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Malmö Idrottsplats ("Malmö sports field"), commonly referred to simply as Malmö IP and sometimes as Gamla IP ("The old sports field"), is a stadium in
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
, Sweden, that is primarily used for association football. it is the home of women's
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club
FC Rosengård FC Rosengård (), known as Malmö FF Dam () until 2007 and later LdB FC Malmö until 2013, is a professional football club based in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. The team was established as Malmö FF Dam in 1970. It started out with playing 7 seasons ...
, currently playing in
Damallsvenskan The (; ), known as OBOS for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is one of the best women's leagues in the world, and was founded in 1988. The division consists of a league of 14 teams. From 2013, t ...
; the men's clubs
Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
and
IFK Malmö Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Malmö, more commonly known as IFK Malmö, is a Swedish sports club with several departments, located in Malmö. The club was founded on 23 April 1899. The football department of IFK Malmö is one of the oldest footb ...
have played there in the past. The stadium is the third largest in Malmö behind
Malmö Stadion Malmö Stadion, often known simply as Stadion before the construction of the new Stadion, Malmö, Stadion between 2007 and 2009, is a multi-purpose stadium in Malmö, Sweden. As of 2015, it is the home of association football club IFK Malmö, p ...
and Stadion, the current home grounds of IFK Malmö and Malmö FF respectively. The
Sweden men's national football team The Sweden men's national football team () represents Sweden in men's international Association football, football and it is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body of football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Strawb ...
has played at Malmö IP twice, in 1929 and 1949. The stadium's capacity has changed throughout the years with various redevelopments and renovations; it is today 7,600, but was historically much higher. The record attendance at the ground was set on 1 June 1956 when 22,436 people attended an
Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
match between Malmö FF and
Helsingborgs IF Helsingborgs Idrottsförening, commonly referred to as Helsingborgs IF, Helsingborg or (especially locally) HIF (), is a Swedish professional football club located in Helsingborg. They play in the Swedish second tier, Superettan, following releg ...
. The stadium was built as a multi-purpose sports field between March and July 1896 with a grand opening on 4 July 1896. IFK Malmö took up residence at the ground in 1903, with Malmö FF also doing so seven years later; both remained until 1958, when they moved to Malmö Stadion, which had just been built for the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the 6th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first and only FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Br ...
. Extensive redevelopment and restoration was carried out between 1978 and 1980, and in 1999; the two Malmö clubs returned following this latter renovation, but Malmö FF went back to Malmö Stadion after a single season. The laying of
artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...
before the 2008 season led IFK to return to Malmö Stadion in protest. The stadium is located on the northern side of Malmö's largest park, Pildammsparken, with Malmö Stadion and Stadion both to the park's south.


History


Construction and early history (1896–1938)

Malmö IP was built in 1896 to host
cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
,
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
,
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
,
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
and
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
events.Smitt, 2009, p. 11. Cycling competitions had been organised by Malmö Velocipedklubb (MVK) since 24 August 1890, at a temporary sports field in Rörsjöstaden. This was also the venue for the first
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
match in Malmö, a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
on 12 October 1890 featuring
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (known simply as KB) was a Danish professional multi-sports club based in Copenhagen. The club was founded on 26 April 1876 on the grassy fields in outer Copenhagen which later became Fælledparken. Tennis has been played s ...
of Denmark.Smitt, 2009, p. 11. The members of MVK were impressed by the new sport and started a football section of their own. After the Rörsjöstaden field was earmarked for a new housing development in 1893, MVK began to explore the idea of a new ground. The club pitched this to the local municipality, Malmö Stad, which in February 1894 presented plans for a new sports field in the north-east of the city, in what is today Teatern, a neighbourhood in Innerstaden district. The MVK board consulted its members, then agreed and signed a 15-year lease on the site.Billing, 1996, p. 12. To raise funds for the ground's construction and the annual lease payments, an ''
aktiebolag (, " stock company") is the Swedish term for "limited company" or "corporation". When used in company names, it is abbreviated as "AB" (in Sweden), "Ab" (in Finland), or, rarely, "A/B" (dated), roughly equivalent to the abbreviations ''Corp.'', ...
'' (
limited company In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...
) called AB Malmö Idrottsplats was formed in March 1896 under the chairmanship of Carl Frick, a locally-born
sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...
and sports enthusiast. The final construction costs for the new ground were 44,000 kronor, roughly 2,930,000 kronor in modern terms. The ground originally spanned ; an oval cycling track surrounded the grass pitch where
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
and other sports were played. Construction began in March 1896 and ended in July the same year. Malmö IP opened on 4 July 1896 with cycling competitions, accompanied by organised
betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...
. MVK disbanded its cycling section in 1902, five years after Sweden outlawed gambling in 1897; this had caused attendances to plummet. The construction of a large
pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
in the centre of the pitch in 1899 made football impossible, contributing to the end of MVK's football section in 1900; the sport had so far failed to win much local popularity in any case.Billing, 1996, p. 33. After football became more popular in Malmö in the early 1900s, the pavilion was removed in 1905, with a new pitch concurrently laid out. On 18 September 1897, Malmö IP hosted a large celebration marking King
Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...
's
Silver Jubilee Silver Jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark. Royal Silver Jubilees since 1750 Note: This ...
; over 10,000 people attended. The ground continues to be used on events such as
national holidays National holiday may refer to: *General strike, a mass work stoppage as part of an industrial dispute *National day, a day when a nation celebrates a very important event in its history, such as its establishment *Public holiday, a holiday establish ...
to the present day.Billing, 1996, p. 35. Athletics overtook football and cycling competitions at Malmö IP after MVK's exit and the foundation of
IFK Malmö Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Malmö, more commonly known as IFK Malmö, is a Swedish sports club with several departments, located in Malmö. The club was founded on 23 April 1899. The football department of IFK Malmö is one of the oldest footb ...
in April 1899. IFK arranged events such as the
100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
, the
mile run The mile run (1,760 yards, 5,280 Foot (unit), feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance running, middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling ...
, early forms of the
high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
, and
pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek language, Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) (). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Anci ...
s involving the
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
,
javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...
, 100 metres,
discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...
and wrestling.
Equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
was popular at Malmö IP around the turn of the century, and ice skating was held during the Swedish winter months. Crown Prince Gustaf, who later became King Gustav V, attended one of IFK's athletics competitions on 7 November 1901, and reportedly enjoyed the experience very much. When he was stationed at Malmö three years later during his military education, he regularly returned to the ground to play tennis. played tennis at Malmö IP when he was stationed in Malmö during his military education in 1904. The most successful and first club dedicated solely to football in these early years was Malmö BI (then abbreviated MBI, and now called FC Rosengård after various changes of name), which was founded in 1904 by former MVK players, and based at Malmö IP. The ground also became home to IFK Malmö's football division, which was formed in 1903. A third club,
Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
, took up residence at the stadium following its own foundation on 24 February 1910 by 19 men at the Malmö IP restaurant. Several members of IFK Malmö's athletics division left the club on 26 August 1908 due to differences in opinion regarding its administration; the dissidents formed Malmö Allmänna Idrottsförening (MAI) two weeks later. Swedish javelin thrower Eric Lemming set two new world records in the first international competition that MAI hosted on 10–11 July 1909. Following the banning of betting in Sweden, as well as other events such as rainy summers and wet winters, AB Malmö Idrottsplats started to have financial difficulties and applied to the municipality for help. The annual lease payments were cancelled in 1899 and replaced with a subsidy of 1,500 kronor a year, conditional on local schoolchildren receiving free access to the pitch for a few hours each day. Stora Hallen ("The great hall"), an adjoining building that had served first as a tennis arena, then riding stables, was redeveloped in 1910 into a dance hall and restaurant called Boston Palace. This was done in the hope of increasing the ground's profits as it was struggling financially. The redevelopment was criticised by some who contended that dancing was an immoral pastime with nothing to do with sport. The financial difficulties continued into the 1910s and the city was forced to raise the yearly grant for Malmö IP. IFK Malmö and Malmö FF, the city's main association football clubs, by this time regularly played home games at the ground. When Malmö hosted the
Baltic Exhibition The Baltic Exhibition () was held in Malmö, Sweden from 15 May to 4 October 1914. (The official closing date, September 30, was later extended by four days, as permitted in the general rules.) A Swedish world's fair The event showcased the indust ...
in 1914, Malmö IP hosted relevant sporting events during June and July. The exhibition forced the municipality to rearrange the area surrounding the sports field and the surrounding road network was redrawn. Malmö IP was given a large compensation for this as the sports field area was affected by the changes. The sports field surpassed into municipal ownership in 1938 when AB Malmö Idrottsplats's financial difficulties became too great to bear. There was also widespread criticism from minor sport clubs in Malmö against the company's tendency to favour the bigger clubs such as IFK Malmö, Malmö FF and athletics club MAI. Malmö Stad therefore voted to nationalise the ownership of both Malmö IP and other sport fields in the city in 1935, the motion passed with a small margin, 25 voted for nationalization and 23 voted for continued private ownership.Billing, 1996, p. 154. Lengthy negotiations between AB Malmö Idrottsplats and the municipality's sports committee began in 1935 and ended in 1937 with a settlement of 160,000 kronor, roughly 4,600,000 kronor in modern terms. The municipality formally took over Malmö IP on 1 January 1938.


Municipal ownership; plans for a new stadium (1938–58)

Association football and athletic clubs continued to share Malmö IP after the municipal takeover. The events that attracted the biggest crowd in the 1930s and the 1940s were Malmö FF's home matches in Allsvenskan, which could attract capacity crowds of 14,000 spectators. After the capacity was increased, the record for attendance was broken again in 1939 when MAI hosted a competition honouring 25 years since the 1914 Baltic Exhibition in Malmö; over 25,000 people attended over two days. MAI also hosted other international competitions that brought large crowds to the sports field, including ''Amerikagalorna'' (The America galas), which involved visiting athletes from the United States and Swedish sportsmen and women. Malmö IP's future came into official discussion first in 1933 with the proposed building of the
Malmö Opera and Music Theatre Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region. Located on the Öresund strait on the southwestern coast of Sweden, it is the largest city in Scania, with a munici ...
; the original plans called for Malmö IP and the surrounding area to be completely demolished. The theatre was ultimately built on the edge of the stadium grounds, and only some nearby structures had to be destroyed—however, these included the building in which Malmö FF had been founded in 1910. The ground's main entrance was moved from the north to the east, where it remains to this day. A commemorative table was placed at the exact site of Malmö FF's founding in 2010 as part of the club's centenary celebrations, in what is today the theatre's parking lot. Malmö was one of the most successful sporting cities in Sweden during the 1940s and 1950s; its clubs won national championships in several sports.Billing, 1996, p. 201. Malmö FF won their first football championship at Malmö IP during the 1943–44 Allsvenskan season, and over the next decade and a half added another four league titles and five
Svenska Cupen Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. ''Svenska cupen'' usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also ...
(Swedish Cup) wins. MAI, wrestling clubs Sparta and Enighet, IFK Malmö's
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
division and others also won Swedish championships during this time. Several major European football clubs visited Malmö IP in the years following the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to play friendlies against Malmö FF; these included
A.C. Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
of Italy and
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
,
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
from England. These matches caused new attendance records to be set several times. Malmö was affected by World War II more than most of Sweden, which was neutral, because of the city's close proximity to German-occupied Denmark, with the Danish capital
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
just opposite Malmö on the other side of the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
. During these years many public celebrations and events of national unification were celebrated at Malmö IP such as the
National Day of Sweden National Day of Sweden ( ) is the National Day of Sweden, observed annually as a public holiday on 6 June. Prior to 1983, the day was celebrated only as the Swedish Flag Day (). It was officially named the Swedish National Day by the parliame ...
on 6 June 1941, when
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Per Albin Hansson Per Albin Hansson (28 October 1885 – 6 October 1946) was a Swedish politician, chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats from 1925 and two-time Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister in four Government of Sweden, gov ...
, who was born in Malmö, gave a speech. Wartime athletics competitions for military recruits were also held; events included the throwing of
grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
s. Athletics continued to draw large crowds to Malmö IP during the 1940s, when
Gunder Hägg Gunder Hägg (31 December 1918 – 27 November 2004)Gunder Hägg passes away
IAAF (28 N ...
and
Arne Andersson Arne Andersson (27 October 1917 – 1 April 2009) was a Swedish middle distance runner who became famous for his rivalry with his compatriot Gunder Hägg in the 1940s. Andersson set a 1500 metres world record in Gothenburg in August 1943 with ...
battled at the running tracks. The
world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...
for the mile run was beaten twice at the stadiumSmitt, 2009, p. 13.—first by Andersson on 18 July 1944, and then almost exactly a year later 17 July 1945 by Hägg. By the 1950s it had become clear to the local authorities that Malmö's interest for football and other sports was becoming too big for Malmö IP to accommodate. Malmö FF in particular had high average attendances year on year, and matches were often sold out. Apart from the issue of growing popularity, the large crowds raised security issues that became apparent in the Scanian derby game between Malmö FF and Helsingborgs IF in 1951—amid considerable commotion in the stands some people were pushed against poles and fences, but nobody was seriously injured. Plans for a new stadium were first drawn up in 1943, when local officials deemed Malmö IP to be too small for major events, but council members differed on where to build the new stadium. The matter was dropped until 1954,Billing, 1996, pp. 246–247. when Sweden was chosen to host the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the 6th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first and only FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Br ...
, with matches to take place in Malmö. The new ground's location was a central issue in the discussion: some suggested a suburban location in Jägersro, to the city's south-east, while others called for a stadium in central Malmö, near the city's main park, Pildammsparken. Proponents of a central location ultimately won the day; the site was confirmed in 1954.
Malmö Stadion Malmö Stadion, often known simply as Stadion before the construction of the new Stadion, Malmö, Stadion between 2007 and 2009, is a multi-purpose stadium in Malmö, Sweden. As of 2015, it is the home of association football club IFK Malmö, p ...
was built on the southern side of Pildammsparken, opposite from the northern site occupied by Malmö IP. Malmö FF and IFK Malmö both moved to Malmö Stadion on its completion in 1958.


Reduced prominence; threatened demolition and first renovation (1958–1995)

The departure of Malmö FF and IFK to Malmö Stadion caused Malmö IP, which had been the centre of sport in the city since 1896, to lose much of its prominence. MAI also relocated much of its operations to the new Stadion, though it still used Malmö IP for training and some national competitions. All international events were moved to Malmö Stadion. The last major athletics tournament at Malmö IP was held in May 1970. Participants included
Ricky Bruch Björn Rickard "Ricky" Bruch (; 2 July 1946 – 30 May 2011) was a Swedish discus thrower, poet and actor. Career Bruch was born in Örgryte, Gothenburg, grew up in Skåne, and was later a long-time resident of Malmö. His main discipline was t ...
, a champion discus thrower who went on to represent Sweden in the
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
Summer Olympics. MAI left Malmö IP altogether in 1971 for the Hästhagen neighbourhood, where a new sports field had opened.Billing, 1996, p. 267. Despite the exit of Malmö FF and IFK Malmö, Malmö IP continued to host less football, albeit in a less prominent capacity. The two major clubs continued to use the ground for friendlies and pre-season fixtures. Less prominent clubs such as Malmö BI and IF Allians played at the stadium in lower divisions, mainly in the third and fourth tiers of Swedish football. Malmö BI moved to the
Rosengård Rosengård (literally "Rose Manor") was a city district () in the center of Malmö Municipality, Sweden. On 1 July 2013, it was merged with Husie, forming Öster. In 2012, Rosengård had a population of 23,563 of the municipality's 307,758. It ...
area in 1973, and IF Allians later moved to Kronprinsen.Billing, 1996, p. 259.
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
club Malmö FF Ishockey, who had played on a rink at Malmö IP since their founding in 1947, moved to the new
Malmö Isstadion Malmö Isstadion (Malmö Ice Stadium) is an indoor arena, indoor sports arena located in the Stadionområdet, Malmö, Stadionområdet area of Malmö, Sweden. The capacity of the arena is 5,800 and it was built in 1968. It is the former home arena ...
in 1970. Hockey games at Malmö IP during the 1960s attracted crowds of around 2,500. Team handball, which had been played at the tennis hall across the road from the main ground from the 1930s, endured until 1964, when the handball divisions of Malmö BI, IFK Malmö and Malmö FF moved to the new Baltiska hallen at Stadionområdet, near Malmö Stadion. On 26 October 1961 Malmö Stad announced that Malmö IP would be demolished to make room for a new
city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
. The initial plans earmarked the entire ground for demolition, but the negotiations and bureaucratic procedure dragged on for over a decade. The ground and its facilities deteriorated over this time, leading many of its tenants to move elsewhere. The municipality eventually dismissed the demolition plans and decided in July 1975 to renovate the stadium instead. Planning for this was concluded in 1978, and two years later the work was completed. Apart from the Northern Stand, dating back to the 1920s, all of Malmö IP's stands, buildings and facilities were destroyed;Billing, 1996, p. 270. new dressing rooms and running tracks were built, but new stands were not. Malmö IP became a centre for the city's minor sports teams,Billing, 1996, p. 271. hosting school tournaments, amateur football and sports such as rugby.


Second renovation and modern history (since 1995)

In early 1995, largely on the initiative of Malmö FF's vice-chairman Bengt Madsen, Malmö FF and IFK Malmö created a joint project group regarding the future of Malmö IP. This body decided to completely renovate Malmö IP for a second time, constructing new stands and removing the running tracks to create a stadium exclusively for football.Billing, 1996, p. 277. This decision was the result of both clubs' declining attendances during the 1990s—Malmö FF were averaging crowds of less than 5,000 at Malmö Stadion, while IFK were attracting less than 1,000 by 1999. Malmö Stadion's capacity of 27,500 was therefore far too much for both sides. When Malmö IP formally reopened on 1 August 1999, both Malmö FF and IFK moved back, but Malmö FF officials soon decided that the refurbished ground was too small and lacked the safety facilities Malmö Stadion offered. After only a few months, following Malmö FF's relegation from the Swedish top flight at the end of the 1999 season, the club moved back to Malmö Stadion. IFK Malmö remained at Malmö IP until 2008, when they also moved back to Malmö Stadion in protest at the decision to lay
artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...
at Malmö IP instead of grass. Malmö FF frequently use Malmö IP for pre-season friendlies, since the artificial turf makes it possible to play during the Swedish winter months. Since Malmö FF's centenary in 2010, the club has maintained a tradition of playing a friendly at Malmö IP each year on 24 February, the anniversary of the club's foundation. In 2006, the women's association football club Malmö FF Dam started to use the ground regularly for games in
Damallsvenskan The (; ), known as OBOS for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is one of the best women's leagues in the world, and was founded in 1988. The division consists of a league of 14 teams. From 2013, t ...
, the top level of Swedish women's football. The club has since been renamed twice and has been called
FC Rosengård FC Rosengård (), known as Malmö FF Dam () until 2007 and later LdB FC Malmö until 2013, is a professional football club based in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. The team was established as Malmö FF Dam in 1970. It started out with playing 7 seasons ...
since 2013.


Structure and facilities

Malmö IP has an overall capacity of 7,600 spectators, of which 3,900 are seated. It comprises five larger stands and one smaller stand. The main stand is the Southern Stand, which is all-seated and located along one of the long sides of the pitch. The Western and Eastern Stands, at opposite ends of the ground behind the two goals, are respectively terraced and seated. Opposite the Southern Stand are three inconsistent structures—from west to east, a stand with terracing, another with seats and a small standing area with a canopy. The dugouts, changing rooms and referees' facilities are located in the Southern Stand, which also features a small cafeteria. A sports hall called Tennishallen ("The tennis hall"), across the road from the Eastern Stand, is also considered part of the stadium. The stadium's structure and facilities have gone through many changes since it first opened in 1896. The ground originally comprised a football pitch surrounded by an oval cycling track; a main stand was on the pitch's southern side, with a smaller stand opposite. Both stands were terraced. A larger stand, built on the northern side of the pitch in the early 1920s, is still in use, and is considered a landmark building by the city municipality—modifications to it are therefore illegal. A larger, improved Southern Stand was built in 1931, the same year of the tennis hall's construction.Billing, 1996, p. 148. The tennis hall was built as part of the same plot, but it now stands on the other side of a road that was built through the grounds in 1945.Billing, 1996, p. 198. The Northern Stand originally had a restaurant behind it and a large hall next to it, but these were knocked down in 1944 to make room for the Malmö Opera and Music Theatre. When Malmö IP was renovated during the 1990s, the old running tracks were removed and new stands were built close to the pitch. The only major change since 1999 has been the change from a natural grass pitch to artificial turf in 2008. In late 2013 the artificial turf was relaid to meet new regulations and standards—the new pitch includes an under-soil heating system to allow use in all weather conditions.


International football

Malmö IP has hosted two
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
international matches: one friendly and one match in the
Nordic Football Championship The Nordic Football Championship (, , , , commonly abbreviated NM or PM) was an international association football, football competition contested by the list of men's national football (soccer) teams, men's national football teams of the Nordic c ...
.


Records

The record for highest attendance at Malmö IP was set on 1 June 1956, when 22,436 spectators saw the
Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
match between Malmö FF and
Helsingborgs IF Helsingborgs Idrottsförening, commonly referred to as Helsingborgs IF, Helsingborg or (especially locally) HIF (), is a Swedish professional football club located in Helsingborg. They play in the Swedish second tier, Superettan, following releg ...
. Helsingborgs won 3–0.Smitt, 2009, p. 278. Malmö FF's first league game at the stadium was a Division 2 game against IS Halmia on 2 May 1920; Malmö FF won 3–0 in front of 1,277 fans. Average attendances during Malmö FF's first seasons at the ground were below 1,000 people, except for the 1922 season when Malmö FF played in
Svenska Serien Svenska Serien (literally, "The Swedish Series", also Svenska Fotbollserien, "The Swedish Football Series") was the highest league in Swedish football and was played since 1910–1917, 1920–1921, and 1922–1924. It was then replace ...
, then the unofficial top flight. Apart from 1922, Malmö FF played in the second tier of Swedish football until the 1931–32 season, when they entered Allsvenskan for the first time. Attendances rose sharply to an average of around 7,000 per game. Gates continued to increase year on year until they peaked during the 1949–50 season, when Malmö FF completed the league season unbeaten—an average of 17,290 people attended the club's home games. As of 2015, this is the third highest average attendance in Malmö FF's history. Attendances varied for Malmö FF's final seasons at the stadium in the 1950s, around an average of about 15,000 spectators. The club's last league game at the stadium except for 1999, on 15 May 1958 against
IFK Eskilstuna Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Eskilstuna, commonly known as IFK Eskilstuna, or, especially earlier, Eskilstuna-Kamraterna, is a Swedish Association football, football club located in Eskilstuna, Södermanland County. In their early seasons, IFK ...
, attracted 10,013 spectators.


Transportation

Malmö IP is served by Malmö bus lines 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8, all of which stop at Triangeln railway station, which opened in December 2010 as part of Citytunneln. The station is served by Pågatåg and Öresund Trains, and is reachable non-stop from many parts of the Öresund Region. The closest parking location to Malmö IP is "P-huset Malmö IP", a garage with 419 parking spaces next to the stadium. There are also several parking spaces on the ground's southern side, opposite Malmö Opera and Music Theatre. Apart from these two parking areas, there are various other residential parking spaces, and a large number of bicycle stands nearby. Malmö IP is about 15–20 minutes' walking distance from Malmö Stadion and Stadion, on the other side of Pildammsparken.


Footnotes


References

; General * * * ; Specific


External links


Malmö IP at Malmö Stad's website

Malmö IP at IFK Malmö's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malmo IP Football venues in Sweden Sports venues in Malmö Athletics (track and field) venues in Sweden Event venues established in 1896 Tourist attractions in Malmö 19th-century establishments in Malmöhus County