Stadion Poljud

City Stadium in Poljud (Croatian: Gradski stadion u Poljudu), also known as Poljud Stadium or simply Poljud, is a multi-use stadium in Split, Croatia which has been the home ground of Hajduk Split since 1979. The stadium is located in the neighbourhood of Poljud, city district of Spinut.[1] It was opened in September 1979, and has a seating capacity of 34,198.[2]

Poljud Stadium
Poljudska ljepotica
Full nameCity Stadium in Poljud
LocationSpinut, Split, Croatia
Coordinates43°31′10″N 16°25′54″E
OwnerCity of Split
OperatorHajduk Split
Capacity34,198
Field size105 m x 68 m (115 yd x 74 yd)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1977–1979
Opened12 September 1979 (1979-09-12)
ArchitectBoris Magaš
Structural engineerBoženko Jelić
Tenants
Hajduk Split (1979–present)
Croatia national football team (selected matches)
Ultra Europe (2013–2018)

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, while from 2013 to 2018, it annually hosted Ultra Europe.

Design

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. 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]

International fixtures
Poljud Stadium during the celebration of Hajduk Split's 100th birthday
Northern stand
VIP stands
Poljud stadium in Split, Croatia, showing the Mero roof structure, and the figure of the stadium's architect Boris Magas seen to the bottom right.
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

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.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.
Preceded by
Neckarstadion
Stuttgart		 European Athletics Championships
Main Venue
1990		 Succeeded by
Helsingin olympiastadion
Helsinki
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