Sundby Idrætspark is a sports complex, that consists of a combined association football and athletics stadium (referred to as Sundby Stadium), three sports halls (referred to as Sundby Idrætshal), tennis courts (clay and synthetic), and a swimming hall (referred to as Sundby Bad), located in the district of Amager Vest, Copenhagen. As of May 2019, the stadium's total capacity of approximately 7,200 spectators, with 2,500 seatings at the main grand stand stretching along one side of the pitch, makes the exhibition field among the 25th largest football stadiums in Denmark. Since the establishment of the facilities in 1922, the site has undergone continuous development through incremental expansion, with new sports facilities added over time in response to evolving demands. As of April 2025, Sundby Idrætspark comprises an area of approximately 16 hectares.
It is the home ground of the association football clubs BK Fremad Amager, B 1908 and Sundby BK, hosting the first senior women's team of Sundby BK in the seasons 2021–22 and 2022–23, and have previously hosted BK Standard (1923–1946) and the professional superstructure FC Amager (2008–2009). Other tenants include the athletic club IF Gullfoss, the volleyball club Amager VK, the floorball club Hafnia FC, the tennis club Sundby Tennisklub|Sundby TK, the badminton club Sundby KFUM BC, the handball club Amager SK and the association football club BK Olympia 1921. Other clubs have rented the stadium to play notable matches there, including Christianshavn IK.
The first international rugby match in Denmark was played between on 19 November 1950 at the stadium of Sundby Idrætspark. The grass fields of the sports complex hosted the preliminary rounds of the 2015 World Archery Championships, where archers shot distances of 50 meters (compound) and 70 meters (recurve) to advance in the competition..
History Background and founding Following industrialization in the early 20th century, a new approach to urban planning emerged. This movement focused on providing light and air in housing developments, ensuring that workers – the emerging social class – could enjoy green spaces and engage in outdoor activities close to their homes. The land located in the triangular area between Irlandsvej, Englandsvej, and Sundbyvestervej was originally part of the outlying farm known as Bastiansminde — the farm buildings located in the south-western corner were later demolished, only leaving behind four European beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees from the original entrance. As part of the urban development of Sundby, the Municipality of Copenhagen acquired the area in 1923 to create both a park and recreational facilities, which eventually led to the establishment of the nearly three-hectare large Sundbyvester Park (commonly known as Englandsparken, or Irlandsparken) and the sports complex covering over 150,000 m², of which approximately 7,000 m² is building area. The sports complex was established in 1923–1924 by the City of Copenhagen and was transferred on 1 April 1925 to the independent institution Københavns Idrætspark (KI) for management and development, at which time it was given a new official name, Sundby Idrætspark.
The stadium, referred to as Sundby Stadium, was inaugurated on 10 September 1922 with an association football match between the two then best ranking Amager-based teams, BK Fremad Amager and B 1908 in front of a sizeable crowd — a silver trophy donated by wholesaler O. P. Jansen for the occasion was won by B 1908. At the unofficial inauguration in September 1922, the sport's facility, with the entrance located at Englandsvej, consisted of 5 football fields, with one of these fields being specifically fenced and designated for tournament matches. In the period following the park’s unofficial opening, matches were held on one of the smaller fields, as the main field had not yet been prepared for use. An actual exhibition field was inaugurated with its first association football match on 26 April 1925 between a representative team for island of Amager and B 1903, marking the sport complex's take-over by the self-governing institution, KI. Any surplus generated from the match was intended to be allocated to a fund dedicated to the construction of a grandstand. The sports complex now consisted of an exhibition field and four football fields on an area of approximately 6 hectares.
At the corner of Irlandsvej and Sundbyvestervej, a school — Højdevangens Skole — was constructed and inaugurated in 1930, designed by the architect Kai Gottlob. Another school was originally planned for the corner of Englandsvej and Sundbyvestervej, but these plans never came to fruition.
First expansion and additions Immediately after the plan for the sports park’s first expansion and new additions had been approved, and a grant of 450,000 DKK (with a three-year financing plan) had been allocated by the Copenhagen City Council in November 1936, earthworks commenced under the supervision of the Municipal Property Directorate. The park’s existing area was expanded by a further 7.5 hectares, bringing the total area to 13.5 hectares. The expanded grounds were to include a main exhibition field with a wooden grandstand, facilities for throwing and jumping events, running tracks, gymnastics areas, a large section for training pitches, and six tennis courts. A sports hall (known as Sundby-Hallen) for tennis and badminton was also constructed, designed so that it could additionally serve as an assembly hall. A topping-out ceremony was held on 7 January 1938 for the covered grandstand erected at the football ground – the new badminton hall was at that point approximately three-quarters complete. The oldest sports hall (hall 1), next to the exhibition field, was designed by architects Arthur Wittmaack and Vilhelm Hvalsøe.
By 1 March 1937, it was expected that all existing leases on the land would have been terminated, so the construction work could fully commence. At a later stage, a building with changing rooms was to be erected, along with a large parking area to the south intended for use by the playing fields.
Fires and improvements
Sundbyhallen was used the German during the occupation of Denmark in World War II, and got devastated by sabotage and fire on 20 June 1943, and was again destroyed by fire on 23 April 1956, but this time the ignition of a combustible wall cladding was likely caused by a fault in the electrical installation.
BK Fremad Amager moved from the villa district on Irlandsvej to a new single-storey yellow-brick clubhouse on Sundbyvestervej 60 with dressing rooms in the basement, in the south-western corner of Sundby Idrætspark, in 1974. The dismantling of the old wooden grandstand was begun in August 1974 to make way for a new grandstand at a cost of DKK 4,200,000. The new concrete grandstand, with a seating capacity of 1,700, was first used for a top-flight league match on 13 April 1975, when BK Fremad Amager played BK Frem in front of 5,500 spectators. In 1994, a minor renovation and improvement of spectator facilities were carried out at a cost of DKK 300,000. In 1989, Boldklubben 1908’s 400 m² clubhouse was constructed on a site provided by the City of Copenhagen, located on the opposite side of Sundbyvestervej, just outside the sports complex. The clubhouse consisted of three changing rooms, a leased-out cafeteria with kitchen, and a meeting room.
An outdoor swimming pool was initially constructed next to the school, which eventually evolved into the facility known as Sundby Bad after buildings were added on top. The facility was officially inaugurated in 1966. In 1990, the third indoor hall (number 3) was constructed. The hall would lack its own changing rooms, showers, and toilet facilities, with users instead directed to the facilities located in Halls 1 and 2.
When Sundby TK was founded in 1937, the facility had two clay tennis courts. Membership growth over the following decades led to an expansion to four courts by the late 1970s. Around that time, three of the clay courts were replaced with modern synthetic surfaces equipped with floodlighting, installed by Københavns Idrætsanlæg and completed in 1978. This upgrade extended the playing season, allowing tennis to be played from roughly April through October or November. Membership at Sundby TK expanded considerably during the 1980s and 1990s, leading to the construction of a proper clubhouse with a kitchen in 1992, replacing the earlier shelter that had served little more than protection from the rain, and two additional gravel courts in 1996 beside Hall 3 to support the increased activity. In 2010, the tennis complex was further upgraded: much of the perimeter fencing was renewed, and the synthetic playing surfaces were replaced with artificial turf.
DBU stadium requirements and dispensations In 2003, the Danish FA published the first edition of "Krav til danske fodboldstadioner" (“Requirements for Danish football stadiums”), which entered into force on 1 July 2003, followed in 2004 by the introduction of a club licensing system that made specific stadium requirements a condition for participation in the top-flight football league and second tier football league. Two years later, football stadiums for third tier football clubs faced similar requirements, which from 1 July 2013 also applied to the women’s top-flight league stadiums.
The gravel pitch, south of the stadium's grand stand, used for training sessions, was upgraded to a full-size 11-a-side artificial football pitch (referred to as K1) in the spring of 2004, and augurated in August 2004. The implementation of this renovation and modernisation resulted in the stadium being approved as a 2nd Division football stadium. The hosting of 2nd Division matches was conditional only upon a DBU dispensation for secured player access, requiring a protected passage between the changing rooms and the pitch; for high-risk matches, a fixed plan for spectator segregation was also required. 1st Division matches could be hosted under a one-year DBU dispensation, with an expected extension of up to three years, as the absence of a floodlighting system and the size of the changing facilities were among the deficiencies identified by the Danish Football Association (DBU).
A budget of DKK 10 million was designated for the stadium's renovation, which was started in 2014 and successfully completed in 2016. The grand stand is reported to have 1,958 seatings. Between June and August 2018, the track of the exhibition venue was converted to Finnish-made MRTX Ultra artificial turf with built-in heating and watering, replacing the original natural grass. Between August and December of 2018, four 40-meter floodlight masts of 1,000 lux were installed at the exhibition field, enabling the broadcasting of televised evening matches from the Danish Superliga — additionally one 24-meter mast and one 20-meter mast delivers a 250 lux LED lighting system meant for training sessions.
B.93's last league match of the 2021–22 season on 11 June 2022 against Hillerød Fodbold was played at Sundby Idrætspark due to an overbooking error. B.93 started playing their home matches temporarily at Sundby Idrætspark beginning from 22 November 2024 due to the renovation of Østerbro Stadium — the first match being against Hobro IK in the 17th round of the Danish 1st Division. Hence, during the last part of the 2024–25, the main exhibition field would host league home matches for teams across the second tier (B.93), third tier (BK Fremad Amager), fourth tier (Sundby BK), and fifth tier (B 1908). The sports complex marked its 100th anniversary on 7 September 2024, celebrated with an event that included an exhibition in the foyer of the main hall highlighting the facility’s history and development, as well as a programme of sports-related activities.
Stadium firsts and records