Városi Stadion – stadium description

The municipal stadium in Nyíregyháza was built north of the city centre in 1958. In its initial form it consisted of the playing field, dirt running track and low-scale oval auditorium based on embankments.

The first game was watched, reportedly, by some 13,000 people, which was hardly close to the stadium's biggest fixtures. Between late 70s and early 80s the stadium was able to accommodate over 20,000, with part of the side stands expanded and covered. The 1979 international between Hungary and nearby Czechoslovakia drew 27,000 people, a quarter of the city's population.

The following decade, however, brought an end to benches and old terracing, so the dilapidating stands lost most of their capacity. The east stand was renovated by the end of the 90s, while the west side was entirely demolished and rebuilt in 2002, along with a new administrative building with 1,300 m² of floor space. The new stand became one of the best in Hungary at the time, with 3,400 covered seats on very steep sections.

Further changes followed within the next few years. In 2003 a new scoreboard was installed, floodlights joined in 2007 and by 2009 the old curves were also renovated and equipped with seats. This is also when a new running track and control room were delivered.

But, the stadium still remained largely a relic of the past. For that reason in 2017 it was decided that a new, football-specific successor would be built. Its official concept came in 2018, while construction tender ended in late 2020.