Sóstói Stadion

Sóstói Stadion
Map
Coordinates47°10′25″N 18°24′55″E / 47.17361°N 18.41528°E / 47.17361; 18.41528
OperatorVárosfejlesztesési Kft.
Capacity14,201
Record attendance11,251
(MOL Vidi v Újpest; 28 November 2018)
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground2016
Built2016–2018
Opened21 November 2018
Construction cost13.98 billion HUF [1]
ArchitectÁgnes Streit
Oktávián Burits
László Péterfy[2]
Project managerGyőző Kókány
Structural engineerLászló Szántó
Zoltán Hajtó
László Kovács
Tenants
Fehérvár FC (2018–present)
Website
Official website

Sóstói Stadion, formerly known as MOL Aréna Sóstó, (MOL Aréna Salt Lake) is a multi-purpose stadium in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, primarily used for football matches.[3]

History

Planning

On 12 November 2014, the design of the new stadium was revealed at press conference held by László Vigh and András Cser-Palkovics, mayor of Székesfehérvár. Three new stands are going to be built. The main stand is going to be renewed. The reconstruction is going to start in autumn 2015. The expected finish of the construction is going to be the end of 2016. During the 2015-16 season the club are going to play their matches at the Pancho Arena in Felcsút, Fejér County.[4]

On 18 September 2015, it was announced that the demolition of the current stadium is going to be in January 2016.[5]

On 10 December 2015, András Cser-Palkovics said that a totally new multi-use stadium will be built creating the Vidi-city. He emphasised the importance of the reconstruction of the neighbouring parks, routes and buildings. The demolition will kick off on 14 December 2015 and the new stadium will be opened in 2017. During that period the trainings for the club will be in Székesfehérvár. However, the Nemzeti Bajnokság I matches will be played at the Pancho Arena, in Felcsút.[6]

Construction

On 14 October 2016, it was revealed by feol.hu that the construction might start within days as soon as the contracts are signed by all parties. The feol.hu website also adds that the opening will be further delayed due to the late start of the constructions.[7]

On 23 November 2016 the construction officially started.[8]

On 7 February 2017, László Horváth, project manager of Sóstó Konzorcium, said that the first phase of the construction ended. The demolition of the interior of the remaining main stand ended. The concrete of the demolished parts of the main stand will be reused in the building of the new stands. The Sóstó Konzorcium will have 14 months to finish the construction of the stadium.[9]

On 13 March 2017, László Horváth, project manager of Sóstó Konzorcium, said that thanks to the mild winter the construction of the new stadium is in good progress. The construction of the base of the stands were finished in March.[10]

On 27 March 2017, it was confirmed that the construction of the stadium would be finished by 16 January 2018. Péter Gönczöl, managing director of Strabag-MML Kft., said that the construction is in the most spectacular phase when the biggest panels are positioned into their places. András Cser-Palkovics, mayor of Székesfehérvár, said that due to the severe weather conditions during winter the construction could be finished by the deadline. Róbert Varga, director of Strabag-Hungary, added that the new stadium will be able to host 14,201 spectators and the stadium will be lying on a base of 10,199 square metres and the highest point of the stadium will be 21.28 metres.[11]

On 4 April 2017 new pictures were revealed on Nemzeti Sport about the construction. It was also confirmed by the official webitse of Videoton that the construction will be finished by 16 January 2018.[12]

On 18 August 2017, it was announced that the main stand should also be demolished due to statical problems. Originally, the new stadium would have been built around the main stand. Due to the reconstruction of the main stand the opening of the new stadium will be delayed to June 2018.[13]

On 27 July 2018, it was announced that MOL Vidi FC will rent the stadium.[14]

On 14 August 2018, an article was published on the Hungarian news website, Index.hu, stating that there will be further delays in the opening of the new stadium.[15] One day later, it was announced that the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League play-off matches will be played at Ferencvárosi TC's home stadium, Groupama Aréna in Budapest.[16]

Opening

The stadium was opened on 21 November 2018. The first match was played between MOL Vidi and Újpest in the 6th round of the 2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season and the match ended with a 1-0 victory for the home side. The first goal was scored by Roland Juhász in the 58th minute.[17]

The opening of the stadium started with the performance of the Hungarian pop band Wellhello since the singer of this group, Tomi Fluor, has roots in Székesfehérvár. In addition, the members of the legendary 1958-team were also present including Péter Disztl, Gábor Horváth, and Imre Vadász. Former football coaches of Videoton FC were also present such as János Csank, Péter Bozsik, and Imre Gellei.[18][19]

On 21 November 2018 the stadium was renamed as MOL Aréna Sóstó due to sponsorship reasons.[20]

On 27 February 2019, the first Magyar Kupa match was played at the stadium. MOL Vidi FC hosted Taksony SE in the 8th round of the 2018–19 Magyar Kupa season. The match ended with a 3-0 victory for MOL Vidi. Huszti scored twice, while Anel Hadžić once. The home side qualified for the quarter-finals on 4-0 aggregate. [21]

Recent

The stadium was selected to host the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[22]

In 2023, the stadium was renamed as Sóstói Stadion since the Hungarian oil company, MOL, stopped financing the club.[23]

Milestone matches

21 November 2018 Fehérvár Hungary 1–0 Hungary Újpest (First Nemzeti Bajnokság I match)
Juhász 58' Report Attendance: 11,251
Referee: Sándor Andó-Szabó (Hungary)
27 February 2019 (2019-02-27) Fehérvár Hungary 3–0 Hungary Taksony (First Magyar Kupa match)
18:00 CET Huszti 26' 42'
Hadžić 32'
Report Referee: Gábor Barna

Attendances

As of 11 April 2017.

Season Average
2018–19 TBA

See also

References

  1. ^ "Vidi: öt plusz öt évre bérlik a várostól az új Sóstói Stadiont - NS".
  2. ^ "Videoton Stadion – Exon 2000 Tervező és Ker. KFT".
  3. ^ "Sóstói Stadion". Stadiumdb.com. 10 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Videoton: ilyen lesz a megújuló Sóstói Stadion - látványtervek". Nemzeti Sport. 12 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Videoton: januárban kezdődik a Sóstói Stadion bontása". Nemzeti Sport. 18 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Videoton: az új stadionnal egy Vidi-város jön létre". Nemzeti Sport. 10 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Videoton: hamarosan kezdődhet a Sóstói Stadion felújítása". Nemzeti Sport. 14 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Videoton: elkezdődött a Sóstói Stadion építése". Nemzeti Sport. 24 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Videoton: az ütemtervnek megfelelően halad a stadionépítés – képek". Nemzeti Sport. 7 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Videoton: így állnak a stadionépítési munkák – képek". Nemzeti Sport. 13 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Videoton: időben kész lesz a Sóstói Stadion – képek, videó". Nemzeti Sport. 27 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Videoton: friss képek a Sóstói Stadion építési munkálatairól". Nemzeti Sport. 4 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Videoton: súlyos statikai problémák – csúszás a Sóstói Stadionnál". Nemzeti Sport. 18 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Létesítmény: a Mol Vidi bérlője lesz az új Sóstói Stadionnak". Nemzeti Sport. 27 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Ez a Vidi-stadion már sose lesz kész?". Index.hu. 14 August 2018.
  16. ^ "A további nemzetközi kupameccsekre a Groupama Arénába költözik a Vidi". Molvidi.hu. 15 August 2018.
  17. ^ "2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság I: MOL Vidi FC 1–0 Újpest FC". Soccerway.com]. 21 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Az Újpest elleni győzelemmel avatta fel új arénáját a Vidi". Nemzeti Sport. 21 November 2018.
  19. ^ "Pikáns Wellhelloval adták át a Mol Vidi új stadionját". Index.hu. 21 November 2018.
  20. ^ "MOL Aréna Sóstó lett a neve a stadionnak". Szekesfehrvar.hu. 21 November 2018.
  21. ^ "MOL Vidi FC 3–0 Taksony SE". Mlsz.hu. 27 February 2019.
  22. ^ "2021 Under-21 EURO". uefa.com. 16 March 2021.
  23. ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "NB I: Sóstói Stadion néven működik tovább a Fehérvár FC otthona - N". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2023-06-30.