Francisc von Neuman Stadium was a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in Arad,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It was used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

matches and was the home ground of

FC UTA Arad Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad (), commonly known as UTA Arad or simply UTA (''Uzina Textilă Arad''; ), is a Romanian professional Association football, football football team, club based in the city of Arad, Romania, Arad, Arad County that comp ...

, one of the most successful teams in Romanian club football. The stadium used to hold up to 7,287 people, all on seats, and was built in 1944. In 2014, the stadium was demolished to make way for a new, modern, all-seater stadium. It is to be used exclusively for football, and it was open in 2020. The new stadium will have a capacity of 12.700 seats, and will also include offices, a press club, a press center, V.I.P. hospitality, a restaurant and a hotel.

History

The stadium was opened on 1 September 1946 with a match between

UTA Arad Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad (), commonly known as UTA Arad or simply UTA (''Uzina Textilă Arad''; ), is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Arad, Arad County that competes in the Liga I. The team was founded in 1945 ...

- Ciocanul București 1–0. At that time, the stadium was considered the most modern in the country. It is named after a local Jewish aristocrat, Francisc von Neumann, a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

who owned several businesses in Arad and who personally sponsored the construction of the stadium and the founding of the team. While studying in England, he became a fan of the London-based football team

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, hence the similar team colours. In 2006, the stadium went through a major overhaul, when the municipality invested over 700.000 euro for new seats (dropping its capacity from approximately 10.000 on benches), main stand structural repairs, new

cloakroom A cloakroom, known as a coatroom and checkroom in North America, is a room for people to hang their coats, cloaks, canes, umbrellas, hats, or other outerwear when they enter a building. Cloakrooms are typically found inside large buildings, ...

s, an anti-doping control room, an emergency medical room, a VIP sector, new multimedia sector and a new sound system. In 2008, a 1400 lux density floodlight system was installed as well as a new electronic scoreboard. In 2010, the municipality presented plans for a new 12.700 capacity all-seater stadium to be built on the exact site of this arena.

Events

Association football

Gallery

File:Arad - Stadionul Francisc von Neumann 3871-74.jpg, Stadium panorama. File:Stadionul Francisc Neuman - panoramio.jpg, Stadium entry.

References

Defunct football venues in Romania Buildings and structures in Arad, Romania Multi-purpose stadiums in Romania 1946 establishments in Romania 2014 disestablishments in Romania Sports venues completed in 1946 Sports venues demolished in 2014 Sport in Arad, Romania FC UTA Arad {{Romania-sports-venue-stub