Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin – historical stadium description

When was Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin opened?

The stadium in the Trivale district of Pitești, next to the St. George's cemetery, was inaugurated on May 2, 1964. For the opening, the hosts, the Dinamo team (since 1967 as FC Argeș) defeated Spartak Sofia 4:2 in a friendly match. The new venue replaced the Ștrand stadium, built in 1936 on the banks of the Argeș river. The old stadium had become too small for the local Dinamo after the club was promoted to the First Division for the first time in 1961.

What did Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin look like?

The facility had an athletics track, surrounded by earth embankments with stands, gently increasing towards the main stand. Over time, the stands on the curves were extended to an equal height. Over the years, the facility also received a tartan running track and plastic seats, after the installation of which its capacity was set at 15,170 spectators. On May 25, 2008, floodlights were inaugurated at the stadium.

What were the names of Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin?

In communist times, the facility was called Stadionul 1 Mai. From 1989, the name Stadionul Municipal was used, and in 2002 the stadium was named after Nicolae Dobrin, a leading Argeș footballer of the 1960s and 1970s, considered one of the greatest football talents in Romania at the time, and an important contributor to FC Argeș winning two championship titles.

What was happening at Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin?

The stadium witnessed FC Argeș's successes, including two Romanian championships (1972 and 1979), as well as the club's appearances in European cups. The venue in Trivali was frequented by the likes of Real Madrid, Panathinaikos Athens and Nottingham Forest. In the 21st century, despite the upgrades undertaken, the condition of the stadium was clearly deteriorating, and it also fell further and further behind modern norms and standards.

How did plans to build a new facility to replace Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin come about?

In 2017, a major upgrade of the stadium was announced by the then mayor of the city, Cornel Ionică. In June 2020, it was confirmed that the investment would be handled by the government company Compania Națională de Investiții (CNI), as part of the national programme for construction of public or social significance.

Thanks to the government's involvement, more ambitious plans have been drawn up, involving the complete demolition of the existing stadium and the construction in its place of a modern, football-specific venue for more than 18,000 spectators. Its construction is expected to cost close to half a billion lei.

The concept of the new stadium in Pitești can be seen on a separate subpage

When was Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin closed?

On May 18, 2023, the last official match was played in the old stadium (3:0 against Petrolul Ploiești). On September 17, 2023, a farewell to the stadium was organized, after which its demolition began. Once the demolition work is completed, a completely new stadium is to be built in its place within three years.