Ljudski vrt Stadium

Ljudski vrt
Full name	Stadion Ljudski vrt
Location	Maribor, Slovenia
Coordinates	46°33′45″N 15°38′26″E / 46.562401°N 15.640497°E / 46.562401; 15.640497Coordinates: 46°33′45″N 15°38′26″E / 46.562401°N 15.640497°E / 46.562401; 15.640497
Built	1962
Renovated	1994, 1998, 1999, 2008
Expanded	1999, 2008, 2011
Owner	City of Maribor
Capacity	12,510[1]
Field dimensions	105 × 68 metres
Tenants
NK Maribor Slovenia national football team 2013 Winter Universiade

The Ljudski vrt stadium (Slovene: Stadion Ljudski vrt) also known by the abbreviation LV, is a multi-purpose stadium located on the left bank of the river Drava in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. The stadium is a landmark of the city of Maribor and is considered as one of the most beautiful smaller stadium in the world.^[2][3] The stadium is the home ground of football club NK Maribor and one of the main venues of Slovenia national football team. The current capacity of the stadium is 12,510 seats. Besides football the stadium is also the host of many cultural events.

History

Main stand – built in 1962

The stadium received its name after the public park of Maribor which was planted in 1873.^[4] The park was later turned into an army shooting range until 1920 when the first football field was built in the area.^[4] The meaning of Ljudski vrt is People's garden (German: Volksgarten). The pitch on the present day area was built in 1952, while the stadium itself was not built until 1962.^[4] The main stand that was built in 1962 is still the most recognizable part of the stadium. The main trademark of the stand is its 129,8 meters long and 18,4 meters high concrete arch that is protected by the Slovene Institute for Cultural Heritage Protection.^[4] The first match on the stadium was played on 25 June 1961 between Maribor and Mladost Zabok, won by Maribor 3–2.^[5]

Since then the stadium went through four renovations. In 1994 the main stand was renovated.^[4] Four years later (1998), with successful participations of NK Maribor in the European club competition, the stadium was turned into an all-seater and only one year later was fully renovated after the successful qualification of Maribor in the UEFA Champions League.^[4] The biggest renovation was the last one from 2006 to 2008 when the stadium was completely renovated and now holds a capacity of 12,510 covered seats. This renovation is planned in separate phases and is scheduled for completion in the next few years.

For local supporters, the stadium is known as Nogometni hram (Football temple) and the pitch itself as Sveta trava (Holy grass). This is most likely due to the tremendous success the club has had on this stadium, but perhaps also because a cemetery was located on the area before the stadium was built.^[6]

Capacity

East stand – built in 2008

The capacity of Ljudski vrt varied throughout history due to renovations, different safety regulations and seating arrangement. Although the official capacity of the stadium in the days of SFR Yugoslavia was around 10,000 the fact that the stadium had mostly standing terraces made it possible for attendance on important matches to reach as high as 20,000 spectators.^[7]

The official capacity of the stadium after 1991 was 7,200 however due to the large part of terraces still composed of standing area it was possible for the stadium to hold well over 10,000 spectators on important matches. The most was in 1997 when 14,000 people gathered on the last match of the 1996–97 season.^[8] When NK Maribor qualified in the UEFA Champions League the stadium underwent a major reconstruction and due to UEFA seafty regulations the stadium was turned into an all-seater stadium with the capacity of 10,160.

In 2008 the stadium underwent another major reconstruction and the capacity was increased to 12,435 covered seats, which was increased again in 2010 and the current capacity of the stadium today is 12,510.

Football

The stadium is mainly used for football and is the home ground of football club NK Maribor. It is the symbol of the club and one of the most recognizable sport landmarks in Slovenia. Beside being the home ground of NK Maribor, the stadium has also hosted final matches of the Slovenian Cup and Slovenian Supercup on numerous occasions and is also the home venue of the Slovenia national football team and was the main venue for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifications. The stadium will also be one of two main venues for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifications.^[9]

Slovenian Cup and Supercup finals

Date	Competition	Home	Away	Result	Attendance
15 June 1994	Slovenian Cup	NK Maribor	NK Mura	3–12	4,500
9 June 1997	Slovenian Cup	NK Maribor	NK Primorje	3–02	5,000
16 June 1999	Slovenian Cup	NK Maribor	NK Olimpija	2–02	6,500
19 May 2004	Slovenian Cup	NK Maribor	NK Dravograd	4–01	1,500
30 May 2009	Slovenian Cup	NK Interblock	FC Koper	2–1	2,500
8 July 2009	Supercup	NK Maribor	NK Interblock	3–2 AET	2,300
8 May 2010	Slovenian Cup	NK Maribor	NK Domžale	3–2 AET	6,000
9 July 2010	Supercup	NK Koper	NK Maribor	5–4 Pen.	2,000
8 July 2011	Supercup	NK Maribor	NK Domžale	1–2	2,500

¹1st leg -- ²2nd leg

National team matches

Date	Competition	Country	Result	Attendance
27 April 1994	Friendly	Cyprus	3–0	3,000
7 September 1994	UEFA Euro 1996 Q	Italy	1–1	6,000
16 November 1994	UEFA Euro 1996 Q	Lithuania	1–2	4,000
29 March 1995	UEFA Euro 1996 Q	Estonia	3–0	3,000
14 November 1998	UEFA Euro 2000 Q	Latvia	1–0	4,000
9 November 1999	UEFA Euro 2000 Q	Greece	0–3	3,000
20 August 2008	Friendly	Croatia	2–3	11,100
10 September 2008	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	Slovakia	2–1	11,000
11 November 2008	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	Northern Ireland	2–0	12,435
19 November 2008	Friendly	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3–4	12,000
28 March 2009	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	Czech Republic	0–0	12,435
12 August 2009	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	San Marino	5–0	6,000
9 September 2009	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	Poland	3–0	12,435
18 November 2009	2010 FIFA World Cup Q	Russia	1–0	12,510
3 March 2010	Friendly	Qatar	4–1	4,900
4 June 2010	Friendly	New Zealand	3–1	10,965
3 September 2010	UEFA Euro 2012 Q	Northern Ireland	0–1	12,435
11 October 2011	UEFA Euro 2012 Q	Serbia	1–0	11,000

Last updated: 12 October 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Famous NK Maribor matches

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of NK Maribor, the official club website has listed four legendary matches of the club in its history of playing in the Ljudski vrt stadium.^[10]

First match in LV

Maribor played its first match in Ljudski vrt in the qualifications for the 2nd Yugoslav division, despite the fact that the main stand of the stadium was still under construction.^[11] The main reason for such a decision was the fact that the pitch conditions in Ljudski vrt were better than the one on the club's old stadium.^[11]

25 June 1961	NK Maribor	3 – 2	NK Mladost Zabok	Ljudski vrt, Maribor Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Miličić (Croatia)
	Blaznik  24' Tolič  33' Čeh  66' (pen.)	Report	Donko  17' (o.g.) Jeremić  60' (pen.)

Note: The national flag icons indicate the present day countries of the respective clubs. Until 1991 both teams were part of SFR Yugoslavia

Highest attendance

On 8 July 1973 Maribor played in the 1st leg of the qualifications for Yugoslav First League against Proleter.^[7] There was 20,000 spectators on the stands that day which is still the record in club history and one of the records of Slovenian football.^[7]

8 July 1973 16:30	NK Maribor	3 – 1	FK Proleter Zrenjanin	Ljudski vrt, Maribor Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Kurir (Croatia)
	Binkovski  5' Horjak  6' Vučeković  65'	Report	Vidović  31'

Note: The national flag icons indicate the present day countries of the respective clubs. Until 1991 both teams were part of SFR Yugoslavia

UEFA Champions League qualifying

At the end of the 1990s Maribor was close into qualifying into the elite UEFA Champions League. In 1998 the team was close but eventually lost to PSV after extra time. A year later the team played against Lyon. In the 1st leg in Lyon Maribor made an upset and won the match 1-0.^[12] The 2nd leg was scheduled to be played on 25 August 1999 in Ljudski vrt and the ticket demand was so high that the team could sell well over 30,000 tickets.^[12] However, the stadium had a capacity of only 7,500.^[12]

25 August 1999 20:45	NK Maribor	2 – 0	Olympique Lyonnais	Ljudski vrt, Maribor Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Sarvan (Turkey)
	Šimundža  24' Balajić  44'	Report

First match in the new LV

The first match on the new Ljudski vrt stadium after its major reconstruction was played against Nafta on 10 May 2008.^[13]

10 May 2008 19:00	NK Maribor	3 – 1	NK Nafta	Ljudski vrt, Maribor Attendance: 12,435 Referee: Čeferin (Slovenia)
	Pavlovič  24' Nilton  42' Tavares  59'	Report	Vass  19'

Culture

Due to excellent acoustics the stadiums is a popular choice for concerts and other cultural performances. One of the first on the renovated stadium was the Greek Zorba musical which had an attendance of around 6,000 people. The stadium also hosts an annual concert Piše se leto organized by Večer newspaper.

Records

The highest attendance recorded at Ljudski vrt is 20,000, for Maribor's match against Proleter in the first leg of the promotional playoffs for the Yugoslav First League, on 8 July 1973.^[7] The stadium also holds the record for the highest attendance achieved on a Slovenian league match.^[14] This was set in the final round of the 1996–97 season when 14,000 spectators were present for Maribor's match against Beltinci which secured the club's first league title, on 1 June 1997.^[8] The record modern (all-seated) attendance is 12,510, for a return leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup playoffs beteween Slovenia and Russia, on 18 November 2009.^[15] In addition, Ljudski vrt holds the record for the highest average attendance during the Slovenian league season to date (5,289).^[16]

Maribor did not lose a league match at Ljudski vrt during the 1960–61 (Div 3), 1965–66 (Div 2), 1966–67 (Div 2), 1970–71 (Div 1), 1972–73 (Div 2), 1977–78 (Div 2), 1980–81 (Div 2), 1981–82 (Div 3), 1983–84 (Div 3), 1985–86 (Div 3), 1987–88 (Div 3), 1991–92 (Div 1), 1992–93 (Div 1), 1998–99 (Div 1) and 1999–00 (Div 1) season. They won all their home games during the 1983-84 and 1985-86 seasons. Maribor's longest winning streak at home extended from October 1993 to November 1994, a period encompassing 17 league games, in which Maribor scored 52 goals and conceded 10.

Picture gallery

• 

  Stadium at night

• 

  Aerial photo

• 

  Greek Zorba musical (1)

• 

  Greek Zorba musical (2)

• 

  Greek Zorba musical (3)

• 

  Main stand – built in 1962

• 

  Main stand (2011)

• 

  East stand – built in 2008

• 

  East stand (2011)

• 

  Exebition match

• 

  Viole Maribor (2008)

• 

  Viole Maribor (2011)

External links

• Ljudski vrt Ljudski vrt on Football Stadiums of Slovenia
• Stadion LJUDSKI VRT
• NK Maribor Club Website

References

1. ^ http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/StatDoc/competitions/-Publications/01/67/58/96/1675896_DOWNLOAD.pdf
2. ^ DC Scrap. "Stadiums at night: 25 beautiful cathedrals of sport". guyism.com. http://guyism.com/sports/stadiums-at-night-25-beautiful-cathedrals-of-sport.html. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
3. ^ OnlineProSports. "Ljudski vrt Stadium". onlineprosports.com. http://onlineprosports.com/news/videos/Ljudski-Vrt-Stadium.html. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Ljudski vrt: Zgodovina" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/Klub/Stadion/Zgodovina. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
5. ^ "Ljudski vrt: Info" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/Klub/Stadion/Info. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
6. ^ "Pobreško pokopališče" (in Slovene). pp-mb.si. http://www.pp-mb.si/pobresko_pokopalisce.aspx. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} "Prva kvalifikacijska tekma za vstop v 1. ligo" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/dokument.asp?id=48. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Zapisnik tekme: Maribor-Potrošnik" (in Slovene). prvaliga.si. http://www.prvaliga.si/tekma/zapisnik/?id_tekme=6362. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
9. ^ http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/nogomet/ep-2012-srbi-in-severni-irci-v-maribor-italijani-v-ljubljano/229701
10. ^ "Stadion: Legendardne tekme" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/dokument.asp?id=44&id_menu=73. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "Prva tekma NK Maribor v Ljudskem vrtu" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/dokument.asp?id=44. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} "Uvrstitev v Ligo Prvakov" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/dokument.asp?id=49. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
13. ^ "Redko viden spektakel" (in Slovene). nkmaribor.com. http://www.nkmaribor.com/dokument.asp?id=60. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
14. ^ "Statistika: Vse sezone" (in Slovene). Association of 1.SNL. http://www.prvaliga.si/Tekmovanja/Statistika/default.asp?id_menu=28&idsa=1. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
15. ^ Nogometna Zveza Slovenije (18 November 2009). "Zapisnik: Slovenia 1:0 Rusija" (in Slovene). Football Association of Slovenia. http://www.nzs.si/index.php?t=reprezentancaZapisnik&id=791. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
16. ^ PrvaLiga. "Statistika: Sezona 96/97 -> domače tekme" (in Slovene). Association of 1.SNL. http://www.prvaliga.si/Tekmovanja/Statistika/default.asp?id_menu=28. Retrieved 27 September 2011.