Stadion Sepsi OSK – design description

New football stadium in Sfântu Gheorghe will stand in the north of town, just beside the new indoor arena. Designated to meet the criteria of UEFA Category 4, it will house over 8,400 people.

Though it's being built at the heart of Romania, in Transylvania, it's a Hungarian project. Hungarians own the Sepsi OSK football club, Hungarians designed it and Hungarians are paying for it. Why? The project is part of Hungary's national support for sports clubs in places with strong Hungarian diasporas, as seen also in Croatia or Slovakia. Though Sfântu Gheorghe (Hun. Sepsiszentgyörgy) in inhabited by Székelys to be precise, they do identify largely as Hungarians.

The initial concept was drawn by Csaba Németh's team and envisioned a very simple, robust football ground, nearly entirely prefabricated to ensure efficient construction. Continuous ring of seating offers 14 rows of seats with unobstructed views, with the roof raised enough not to require floodlight masts.

However, well into its construction (launched in April, 2019), decision was made to make the stadium more Hungarian, in line with the Magyarization principle. Tamás Dobrosi, famous for his work with Imre Makovecz on Pancho Aréna in Felcsút, was commissioned with creation of a more decorative main front, which would evoke the architecture of both Makovecz and Károly Kós. Thus the impressive towers added in the west, which are to be covered with tin and harmonise with the rest of the stadium.

The venue will offer 3 levels of floor space within the main stand, including not just basic necessities of UEFA Category 4, but also a club shop and sports pub. The auditorium will have 110 VIP seats and 80 places for wheelchair users. Parking spaces for 509 cars and 22 coaches are planned beside both the stadium and arena.