Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara – stadium description

How was Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara built?

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new football stadium in the eastern suburbs of Medan was held on August 14, 2020. Along with the stadium, an entire sports complex was also intended to be built.

The facilities would serve during the XXI National Sports Week (Pekan Olahraga Nasional XXI, PON XXI), which was to be held in September 2024 in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra.

According to the plan, the stadium should be ready in 2023. However, after the ceremony, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, no construction work started. Construction of the new stadium did not begin until September 2023, a year before National Sports Week.

Although time was short, construction was carried out at a rapid pace. Work continued until the last minute and managed to make it at least in time for the closing ceremony of the 21st National Sports Week, which was held at the new stadium on September 20, 2024.

The official opening of the new stadium took place a little later, on October 15, 2024, and the inauguration was performed by then Indonesian President Joko Widodo. The cost of the stadium's construction was 587 billion Indonesian rupiah.

What are the characteristics of Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara?

The stadium has a rectangular, football-style layout of stands and can accommodate 25,750 spectators (including 365 VIP seats, 224 press seats and 46 seats for the disabled). The color scheme of the facility is dominated by green tones, and the stadium has been embellished with patterns traditional to the local culture (itik pulang petang motif), especially visible on the façade and in the seating arrangement.

The stadium is equipped with a roof, covering most of the seats, as well as two video screens. The facility also has floodlights, and photovoltaic panels, installed on the southern side of the roof.

Where is the Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara located?

The stadium is the main component of the sports complex, which also includes several other facilities, such as a sports hall dedicated especially to volleyball, a second hall for combat sports, and a smaller athletics stadium (along with a second, training track).

The facility is located in the eastern suburbs of Medan, a dozen kilometers from the center, on the road leading to the new (opened in 2013) international airport.

What is the role of Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara?

Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara, meaning “main stadium of North Sumatra province”, as the name implies, is to serve as the leading sports facility of the Medan metropolitan area (the most populous city in Sumatra) and the entire province.

Until the construction of the new facility, the main stadium in Medan was Stadion Teladan, which was built in 1952–1953 for the Third National Sports Week. By the way, in early 2024 its complete reconstruction began, which is expected to result in a modern, football-specific stadium with a capacity of about 20,000 spectators.

The two stadiums will complement each other, with the new Stadion Teladan, located much closer to the center, primarily serving the leading club from Medan, the PSMS Medan, while the Stadion Utama Sumatera Utara will be a representative facility hosting the most important events held in the region.