 Idrottsplatsen at the turn of the century | |
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| Location | Gothenburg,Sweden |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°42′21″N11°58′51″E / 57.705833°N 11.980833°E /57.705833; 11.980833 |
| Owner |
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| Type | Sports venue |
| Capacity | 600 (seated) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1895 |
| Built | 1895–1896 |
| Opened | 28 June 1896 (1896-06-28) |
| Demolished | 1915–1916 |
| Construction cost | SEK 28,000 |
| Architect | Frans Frise |
| Tenants | |
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Idrottsplatsen (transl. The Sports Field) is a former sportsstadium inGothenburg,Sweden. The stadium was in use between 1896 and 1915, and was located on the same site as the currentGamla Ullevi stadium.
The stadium was originally built as a combination ofvelodrome andfootball stadium bytrack cycling clubGöteborgs Velocipedklubb in 1895–1896. Idrottsplatsen was opened on 28 June 1896,[1][2] even though the curves of the velodrome were not fully completed until 1907.[3][4] The centre field could be used forathletics as well, and during winter it was watered and used forice skating in sub-zero conditions.[3] The venue also featured an indoortennis court and six outdoor courts, completed in 1901.[5]
Idrottsplatsen had one stand with room for 600 seated spectators. But many more could attend events; thewrestling exhibition match in 1896 betweenGAIS wrestlerCarl Gustafsson andOttoman royal court wrestlerMemisch Effendi set a record attendance of 10,000.[4]
Göteborgs VK merged withIS Lyckans Soldater andSkridskosällskapet Norden in 1900 to form the new clubGöteborgs IF, which took ownership of the venue. They offeredIFK Göteborg to share the stadium in 1906, which was accepted.[4] Due to a conflict in 1909, IFK temporarily moved toBalders Hage, but moved back to Idrottsplatsen the following year.[6]
TheSwedish national team made their international debut in July 1908, winning 11–3 againstNorway (who also made their international debut) in front of 2,000–3,000 people at Idrottsplatsen.[7][1][8]
Tough competition fromWalhalla IP that opened in 1908 gradually worsened the economy of Idrottsplatsen,[6] and plans for a more modern stadium materialised. In 1915, Idrottsplatsen was started to be demolished to make room for its replacement,Ullevi, which opened in 1916.[9]
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