REALIZACJE

Stadion Maracana

To football (soccer) fans the world over, if there was a center of their sport's universe, it would no doubt have to be Maracana. After all, football is the world's most popular sport. And, only Brazil has achieved the standing as the world's top national football team four times (with World Cup victories in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994). So, it is really no surprise that the home stadium for the most highly honored team from the world's most popular sport would have attained a level of reverence unlike any other sporting facility on the planet.

Through the years, Maracana has played host to some of football's most famous teams and famous players. But it did so on a field of play that was being recognized as increasingly dangerous, with an irrigation system featuring sprinklers that were sized too big and located too conspicuously for the safety standards of modern sports. The installation of Hunter rotors fulfilled the new irrigation system requirements set forth by FIFA, the world's governing body for football, thus ensuring Maracana would continue to be a high profile facility held in high regard by the nation's football fans.

How important is Maracana? Ask a tourist what the most notable spot in Rio is and they will probably name Copacabana or Ipanema or Sugar Loaf. But ask a local the same question and chances are their answer will be Maracana.

The country of Brazil has, arguably, more large-scale stadiums than any other major football playing nation. And while all of these will be considered a treasure by their regional followings, only one can claim to be truly held in regard as a national shrine - Maracana.

When the stadium opened on June 16, 1950, it was officially known as the Estadio Municipal. Later, in 1964, it was named after Mario Filho, the founder of Jornal dos Sports, Rio de Janeiro's daily newspaper. However, to the locals, it was simply called the Maracana, taking its name from the small river that flows by the facility. The name given by the people took the place of the formal name and eventually the stadium became known to the world simply as Maracana.

In the 1950s, by the standards of the time, Maracana was considered one of the premier stadiums in the entire world. The stadium was built entirely of reinforced concrete as a giant oval of two tiers, divided by a smaller intermediate level of open boxes. Circling the rear 34 rows was a dramatic sweeping roof, which, at that time, was the largest spanning cantilevered cover in the world, spanning nearly 30 meters. Maracana also became known as one of the world's most luxurious stadiums. The underground dressing rooms and separate players lounges were considered the most lavish of the era, with such extra touches as oxygen masks for any player suffering from the effects of the region's dreaded humidity. In addition, Maracana boasted several restaurants, a hostel, a children's play area and a small hospital. Plus, the venue's elegant VIP section had its own elevators, a true novelty for the day.

Officially, there were 125,000 seats and standing room for approximately 30,000 more people. However, those figures were exceptionally modest when compared with some of the actual totals that packed into the stadium for various events. In the final game of the 1950 World Cup, the tournament for which the stadium was first built, a paying crowd of 172,772 turned out. But thousands more mobbed the gates which resulted in an overall total of 199,854, a world record crowd for a stadium sporting event (some reports stated that the crowd actually exceeded the 200,000 mark).

Maracana also holds the record for a club (non-international) football match, when 177,656 attended a battle between two Rio teams, Flamengo and Fluminese in August 1963. And, in April 1990, Maracana set the record for the largest stadium-based concert attendance when Paul McCartney and Wings played to a crowd of 184,368.

Through the years that Maracana has played host to many historic events, it did so with a field that was irrigated in the - prevailing method of the day - with giant sprinklers that used long sprays of water. These "liquid cannons" shot water in from the sides of the playing field and, even though they were located in an out of bounds area, their large exposed surfaces were long considered to be inefficient and a risk to the safety of players.

In the late 1990s, FIFA passed a ruling that all sites for international competition would have to meet new standards for their irrigation systems. No longer would these facilities be allowed to use the giant sprinklers. Citing them as too dangerous to the players' safety, FIFA decreed that all stadiums would have to install smaller size sprinkler heads with protective rubber body caps. These new sprinklers would be placed right on the field of play itself, which would thus necessitate a complete overhaul of the existing piping and existing system layout.

In February 1998, a complete renovation of the field and irrigation system took place at Maracana. Under the authority of FIFA, Hunter I-31-ADS heads with #20 nozzles were installed with spacing at 23 x 20 meters. The I-31 rotors were chosen over a wide array of other sprinklers because of the product's proven performance, unsurpassed reliability and, most importantly, its ProTechT safety system. Featuring the industry's smallest exposed surface area in its category, the I-31's heavy duty rubber cover and boot keeps playing areas safe.

Along with the rotors, Hunter ICV-151 valves were installed. And, since the heads would now be located on the field of play, an entirely new pipe network had to be laid under the playing surface, as well.

The Hunter I-31 rotors and ICV valves are just two of the products that comprise Hunter institutional series of irrigation products. Other products include the ICC controller and the I-41 and I-60 rotors. The ICC uses the revolutionary concept of modules (consisting of either four or eight stations) to "build" a controller to the desired number of stations, up to 32 in a plastic cabinet or 48 in a metal cabinet. The I-41, Hunter's top-of-the-line rotor, is the number one choice at sports facilities the world over, as well as a winner at parks and commercial sites. The I-60, the newest addition to the Hunter line-up, is a large turf rotor engineered to meet the demanding needs of systems faced with both lower pressures and smaller budgets.

Today, the world's most famous football stadium is a half a century old. And, with its magnificent new irrigation system helping to make its turf look more green and lush than ever, Maracana shines like a jewel and no doubt sets a high standard for other football fields the world over to live up to.