tickets and the third tier for corporate boxes. The north stand, however, is single tiered due to its proximity to local housing. The premium level holds 11,000 spectators, while the box level holds 1,300. The remaining 38,700 seats are shared between the top and bottom tiers. The capacity of the stadium was criticised even before its opening for being too small, particularly in light of the large supporter attendance figures for Irish rugby internationals and soccer internationals at Croke Park since 2007. American Football In 2012, Aviva Stadium will host an American college football match billed as the Emerald Isle Classic between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen.