Dublin's 50,000 all-seated Aviva Stadium - formerly the Lansdowne Road Stadium - has officially reopened.

The stadium, which will be the new home for Ireland's national rugby and football teams, is a joint venture by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

Funding of €191m was provided by the government for the project, which cost just under €410m.

Planning permission for the new stadium was received in March 2007 with work on site beginning two months later in May with the demolition of the old Lansdowne Road Stadium.

From the start of demolition, through to the handing over of the stadium to the FAI and IRFU, the project took slightly less than three years to complete.

The stadium was redeveloped by Populous and Scott Tallon Walker. The brief was to create a bold architectural statement without impacting environmentally on the Dublin skyline.

Project management for Aviva Stadium was provided by the PM Group working with KMCS while Sisks were the main contractors.

Philip Browne, chair of Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company (LRSDC), said: "It only seems like yesterday that the IRFU and the FAI, with more than a little assistance from the then Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, announced the formation of the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company.

"That was in September 2004 when all we really had was a vision, a vision to create a piece of world class sporting infrastructure that would do justice to our two most recognised international teams, which would also act as the financial engine to generate funding for the development of soccer and rugby in this country."

The stadium is Ireland's first, and only, UEFA Elite Stadium and in 2011, it will host the Europa League Final.

For more on the design of the stadium, see Leisure Management, Q3 2010, p. 21