Poljud Stadium
We planned our September vacation with several places in mind but in the end, we had our mind settled on Croatia where I have never been before. There is a direct and inexpensive flight from Krakow to Split. Adriatic coast is a great place to be and it also meant that I could see the mighty Hajduk play at home. I am a fan of Dynamo Kyiv and they are friends with Dynamo Zagreb, but you simply can’t deny that Hajduk is a great and storied club with a beautiful stadium.
I did not expect much from the city itself. The first impressions were hit-and-miss as I strolled near the ferry terminal and along the famous Riva promenade waiting for our ferry. This was one of the most hectic and crowded places that I’ve ever seen. Hundreds of tourists embarked their buses towards multiple Croatian destinations. Even more were there to take the ferry to their islands of choice. Split is a small city of just 200 thousand people and I’m not sure how such a city copes with overtourism. Thankfully, I had another 3 days to spend here away from the centre and I loved it. Split is twinned with my hometown Odesa and there is a lot in common between two bustling port cities. But then of course Split is very different as it reminds you of many Italian coastal towns but with its own unique flare. The history here is simply unmatched but it’s not just a monument carved from a stone. It’s a lively and livable city blessed with lovely weather and beautiful views. I loved and I wanted to go back as soon as I left it.
There is also another thing that makes Split unique and known all over the world. You might not think of Hajduk Split as such a team, but they totally are. Hajduk were a big team in former Yugoslavia but they never won anything in Europe. However, their famous fans made sure it’s a big name as Torcida Split were the first organized European ultra fan group. You know the story of 1950 and how it was created, it’s been told many times. But only coming here you can understand the love and the passion for Hajduk. It seems like ALL the graffiti that you find in Split are about Hajduk and Torcida. The same was in the island of Brac where we spent the first half of our trip. Hajduk is literally everywhere that you can see.
According to Futbology, there was another game in Split on the day. The other team is RNK Split. It has its own solid history but no trophies. RNK Split was the last opponent of my own hometown team Chornomorets Odesa. It was also where Artem Milevsky famously played just 1 game after his short Hajduk career. His contract with RNK was dissolved after his crashed his car while drunk. Nowadays RNK Split is dwelling in the lower divisions of Croatian football and it is quite clear that they have no fans as everybody in Split only cares about Hajduk.
I always try to simply walk to a new stadium when possible. Split is a very walkable city and Poljud is quite close to the centre while RNK ground “Park Mladezi” (Park of the Youth) is just along the way. Unfortunately, when I approached the ground, it became clear that there was no game and the stadium was closed. It’s not like I planned to see this game, but it would have still been cool to check Park Mladezi. It seems like an interesting ground close to the sea and the shipping cranes. And those floodlights are always a welcoming sight.
So I continued my walk towards Poljud. As I walked closer to the stadium, I kept seeing more and more graffiti about Torcida and Hajduk. And then, quite unexpectedly there was the stadium. I saw many pictures and I always thought it should be a secluded space but it’s actually very close to a residential area. I wanted to take the classic pic against the backdrop of mountains, and it was very easy to do so. The ground looked extra stunning under the dark and brooding clouds.
I think Poljud is definitely underrated in the groundhopping community as I haven’t seen that many glowing reports about it. But to me, it ticks all the necessary boxes – unique architecture, in the residential area, passionate support. Besides, where else can you see the mountains, port cranes and the sea with the fleet of yacht masts at the same time. And it’s not even all. There is a wonderful tribute to the fans in a small parkette right against a beautiful monastery. The lower tier has a small fan store and 2 statues of Hajduk legends. I spent quite a few minutes loitering around the stadium and I got myself a small pennant and a magnet from the store. The tickets were very easy to obtain from multiple ticket boxes around the stadium.
Poljud has 3 main stands, my seat was in the east stand that is opposite the main stand and I had the Torcida section to my right. There are definitely more women in the stands than in Ukraine or Poland and they are equally as passionate as men. There were also quite a lot of kids and tourists. I curiously remember a kid in a Thor Steinar hoodie and some dude wearing Sonic Youth t-shirt but the large majority wore Hajduk or Torcida merch. The away fans had about 10-15 people with a single banner.
Among those fans in Hajduk shirts, quite a lot had Livaja name on the back. I have never heard about him. In fact, I was excited to see Nikola Kalinic who had a great career in Europe and played in the Europa League final with Dnipro. He also played for Milan and Atletico Madrid. Unfortunately, Kalinic got injured early in the first half and was subbed off. But then I could see how important is Marko Livaja. Hajduk had quite an advantage but could not convert. Right at the beginning of the second half, Livaja reached a long ball to the penalty area and redirected it into the net with a single touch. It seemed like it should be an easy walk for Hajduk from now on. But quickly Istra equalized with a really cool long-range strike. Hajduk got rattled and conceded a second goal. And just with a couple of minutes to go Livaja again showed his brilliance. He got the ball in the penalty box with the back to the opposing net, then made sure the defender could not reach him, then, swiftly turning, he hit the ball right into the upper corner of the goal. 2 stunning goals from Livaja who would go on to score for Croatia in Qatar in a few months.
Overall, it turned to be an entertaining game and the experience is second to none. I highly recommend Hajduk Split to anyone who is willing to see famous team, a wonderful stadium and lots of passionate fans.
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