Idrottsplatsen

Idrottsplatsen (transl. The Sports Field) is a former sports stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was in use between 1896 and 1915, and was located on the same site as the current Gamla Ullevi stadium.

Idrottsplatsen
Idrottsplatsen at the turn of the century
Idrottsplatsen at the turn of the century
LocationGothenburg, Sweden
Coordinates57.705833°N 11.980833°E / 57.705833; 11.980833
Owner
TypeSports venue
Capacity600 (seated)
SurfaceDirt
Construction
Broke ground1895
Built1895–1896
Opened28 June 1896 (1896-06-28)
Demolished1915–1916
Construction costSEK 28,000
ArchitectFrans Frise
Tenants

History

The stadium was originally built as a combination of velodrome and football stadium by track cycling club Göteborgs 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 for athletics as well, and during winter it was watered and used for ice skating in sub-zero conditions.[3] The venue also featured an indoor tennis 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; the wrestling exhibition match in 1896 between GAIS wrestler Carl Gustafsson and Ottoman royal court wrestler Memisch Effendi set a record attendance of 10,000.[4]

Göteborgs VK merged with IS Lyckans Soldater and Skridskosällskapet Norden in 1900 to form the new club Göteborgs IF, which took ownership of the venue. They offered IFK Göteborg to share the stadium in 1906, which was accepted.[4] Due to a conflict in 1909, IFK temporarily moved to Balders Hage, but moved back to Idrottsplatsen the following year.[6]

The Swedish national team made their international debut in July 1908, winning 11–3 against Norway (who also made their international debut) in front of 2,000–3,000 people at Idrottsplatsen.[7][1][8]

Tough competition from Walhalla 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]

Citations
  1. Lars Hjertberg (18 June 2021). "När velocipederna tog Göteborg med storm" (in Swedish). Göteborgs-Posten. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. Jerneryd 1981, p. 131.
  3. Persson 2011, p. 34.
  4. Josephson & Jönsson 2004, p. 43.
  5. Johansson & Nilsson 1992, p. 6.
  6. IFK Göteborg – Gamla Ullevis historia.
  7. Jimmy Lindahl, Alf Frantz (April 1998). "90 år sedan första landskampen" (PDF) (in Swedish). Bolletinen. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  8. Persson 2011, p. 132.
  9. Josephson & Jönsson 2004, pp. 43–44.

References
  • "IFK Göteborg – Arenor genom åren" (in Swedish). IFK Göteborg. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  • "IFK Göteborg – Gamla Ullevis historia" (in Swedish). IFK Göteborg. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  • Jerneryd, Roland (1981). Hur idrotten kom till stan: Göteborgs idrottshistoria 1800–1950 (in Swedish). Göteborg: Göteborgs hembygdsförbund.
  • Johansson, Bo; Nilsson, Bo Sigvard, eds. (1992). Gamla Ullevi: en kavalkad i ord och bild (in Swedish). Göteborg: Tre Böcker. ISBN 91-7029-091-1.
  • Josephson, Åke; Jönsson, Ingemar, eds. (2004). IFK Göteborg 1904–2004: en hundraårig blåvit historia genom elva epoker (in Swedish). Göteborg: IFK Göteborg. ISBN 91-631-4659-2.
  • Persson, Lennart K. (2011). Den hårda kampen: fotboll i Sverige, särskilt Göteborg, före första världskriget (in Swedish). Lindome: Bricoleur. ISBN 978-91-85411-22-1.
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