Stadion Miejski w Gdyni – stadium description

New stadium at Olimpijska St. was opened in Feb 2011, after a relatively short 14-month construction process. It came as replacement for the dilapidating ground, at which Arka spent the end of 20^th and early years of 21^st Century. Inauguration game was played against Beroe Stara Zagora of Bulgaria, Arka’s only rival in European competitions in the 20th century.

Initially planned to be opened in late 2010, the venue wasn’t done in time, but within budget. And it was a very modest one with not even 80m zloty (€20m). Low price resulted in what has often been described as low quality of the roof – it doesn’t cover all spectators and has numerous pillars supporting it and obstructing view. This came as result of both budget and plot constraints that disabled cantilever supports running through the exterior. Also the facade mesh proved highly insufficient as it is barely visible.

On the upside, the stadium has a very robust auditorium, offering very fine viewing conditions to most fans (aside from the aforementioned obstructed views) and aiding creation of loud atmosphere. With 2,800 square meters of floor space (largely in the west stand), the stadium easily cleared requirements for UEFA Category 3, with upgrade to Cat 4 possible in the future. HD-compliant floodlights and modern sound system have also passed the test.

While controversial, even the roof has its advantages. With just 18,000 square meters for the entire stadium, the economic canopy provides 9,300 square meters of PTFE cover with minimised use of steel.

In 2012 it was used as training venue of Irish national team during Euro 2012. It sits within Gdynia's largest sports complex, accompanied by the national rugby stadium and the indoor Gdynia Arena, as well as numerous training facilities.