Grefsen stadion

Grefsen Stadion sits on the Grefsen plateau. The sightlines are open, and the crowd does not have far to look to see the full width of the field. Tram lines 11 and 12 run past the area, so arriving here does not require a long walk from the nearest station. The main stand is covered, but the rest of the seating is open to the sky, and the wind sweeps straight across the pitch from one corner to the other.

There is no sprawling complex of corporate boxes or restaurants surrounding the ground. The facilities are functional, with a small clubhouse visible behind the goal, and the perimeter fence is low enough to keep the spectators close to the action. The artificial surface has been laid down a number of years ago, and the markings are crisp and white against the green. It is a modest venue, but one that has hosted games of significance, including matches that drew crowds larger than the current seated capacity might suggest.

What remains most striking is the layout: the stands run along one side of the pitch, and the opposite side is bordered by the running track and then the trees. There is no symmetry to the structure, and the uneven levels of the plateau mean that the view from the back of the stand is slightly higher than from the front. The players on the pitch today look small against the backdrop of the hill, and the sound of the game carries up the slope without being muffled by any large structures.