Stadion Poljud

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.^[1] It was opened in September 1979, and has a seating capacity of 33.987^[2]

Stadion Poljud

Poljudska ljepotica
Panoramic view of the stadium
Full name	Gradski stadion u Poljudu
Location	Spinut, Split, Croatia
Coordinates	43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E / 43.51944°N 16.43167°E / 43.51944; 16.43167Coordinates: 43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E / 43.51944°N 16.43167°E / 43.51944; 16.43167
Owner	City of Split
Operator	Hajduk Split
Capacity	34,198
Field size	105 m × 68 m (115 yd × 74 yd)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	1977–1979
Opened	12 September 1979; 43 years ago (1979-09-12)
Architect	Boris Magaš
Structural engineer	Boženko Jelić
Tenants
Hajduk Split (1979–present) ŽNK Hajduk (selected matches) Croatia national football team (selected matches) Ultra Europe (2013–2018)

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^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

In November 2015 the stadium was officially recognized as culture heritage.^[7]

 

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	[1]
29 April 1981	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification	Greece	5–1	45,000	[2]
21 December 1983	UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying	Bulgaria	3–2	29,331	[3]
29 October 1986	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying	Turkey	4–0	12,270	[4]
31 March 1988	Friendly	Italy	1–1	12,000	[5]
Croatia (1991–present)
8 October 1995	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying	Italy	1–1	35,000	[6]
29 March 1997	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification	Denmark	1–1	35,000	[7]
2 April 1997		Slovenia	3–3	20,000	[8]
10 February 1999	Friendly	Denmark	0–1	7,000	[9]
23 February 2000	Friendly	Spain	0–0	10,000	[10]
12 February 2003	2003 Marjan Trophy	Poland	0–0	1,000	[11]
18 February 2004	Friendly	Germany	1–2	9,212	[12]
17 August 2005	Friendly	Brazil	1–1	27,256	[13]
6 February 2008	Friendly	Netherlands	0–3	30,000	[14]
4 June 2011	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying	Georgia	2–1	28,000	[15]
15 August 2012	Friendly	Switzerland	2–4	10,000	[16]
12 June 2015	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying	Italy	1–1	0	[17]
10 October 2019	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying	Hungary	3–0	32,110	[18]
17 November 2020	2020–21 UEFA Nations League	Portugal	2–3	0	[19]
7 September 2021	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification	Slovenia	3–0	16,237	[20]
14 November 2021		Russia	1–0	30,257	[21]
6 June 2022	2022–23 UEFA Nations League	France	1–1	30,000	[22]

References

1. "Stadion Poljud". The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
2. "O Poljudu" (in Croatian). HNK Hajduk Split. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
3. Budget Airline Football – Football in Split
4. hajduk.hr (1 December 2015). "Stadion Poljud - kulturno dobro Republike Hrvatske" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
5. . split2010cc.com. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
6. nogometplus.net (23 October 2014). "Obnova poljudskog travnjaka najjeftinija u regiji" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
7. tportal.hr (1 December 2015). "Stadion Poljud proglašen zaštićenim kulturnim dobrom" (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 May 2016.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gradski stadion u Poljudu.

• Virtual Tour
• Stadium photos at stadionwelt.de
• Aerial Photo from Google Maps

Preceded by Neckarstadion Stuttgart

European Athletics Championships Main Venue 1990

Succeeded by Helsingin olympiastadion Helsinki