Stadion Poljud
"The Poljud beauty" (Croatian: Poljudska ljepotica)
Panoramic view of the stadium
Full nameGradski stadion u Poljudu
LocationSpinut, Split, Croatia
Coordinates43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E / 43.51944°N 16.43167°E / 43.51944; 16.43167
OwnerCity of Split
OperatorHajduk Split
Capacity33,987
Field size105 m × 68 m (115 yd × 74 yd)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1977–1979
Opened12 September 1979 (1979-09-12)
ArchitectBoris Magaš
Structural engineerBoženko Jelić
Tenants
TypeProtected cultural good
Reference no.Z-6644[1]

Gradski stadion u Poljudu (English: City Stadium in Poljud), better known as Stadion Poljud (English: Poljud Stadium) or simply Poljud, is a multi-use stadium in Split, Croatia, which has been the home ground of Hajduk Split football club since 1979. The stadium is located in the neighbourhood of Poljud, which belongs to city district of Spinut.[2] It was opened in September 1979, and has a seating capacity of 33.987[3]

The venue was built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games and was opened by then Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. It had an original capacity of 55,000, increased to 62,000 in the 1980s, before being equipped with seats in the 1990s thus reducing the capacity to 33.987[4]

Poljud Stadium was also the venue for the 1990 European Athletics Championships and 2010 IAAF Continental Cup, while from 2013 to 2018, it hosted Ultra Europe annually.

Design

Poljud Stadium during the celebration of Hajduk Split's 100th birthday

Its trademark is a seashell-like design by Croatian architect Boris Magaš with a roof structure spanning at 206×47 meters. Its design offers views of nearby hills and forests from the stands, modelled after ancient Greek theaters. Suspended on the west roof "shell" are 19 cabins, 7 of them are used by TV reporters, with the others occupied by cameras, central referee station, photo finish, scoreboard, audio control, etc. All of these are interconnected via a catwalk that runs through a structure spanning the entire roof giving access to the cabins, as well as to the 630 Philips lights, placed along the brim and inner side of the roof.

Northern stand

Stands are supported by a construction of reinforced concrete with entrances via 12 bridges placed 30–40 meters apart around the entire stadium as well as eight staircases. Underneath them is a trench holding office areas. The area around the stadium is composed of 60,000 square meters of designed landscape with greenery designated for pedestrians, with the stadium slightly beneath the grade level of surrounding traffic roads. Placed under the western stands are 11,000 square meters of sports facilities (three gyms, pool, sauna), official club offices and restaurants, while the eastern stands cover 9,100 square meters of business areas. The inner stadium ground is composed of 105x68 meters football pitch and 8 running tracks surrounding it.[5]

The stadium was refurbished before hosting the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup athletics competition. A new tartan track was constructed, including the introduction of new VIP boxes and seats.[6] In October 2014, following heavy damage from Ultra Europe, a new pitch and drainage system were constructed, replacing the original ones that lasted for 35 years.[7]

In November 2015 the stadium was officially recognized as culture heritage.[8]

VIP stands
Poljud Stadium; showing the Mero roof structure and the figure of the stadium's architect Boris Magaš seen to the bottom right

International fixtures

Date Competition Opponent Score Att. Ref
Yugoslavia (1979–1991)
29 September 1979 1979 Mediterranean Games  France B 3–0 50,000
29 April 1981 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification  Greece 5–1 45,000
21 December 1983 UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying  Bulgaria 3–2 29,331
29 October 1986 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying  Turkey 4–0 12,270
31 March 1988 Friendly  Italy 1–1 12,000
Croatia (1991–present)
8 October 1995 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying  Italy 1–1 35,000
29 March 1997 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification  Denmark 1–1 35,000
2 April 1997  Slovenia 3–3 20,000
10 February 1999 Friendly  Denmark 0–1 7,000
23 February 2000 Friendly  Spain 0–0 10,000
12 February 2003 2003 Marjan Trophy  Poland 0–0 1,000
18 February 2004 Friendly  Germany 1–2 9,212
17 August 2005 Friendly  Brazil 1–1 27,256
6 February 2008 Friendly  Netherlands 0–3 30,000
4 June 2011 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying  Georgia 2–1 28,000
15 August 2012 Friendly   Switzerland 2–4 10,000
12 June 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying  Italy 1–1 0
10 October 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying  Hungary 3–0 32,110
17 November 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League  Portugal 2–3 0
7 September 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification  Slovenia 3–0 16,237
14 November 2021  Russia 1–0 30,257
6 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League  France 1–1 30,000

References

  1. "Gradski stadion Poljud". Registar kulturnih dobara. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  2. "Stadion Poljud". The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  3. "O Poljudu" (in Croatian). HNK Hajduk Split. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  4. Budget Airline Football – Football in Split
  5. hajduk.hr (1 December 2015). "Stadion Poljud - kulturno dobro Republike Hrvatske" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  6. "New seating boxes in Poljud stadium coming soon". split2010cc.com. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. nogometplus.net (23 October 2014). "Obnova poljudskog travnjaka najjeftinija u regiji" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  8. tportal.hr (1 December 2015). "Stadion Poljud proglašen zaštićenim kulturnim dobrom" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.