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Stadium

Ammochostos Stadium

Larnaca, Cyprus

Formerly: Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium, Vitex Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium, N.Papas Group Ammochostos Stadium

Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
Ammochostos Stadium www.neasalamis.com.cy · Attribution
Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
Ammochostos Stadium www.neasalamis.com.cy · Attribution
Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
Ammochostos Stadium Nea Salamis Famagusta FC · CC BY-SA 3.0

The ground stands in Larnaca, but its history begins in Famagusta. When the Turkish invasion of 1974 sealed off the club's original home in the north, Nea Salamis Famagusta FC needed a new base. They chose this site to serve as their temporary fortress, naming it 'Epistrofi' — the Return — a quiet promise that the team would one day go back.

Construction began in December 1989, funded by fan donations and the Cyprus Sports Organization. The stadium opened its gates in May 1992, hosting the UEFA European Under-16 Championship final between Germany and Spain. A 1998 renovation expanded the capacity to 5,500 and removed the safety fences that once separated the stands from the terraces.

Behind the goals, the red advertising hoardings display sponsor names that have changed with the years, though the club's core identity has remained constant.

The stadium has hosted matches between Greek and Turkish Cypriot clubs, including a historic friendly in 2020 that broke a 50-year silence. Today, Nea Salamis remains the primary tenant, their natural grass pitch hosting matches that draw crowds approaching the 5,500 limit, though average attendance in recent seasons has hovered around 1,277.

Other clubs have used the ground over the years — Ermis Aradippou, Alki Larnaca, AEL Limassol — but none have claimed it as their own the way Nea Salamis has. The stadium's name has carried sponsor prefixes like 'Vitex' and 'N.Papas Group', but the underlying meaning persists: this is a home built on hope, waiting for the day when the return becomes real.