Marin Anastasovici Stadium

The Marin Anastasovici Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Giurgiu, Romania. The stadium was the homeground of Astra Giurgiu until they folded in 2022 and now serves as home ground of Dunărea Giurgiu. It has a seat capacity of 8,500.^[1]

The stadium was opened in the 1970s and was originally named Olimpia, after the local football team of the time. It was also colloquially known as „Fabrica de zahăr” (literally, “the sugar factory”) because a sugar-processing plant stood across the road from the stadium (now defunct).

Marin Anastasovici served as coach of Olimpia Giurgiu during the 1970s and 1980s, though the stadium was only renamed in his honour in the late 1990s.^[2]

Originally the facility featured a concrete main stand and a four-lane athletics track. A smaller metal stand was added in the 1980s.

The local rugby team, Consig Giurgiu, used the stadium for first- and second-division matches until folding in the early 2000s; around that time, the football team relocated to Dunarea stadium.^[3]

An initial refurbishment took place in the early 2000s, coinciding with the football team’s return and a period competing in Romania’s second division. During this phase the stands were fitted with modern individual seating, the grandstand was extended to incorporate more exclusive seating in the upper-section, a new locker-room building was erected at the north end of the pitch, and a small hotel for the athletes was also built.

In the early 2010s, Ioan Niculae, owner of Astra Ploiești and a native of Giurgiu County, elected to relocate the team to Giurgiu and invested in major stadium upgrades between 2012 and 2014. The works included construction of a new second stand (functionally becoming the new main stand), a new south-end stand, and a new dedicated building housing locker rooms and club offices, bringing the capacity to its current rating of 8500. As a result, the athletics track was decommissioned, and a new standalone track was built outside the stadium.^[4]

The first game for Romania at Giurgiu was a friendly match against Lithuania on 23 March 2016.

The stadium also hosted various UEFA Europa League matches but also a match from the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. ^{[5] [6]}

Astra Giurgiu celebrated winning its only Liga 1 title here in 2016.^[7]

Academica Clinceni also played Liga 1 football here.^[8]

Carmen Bucuresti also used the stadium for first division women's football for a few seasons.^[9]

• Stadium images

• List of football stadiums in Romania