Stadionul Regie

Stadionul Regie, also known as Stadionul Sportul, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It is used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Sportul Studențesc București for 94 years. The stadium has 10,020 seats and is temporarily the home ground of Rapid II București.

History

The stadium was built in the 1920s, and until the Second World War, it belonged to Belvedere FC. During that time, the stadium had only one West stand and also an oval athletic track around the pitch. In 1955, the stadium changed ownership from CAM (Casa Autonoma a Monopulului) to the Ministry of Education. Consequently, the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and its football club, Știinta (later Politehnica, and now Sportul Studențesc), was allowed to train and play their home games here.

The stadium was renovated for the first time in 1972 after Sportul Studențesc was promoted to the Romanian First Division. With the help of then TMUCB Director, Mr. Barbu Emil "Mac" Popescu, the athletic track was removed and the North, South, and East stands were built. Soil excavated from the construction of the Bucharest subway system was used to build the aforementioned stands.

In 2004, following FC Sportul Studențesc's latest promotion to the Romanian First Division, the stadium was renovated yet again in order to meet FIFA's latest safety, occupancy, and access requirements. One of the most noticeable aesthetic changes to the stadium was the installation of white plastic seats, thus reducing its capacity from 15,000 to 10,020.