Karlsrofältet


Karlsrofältet is a former football pitch in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was the first home ground of IFK Göteborg, and was used extensively for grassroots football until the 1950s.

History

The site was originally planned to house the new Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and the municipality bought the land in 1896 for that purpose. The plans were however changed and the land was instead converted to a playground for the planned Änggården garden city. Sports clubs from around the nearby Linnéstaden district also started using the field.
One such club was the in 1904 founded IFK Göteborg, who played their first match—a training match between the first and second team of the club—on the field. A memorial stone with the text "Here on Karlsrofältet, IFK Göteborg played their first football match in the year 1904" has been raised on the site as commemoration.
The field was renovated in 1906, ensuring correct playing dimensions and regulation goalposts. It was mainly used for training and lower league games despite this, due to the lack of changing rooms and a very uneven pitch. IFK Göteborg stopped using the venue for training in 1910, but returned a final time in 1923 to play the season premiere at Karlsrofältet in front of a crowd of 4,000.
All official activity was moved from the field in the 1950s due to major traffic rerouting nearby claiming part of the ground, and in 1960 the pitch size was reduced from the previous full-size to seven-a-side measurements, due to further traffic projects in the area.

Citations