Stadion Poljud

Poljud

Poljudska ljepotica (The Poljud Beauty)
Full name	Gradski stadion u Poljudu
Location	Split, Croatia
Coordinates	43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E / 43.51944°N 16.43167°ECoordinates: 43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E / 43.51944°N 16.43167°E
Owner	City of Split
Operator	Hajduk Split
Capacity	35,000
Field size	105 m x 68 m (115 yd x 74 yd)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	1977–1979
Opened	September 1979
Architect	Boris Magaš
Structural engineer	Boženko Jelić
Tenants
Hajduk Split (1979–present) 1979 Mediterranean Games 1990 European Athletics Championships 2010 IAAF Continental Cup Croatia national football team (some matches)

Stadion Poljud is a multi-use stadium in the Croatian city of Split. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Poljud, and is located on the northern side of the Split peninsula.^[1] Its original name is "Gradski stadion u Poljudu" ("City Stadium in Poljud"). The stadium was built in 1979 and is the home venue of the Hajduk Split football club. Some of the Croatian national football team's games are played at Poljud, which competes with Maksimir stadium for the biggest matches. The stadium has a capacity of 35,000.^[2]

The venue was built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games and was opened by the 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 35,000.^[3]

Poljud Stadium was also the venue for the 1990 European Athletics Championships and the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup, and since 2013, it annually hosts Ultra Europe.

Design

2010 IAAF Continental Cup

It's trademark is an impressive seashell-like design with roof structure spanning at 205x47 meters, that has been copied by a large number of world stadiums in the years that followed. It was designed as transparent offering views of nearby hills and forests from the stands, modeled after ancient Greek theaters. Suspended on the west roof "shell" are 19 cabins, 7 of them are used by TV reporters, and other filled by the cameras, central referee station, photo finish, scoreboard and audio control etc. All of these are interconnected via catwalk, that runs through a structure spanning the entire roof giving access to the cabins, as well as to the 630 Philips lights, placed brim and inner side of the roof. The lighting on the stadium has also been the subject of much acclaim.

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. Area around the stadium is composed of 60,000 square meters of designed landscape with greenery designated for pedestrians with stadium slightly beneath the grade level of surrounding traffic roads. Placed under the western stands there are 11,000 square meters of sports facilities (three gyms, pool, sauna), official club offices and restaurants, while eastern stands cover 9,100 square meters of business areas. Battleground is composed of 105x68 meters football pitch and 8 running tracks surrounding it.^[4]

It was refurbished before hosting the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup athletics competition. New tartan track was constructed, including the introduction of new VIP boxes and seats.^[5] In October 2014, following the heavy damage from Ultra Europe, 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]

International fixtures

Date	Competition	Opponent	Score	Att.	Ref
Yugoslavia (1979–1991)
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	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification	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	Friendly	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

References

1. "Stadion Poljud". The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
2. "O Poljudu". HNK Hajduk Split (in Croatian). 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. "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.
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

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