Gressbanen

The Gressbanen sits where the railway meets the city, and the noise of the trains still cuts through the stands when a match is underway. It opened in 1918 as a simple grass pitch, but the surface was converted to artificial turf in 2001, a change made to suit the long Norwegian winters. The ground has never needed a sponsor name to identify it, carrying the same title since the days when gravel pitches were the norm.

It was the home of the Norway national team for eight years, hosting seventeen internationals before the squad moved to Ullevaal Stadion in 1927. The venue was used for the first two Norwegian Football Cup finals. The ground is now run by the local side IF Ready, who play their home matches there.

What draws attention to the pitch is not the architecture, but its dual purpose. In the summer months it serves as a football field, but during the colder season the turf is covered with artificial ice to host bandy matches. The capacity varies depending on who you ask, with Nordic Stadiums listing the number at 1,200 while the Europlan database suggests 2,000 seats. The attendance record is equally uncertain, with records citing figures as high as 20,000 for a match against Denmark in 1924 and others pointing to a game against the Netherlands in 1919. The numbers are debated.