 Örjans Vall entrance | |
 Interactive map of Örjans Vall | |
| Full name | Örjans Vall |
|---|---|
| Former names | Halmstads Idrottsplats (July–August 1922) |
| Location | Halmstad,Sweden |
| Coordinates | 56°41′03″N12°51′59″E / 56.68417°N 12.86639°E /56.68417; 12.86639 |
| Owner | Halmstad Municipality |
| Operator | Halmstad Municipality |
| Capacity | 11,100[1] |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1922 |
| Opened | 30 July 1922 |
| Renovated | 1972 and 2017 |
| Tenants | |
| Halmstads BK IS Halmia | |
Örjans Vall is afootball stadium inHalmstad,Sweden, built in 1922.
The stadium was originally namedHalmstads Idrottsplats (eng: Halmstad's Sports Ground), and was inaugurated bythe Crown Prince of Sweden Gustaf Adolf, later king of Sweden, on 30 July 1922.[2] 12,000 people had been allowed entrance to see the opening, several thousands more had gathered outside the fence and onGalgberget. In August 1922 the name of the arena changed to Örjans Vall after amedieval hospital by the name ofS:t Örjans that had earlier been on the same location. On 3 September 1922 the first football game was played there. Örjans Vall has been used for many different sports over the years, the football field was surrounded by running tracks, until the 1980s, and was the main site for the local athletic clubs. In the winter of 1956, due to very cold weather, the running tracks were covered with water freezing into a skating rink,Sigvard "Sigge" Ericsson, who had won one gold and one silver medal in the recent1956 Winter Olympics, participated.In 1972 the present day main-stand and scoreboard was completed, replacing the original wooden constructions from 1922.
The record for most spectators during a match is held byIS Halmia, in 1962 when Halmia played a qualification match againstLandskrona BoIS, 20,381 spectators turned up to see the match.
In 2004 whenGyllene Tider celebrated 25 years, by starting and ending their national tour on Örjans Vall.[3][4]
In the 2000sHBK supporters started to demand a new stadium, as the club had reached international competitions, but were not allowed to play on Örjans Vall due to security restrictions. They have instead been forced to play atUllevi in Göteborg orOlympia in Helsingborg.[5]
Temporary 2008 chairman Birgitta Johansson stated that a new stadium should be ready at the earliest in 2011–2012.[6]
In September 2008 a decision to build a new stadium was reached by the local authorities, the new stadium would be placed at Sannarp's recreation ground and Örjans Vall was to be demolished and replaced by apartments. The new arena was planned to be completed in 2012,[7] however on 5 May 2009 it was announced that there would not be a new arena as theAlliancecity council announced its budget proposition.[8]
On 17 December 2013, Halmstad Municipality decided to carry out a renovation of Örjans Vall worth 75 million SEK. The renovation was planned to be completed by the 2015 season, but was delayed. The whole renovation was finally completed in 2017.[9]
As of 2025, Halmstad Municipality is conducting a feasibility study to determine if a new arena can be built on the same site as the old one.[10]
Örjans Vall have been used for a number of different international tournaments held in Sweden.
Sweden was selected to host the 1958 FIFA World Cup, among the cities chosen to host the World Cup was Halmstad. Örjans Vall came to host two games of Group 1.
Northern Ireland  | 1 – 0 |  Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|---|
Cush 21' | Report |
The2009 U21 European Championship, which was played in Sweden, was originally meant to be played atGamla Ullevi inGothenburg,Olympia inHelsingborg,Swedbank Stadion inMalmö, andBorås Arena inBorås, however Borås Arena have aMax Hamburgers restaurant on the arena area, which caused legal problem since the tournament is sponsored byMcDonald's,[11] for some time it appeared that the Max restaurant would be closed during the tournament,[12] however Max refused later to close its restaurant[13] and the competition was forced to move elsewhere and Örjans Vall in Halmstad was chosen as replacement for Borås.[14]
Örjans Vall was used for 3 games in the tournament ingroup B.
Örjans Vall was selected as one of seven stadiums to host the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 held in Sweden. The stadium was host to three group stage matches in theGroup A and one of the quarter-finals.
