Opus Arena – construction description

How did the construction of a new stadium for NK Osijek come about?

The creation of the new facility is linked to the acquisition of shares in NK Osijek by Ivan Meštrović and Lőrinc Mészáros in 2016, who, first saved it from bankruptcy and then decided to take care of its infrastructure. Hungarian businessman Mészáros' influences with Viktor Orbán helped secure funding from the Hungarian government. The government's assistance is part of Hungary's policy of supporting football clubs in neighboring countries, in regions with a Hungarian minority.

The first plans only called for the construction of a new training center, along with a modest main stadium with a stand for 1,900 spectators. NK Osijek's main facility was to remain the Gradski vrt stadium. Over time, however, these plans evolved, and instead of a small auxiliary stadium, a new, football-specific stadium for 12,850 spectators was to be built next to the training complex, the future home of NK Osijek football team.

On April 19, 2018, the design of the new stadium, together with the entire training complex, was presented. Shortly afterwards, work began to prepare the site for the future development. The facility was being built on a previously undeveloped site (15.8 hectares bought from the city) in the western part of Osijek, in the area called 'Pampas', next to the banks of the Drava River and the horse racing track.

How did the construction of the new stadium for NK Osijek proceed?

The actual construction of the stadium started in September 2019, with Eurokamen as the main contractor. However, the local company coped poorly with the difficulties of the huge undertaking and progress on the construction site was much slower than expected. On November 30, 2021, the club signed a contract with Strabag to support Eurokamen in completing the construction, and on March 1, 2022, the contract with Eurokamen was completely terminated and only Strabag remained on site.

Minor changes were also made to the design, abandoning, among other things, the saunas and jacuzzi for VIP guests. The capacity of the venue, on the other hand, was increased slightly, from the originally envisaged 12,850 to 13,005 spectators. The originally envisaged cost (€30 million) was doubled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in the price of construction materials, problems of the main contractor and other factors. The opening of the new stadium took place on 22 July 2023.