Landskrona IP

The venue was formally inaugurated by Crown Price Gustav Adolf who became King of Sweden 26 years later[2] , in the summer of 1924.[3] Landskrona IP replaced the old sports ground Banan, where the pitch was in the middle of a simple cycling track.[4] Unlike the old sports ground from 1893,[5] was "IP" located just east of the magnificent beech forest Karlslund, some 3–4 km north of the town's centre. Almost at the countryside of 1924.[6]

Allsvenskan, the Swedish top football league, began in 1924–25, with Landskrona BoIS as one of its twelve original clubs. The club had initially failed to qualify for the new national league. But much thanks to this new stadium which by 1924 standards was considered as modern and suitable for football, was BoIS given a place in the new league, which first was meant for Fässberg, a club from a Gothenburg suburb which not even had a dressing room or bath/showers for the away team.[7] The venue was also suitable for primitive bicycle racing and perhaps also for Track and field. But the clay tracks which surrounded the pitch was shorter than the 400 meter Track and field standard. The southern grandstand had seats only, but the stand was originally only partly covered. At the northern side and behind the eastern curve terraces was constructed of earthwork stones and some concrete. Parts of the eastern curve simple was earthwork with grass on. In the western curve was no stands of any kind.[8] During the spring of 1939 was the entire seating grandstand covered, but this meant nothing for the total attendance capacity, which remained to be around 10.000.[9]

Photo of the north terraces stand during the late 1950s. Below the stand, at the running tracks, several bench rows have been provided. The upper part of the stand was divided in two sections until 1972. The changing rooms and showers for players and the referees was located behind this stand. A kind of mobile fenced corridor prevented the crowd to reach the players

Sometime between the BoIS 1952-53 ditching down to the third tier of Swedish football,[10] and the 1958 qualification match for Allsvenskan against Örgryte IS,[11] was the northern terraced stand enlarged by a slightly steeper stainless steel & wood section, on top of the concrete and earthworks, which next to doubled the crowd capacity of that stand.[12] Landskrona BoIS was a top club most years from the late 1950s to 1970, but failed to reach Allsvenskan in the qualification games in 1958,[13] 1959,[14] 1962[15] and in 1968.[16] But in 1970 did the club finally return to the finest Swedish football assembly through a successful qualification.[17]

During the period from the mid 1950s and 15–20 years ahead, did much happen in the world of football. During this time, did Landskrona IP not only see the current attendance record, but attendances close to, or above 10.000 became regular. Between 1958 and 1977 did Landskrona IP welcome crowds of around 10.000 or more, at some 20-25 occasions, and in at least nine of those occasions were the attendance also above 15.000.[18][19] It was also during the late 1950s in which the all-time attendance record was set. During a qualification game for Allsvenskan in 1959, as 18 535 spectators turned up for the event.[20] Between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, crowds of 15,000 were not uncommon, and occurred even when Landskrona BoIS played in Sweden's second-tier league.

In the mid 1960s the four floodlight pillars were first erected. But some of them fell during a hurricane just a year or two later. When they were re-erected, they became secured by a system of steel cables.

The 1973 Grandstand, here with extended roof and seats instead of the original wooden benches with backrests

After the last Allsvenskan home game in 1972 was the southern grandstand seater demolished, and at the opening home game of the 1973 season was a new modern concrete Grandstand with 4000 seats opened instead.[21][22] The new stand had approximately 2200 covered seats and 1800 seats without any cover. For extraordinary interesting matches, temporary benches were usually placed at the clay tracks, this allowed a total of close to 6000 sitting attenders.

The 1973 building of the new grandstand is the most expensive and significant improvement of Landskrona IP ever.

Until 1989, the arena had clay tracks for athletics (and originally also for cycle races, though it has never been anything like a velodrome). The stadium was rather useless for athletics, as the tracks were both narrow and notably shorter than the optimal 400 meters, and the throwing events were held behind the stadium, if any athletic competition ever was held at IP. The running tracks were mainly used by nearby schools. (While the pitch naturally was off-limits for all but football players)

LandskronaIP seater from 1973, got an extended roof in 1995. The entire stand has a slightly oval shape

In 1990 the owner, Landskrona Town, removed the tracks after requests by Landskrona BoIS. And a few hundred meters away, a good facilities for athletics was constructed. The 1973 seater stand now turned out to be a bit longer than the pitch and quite a few seats was removed for this reason and due to bad sight.

Behind both short sides of the stadium lower wooden terraces were mounted behind the short sides. And in the following year, 1990, the northern long side terrace stand, whose lower part was built of a combination of earthwork, stone and concrete and its upper part of wood, was replaced by a concrete terrace stand (which is possible to transform into an all-seater stand, although this never has been done at Landskrona IP, but the same construction was used at Olympia, in neighbouring city Helsingborg 1985-2000, and i a minor extent also between 2001 and 2015, and there has the terraces at several occasions been transformed into all-seater stands).

The reconstruction was an improvement, seen from most angles. But it really was an insufficient action, partly due to the very low terraces behind the goals but mainly due to the complete lack of roofs and other weather shields at the three terraced sides. And from now on was the maximum capacity reduced to around 11.000.

In the following year, 1991, was the northern terraces replaced with a new concrete terrace stand of equal height as the old one, but it had fewer steps. The demolition of the old northern stand also meant the last parts of the original stands from 1924, now was forever gone. A wooden building behind that stand survived for many years however, but as of May 2017 are the only artifacts remaining from 1924 two flagpoles and the arch which constituted the entrance. It no longer does, but is still there, and most of the spectators who pay ground attendance fee do still walk through the arch.

The old entrance Arch at Landskrona IP. Many ground fee attenders do still walk through the Arch, but the new entrance is to the right, just a bit behind the Arch. It's the last remaining larger artifact from the 1924 inauguration. Until 1972 were the seat tickets sold in the two (closed) hatches

Before the 1998 season had Landskrona municipality in mind to build a roof on top of the northern long side terraces, however the new board with Kenneth Håkansson as chairman, argued that the money was needed elsewhere. The knowledge of this decision among the supporters was next to none at the time. Generally has the football attenders in Sweden never been listened to, but with knowledge of the local climate is it very hard to comprehend this decision. As an example was a possible beating of the 1959 attendance record, mentioned i the local newspapers before the Landskrona BoIS vs Malmö FF meetings in 1975, 1976 and 1977. In 1975 came 17.696 [23][24] in excellent weather (less than 900 away from a new record), but due to some rain did only 13.758 turn up for the 1976 meeting[25][26] and in 1977 fell rain all afternoon as well as during most of the match. And the attendance only reached 10.849.[27] Everyone knows the significance of a good environment for the crowds (such as roofs and wind shields), but even when the owner of the venue, (Landskrona Town, as mentioned earlier), wanted to improve the spectator facilities, did the 1998-2014 leadership disagree. And since 1998 has many thousands of attenders "rained away" at Landskrona IP.

Just before Landskrona BoIS' 2002 return to Allsvenskan, was two concrete terraces (without roofs, "naturally") taken in use at the eastern side, together with two temporary rented larger steel & wood constructions behind the opposite goal. But these were initially intended for the season premiere only, and was removed afterwards. Also, a few more seats vanished, as the original benches were substituted with individual seats. The 2002 season opening was the first Allsvenskan match at Landskrona IP since 1994. The guesting team was no other than HIF or more formal, Helsingborgs IF, the together with MFF or Malmö FF the angriest rivals possible for BoIS, at 6.April.2002 in front of 11.909, which ended with the astonish result of 6-2 for BoIS ! [28] After the 2002 season premiere was the temporary stands behind the western goal removed. After the police simply had to close the gates to the absolutely packed stadium against AIK that same year (at 8.July.2002 after 10.181 spectators had entered the venue),[29][30] did the mobile stands return to Landskrona IP. After that match did the board apologise to the sponsors, whose advertising had been drawn down by the police, in order for more of the paying attenders, to be able to see something. But the board never apologised to the paying attenders, who couldn't see much. This was a hinch of how the still rather new chairman of the board made his priorities. In the spring of 2003 did Landskrona BoIS themselves pay for a permanent western concrete terrace. (All other stands are owned by Landskrona Town).

However, before the 2011 season the club replaced the western stand with a building. And as of May 2017, the venue still lacks cover of the northern and eastern terraces, and there is no attendance possible behind the western side.[31]

By 2005, Landskrona BoIS presented a reconstruction of all uncovered terraces and replacing the northern stand with an all-seater stand. Total capacity would be 12.000. But as Landskrona BoIS got relegated from Allsvenskan down to Superettan, the idea vanished.[32] The former chairman (1998-2014), Kenneth Håkansson had plans for a very fashionable and luxury, but indeed tiny, new stadium which included a tall hotel in Landskrona's harbour area.[33] But as that initially secret idea reached the members and supporters of the club, did it not receive much positive criticism. Soon afterwards did the main private financier jump off the project. The intended venue was in most minds far too small (only meant for 6000) and far too expensive as well as being located at a very windy location. Also, Kenneth Håkansson, who initially did very well for the club, began to estimate the need for the future attendance capacity, solely based on the very latest statistics, instead upon historical facts. Or at least, it did certainly appear to be so.[34]

Just before the 2011 season, the western concrete terrace (built in as late as in 2003, and which at least gave shadow for its spectators during games played in hot summer days) was removed and a temporary building has prevented spectators from watching the game from that view ever since.[35] During the autumn of 2013, the board and previous chairman of the club announce, "Due to the need of ground heating, the natural grass also needs to be replaced with artificial turf",[36] which indeed seemed strange as stadiums with artificial turf are not called for in the Scanian climate. An alleged investigation, made by Landskrona BoIS former leading, meant that this was a necessity for the 2014 season, which caused a storm of protests from supporters of the club as well as others.[37][38] And in November 2013 the municipality council instead decided to invest in ground heating, but rejected the idea of artificial turf.[39] When the "investigation" was presented, it soon was revealed that the heating costs for natural grass were included, but excluded for the "artificial turf alternative". Further, some of the outgoing figures was based "on a few phone-calls".

And how the annual the costs of a grass pitch for football could be almost as expensive as keeping the 36 greens of Landskrona Golf Club open the entire year, including some 3-5 annual snowfalls, nobody from the former club leading could explain.

Eventually the leading local politicians did agree with the large number of supporters (as well as others), and did not gave their permission for an artificial turf, as the former Club board had requested. On 14 April 2014, the second ever natural grass pitch at the football stadium at Landskrona IP was inaugurated, with ground heating beneath. [40]

Sweden has once played a home cap at Landskrona IP, against Estonia on 7 July 1929; the result was 4-1, and several Landskrona BoIS players were on the pitch. This was however during the time when the former committee of national-team selected players${\displaystyle *}$ mostly was regional (for this match the committee was composed mainly of journalists from the Malmö newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet) [41]

${\displaystyle */}$The precise name of these committees are not formally known even in Swedish."Uttagningskommitén" is used in the source.

This tournament for boys up to the age of 17 was hosted by southern Sweden (all games played in Scania or Blekinge). Two games were played at Landskrona IP. The Group D game, between Sweden and Portugal (which ended in a 1:0 Swedish victory) and one of the semi-finals was played at Landskrona IP. In the latter the former Yugoslavia defeated Greece 1:0.[42] All 4000 seats were sold and equally split in two halves. But the approximately 12,000 ground attendance terraces were open for local residents only, but very few of them arrived at "IP" this rainy day, 29.May.1974. The Yugoslavian goal came late in the match, and the posse of police dogs was put in action.[43]

During the qualification for the Euro 1992, Faroe Islands participated for the first time in international football. A problem for them was that no UEFA-approved grass pitch arena existed at this North Atlantic country. For unknown reasons Faroe Islands then chose Landskrona IP as their temporary home ground. Their first opponents were Austria, a team who were expected to win against this small nation, who were new to international football, but Faroe Islands won their first ever competition game 1:0 "home" at Landskrona IP, on 12 September 1990.[44] This led to a fast decision, to build a usable home ground in Thorshavn within weeks. However UEFA decided that it would not be fair for the other national teams to have to play at the new stadium at Faroe Islands, hence another three international competition games were played at Landskrona IP, against Denmark, Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland.[45]