( also Wembley Stadium )
a famous sports stadium in the district of north-west London of the same name. It opened in 1923 and was generally considered to be England’s national sports stadium. It closed in 2000 to allow for the new Wembley National Stadium to be built on the same site. After a number of initial delays, construction work began in 2003 and should be finished by 2006. The most important sporting event held at Wembley was the football FA Cup Final , which took place every year. The Olympic Games were held there in 1948 and England’s national football team played its home games there. Important Rugby League and hockey matches were also played at Wembley. Next to the stadium, a separate building, the Wembley Arena is used for rock concerts, shows (especially on ice) and sports events, especially competitions in showjumping (= the sport of riding horses over difficult barriers). The original name for the Wembley Arena was the Empire Pool as it contained a big swimming pool. Close to the Arena and Wembley Stadium site is the large Wembley Conference Centre, which opened in 1977.