Dan Păltinișanu Stadium (Romanian: Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu) was a multi-purpose stadium in Timișoara, Romania. It was the second-largest stadium in Romania, with a seating capacity of 32,972.[1] Until its closure in 2022, it was used mostly for football matches by the local team, SSU Politehnica Timișoara. The stadium was named after footballer Dan Păltinișanu (1951–1995) who played 10 seasons at FC Politehnica Timișoara.[2] The stadium will be demolished for the construction of a new arena with 30,000 seats.[3]

Dan Păltinișanu Stadium

The Great Oval (Marele Oval)
The stadium in 2009
Former names	1 May (1963–1990) Politehnica (1990–1992) Silviu Bindea (1992–1995)
Address	7 FC Ripensia Alley Timișoara Romania
Coordinates	45°44′25.65″N 21°14′39.1″E
Public transit	Bus line E2 Trolleybus line 16 Tram line 9
Owner	Timiș County Council
Capacity	32,972
Record attendance	65,000 (Lepa Brena concert, 1984)
Field size	105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Yes
Construction
Broke ground	25 July 1960
Built	1960–1963
Opened	1 May 1963
Renovated	1985, 2002, 2008
Closed	25 February 2022
Tenants
FC Politehnica Timișoara (1963–2012) ACS Poli Timișoara (2012–2020) SSU Politehnica Timișoara (2014–present) SCM Rugby Timișoara (2014–present)

History

The stadium was officially inaugurated on 1 May 1963,[4] then named 1 May. The construction of the stadium was done with the workers from the city's factories.[5] Its structure was similar to the one used to build most of the Romanian stadiums of that time, i.e. compacted earth. This constructive solution proved to be extremely problematic, as the compaction of the earth over time led to the deterioration of the stadium.[5] The original capacity was 40,000 on benches, but in 2005, when the plastic seats were installed, the capacity was reduced to 32,972. The floodlighting system, with a density of 1,456 lx,[1] was inaugurated in 2003, at a match against Petrolul Ploiești.[6] Following two general renovations, in 2002 and 2008, the venue was able to host UEFA Champions League games. It was a four-star establishment with all the facilities required for the team, internet for the press room, 30 cameras for video surveillance, electrically heated pitch, an automated irrigation system and a modern scoreboard.

The Romanian national football team was also a tenant. The first game played by the national team at Dan Păltinișanu was in March 1983 against Yugoslavia. Since then other six games were played, the last one in March 2010 against Israel.

The stadium has long been in an advanced state of degradation,[7] and will be demolished to make way for a new arena with 30,000 seats. It was finally closed on 25 February 2022, as it no longer met the quality standards.[8] The last event on the stadium was a Liga 2 match between Poli Timișoara and Petrolul Ploiești during which the floodlight dimmed twice and thus the city team lost at the "green table".[9]

Events

Association football

International football matches
Date	Competition	Home	Away	Score	Attendance
30 March 1983	Friendly	Romania	Yugoslavia	0–2	~25,000
28 August 1985	1986 FIFA World Cup qualification	Romania	Finland	2–0	~35,000
23 April 1986	Friendly	Romania	Soviet Union	2–1	~25,000
20 November 2002	Friendly	Romania	Croatia	0–1	~36,000
6 June 2007	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	Romania	Slovenia	2–0	17,850
3 March 2010	Friendly	Romania	Israel	0–2	~15,000

International football clubs matches
Date	Competition	Home	Away	Score	Attendance
13 September 1978	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	MTK Hungária	2–0	~25,000
1 November 1978	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Budapest Honvéd	2–0	~10,000
1 October 1980	European Cup Winners' Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Celtic	1–0	~45,000
5 November 1980	European Cup Winners' Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	West Ham United	1–0	~25,000
19 August 1981	European Cup Winners' Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Lokomotive Leipzig	2–0	~30,000
19 September 1990	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Atlético Madrid	2–0	~40,000
7 November 1990	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Sporting CP	2–0	~8,000
16 September 1992	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Real Madrid	1–1	~15,000
18 September 2008	UEFA Cup	Politehnica Timișoara	Partizan	1–2	20,000
5 August 2009	UEFA Champions League	Politehnica Timișoara	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–0	25,000
18 August 2009	UEFA Champions League	Politehnica Timișoara	Stuttgart	0–2	23,446
1 October 2009	UEFA Europa League	Politehnica Timișoara	Dinamo Zagreb	0–3	10,000
22 October 2009	UEFA Europa League	Politehnica Timișoara	Anderlecht	0–0	6,893
2 December 2009	UEFA Europa League	Politehnica Timișoara	Ajax	1–2	8,085
5 August 2010	UEFA Europa League	Politehnica Timișoara	MYPA	3–3	8,000
19 August 2010	UEFA Europa League	Politehnica Timișoara	Manchester City	0–1	24,695

Concerts

Date	Artist	Tour	Attendance
10 August 1984	Lepa Brena	Bato, Bato Tour	65,000
17 July 2006	Shakira	Oral Fixation Tour	30,000

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dan Păltinișanu Stadium.

See also

• List of football stadiums in Romania
• List of places in Timișoara

На других языках

[de] Dan-Păltinișanu-Stadion

[fr] Stade Dan-Păltinișanu

[ru] Дан Пэлтинишану (стадион)