UEFA marks ten years at headquarters

UEFA has celebrated the tenth anniversary of its House of European Football headquarters with festivities at the building in Nyon in western Switzerland.

Birthday ceremony
Guests, including the building's French architect and designer Patrick Berger and members of the local Nyon authorities, joined UEFA staff members present and retired for a ceremony to mark a memorable decade since European football's governing body moved into its new home on the shores of Lake Geneva.

1999 inauguration
The House of European Football, which has a total space of 62,000m² on a surface area measuring 80m x 30m, was inaugurated on 22 September 1999 and officially opened for work on 5 October 1999. Following invitations by UEFA to take part in a competition to design the body's new building in October 1993, and the choice of Berger's design in August 1994, building work began in November 1996 and the foundation stone was laid in April 1997.

Reflecting UEFA's being
Addressing the ceremony, UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said the building reflected the essence of UEFA's being in many ways, in particular through the transparency of the installations. Berger spoke of his ideas for the building, especially the way it should relate to nature, with views across Lake Geneva to Mont Blanc remaining unimpeded.

State of the art
UEFA moved to Nyon in 1995, where it operated from temporary premises while the House of European Football was being erected. The organisation's first offices after its foundation in 1954 were located in Paris before UEFA transferred to the Swiss federal capital Berne in 1960. The city was to stay UEFA's home for 35 years at three different sites before the switch to Nyon. Some 230 people now work at the House of European Football, which is also equipped with state-of-the-art installations including an auditorium, meeting rooms, reception areas, a restaurant and other facilities.

New building visit
Following the tenth anniversary activities, staff and guests were able to visit the new administrative building which is being constructed for UEFA opposite the House of European Football. The edifice, which will be ready next year, will enable UEFA to bring together staff members who are based at different sites, and meets high ecological and environmental standards.