Stampesletta is a multi-use stadium complex in Lillehammer, Norway. Owned and operated by Lillehammer Municipality, it consists of a track and field venue, an artificial turf football field, three natural grass football fields, a gravel field and natural grass training pitches. In addition, it features a club house, locker facilities and a grandstand between the athletics and artificial turf fields. The venue is located about from the town center, and serves as the home ground for the Second Division side Lillehammer FK, Lillehammer KFK, Roterud IL in football, and Lillehammer IF in athletics.
Construction of Stampesletta started in 1946 and the grass football field opened in 1949. A now removed equestrian exhibition area opened in 1958, and in 1973 the track and field venue opened. The latter received a hard surface in 1982. During the 1994 Winter Olympics, Stampesletta itself was used for medal ceremonies, attracting crowds of up to 30,000 people. The area around Stampesletta was sometimes referred to as the Olympic Park, as it also has in its immediate vicinity the ice hockey venues Håkons Hall and Eidsiva Arena, the ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken, and Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena. The two halls are often regarded as part of Stampesletta. The arena is used as the goal are for Birkebeinerrittet and Birkebeinerløpet, and from 1932 to 1992 for Birkebeinerrennet. Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships in 1977, 1995 and 2009, and annually hosts Norway's second-largest track and field tournament, Veidekkelekene. Stampesletta is scheduled to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
History
The area around Stampesletta, which is located along the creek Mesnaelva, and means "the plain beside a mill". The area, which traditionally had been called Myra, was originally part of the farm Lysgård, with Stampesletta being its own croft. The area was bought by Lillehammer Municipality in 1933. The hillside further up, at Kanthaugen and Lysgård, featured ski activities from the turn of the 20th century. Plans to use one of the few flat places in Lillehammer for sports was launched by the municipal planning office in 1941. However, the German occupation of Norway caused an interruption in the plans, and a prisoner-of-war camp for Russians, Lager Edelweiss, was located there instead.
Construction of the grass field started in 1946, after the municipality had decided to build a multi-sport complex. The original stadium was by the contemporary capital press described as having "international proportions". The venue was planned built in several stages, and the plans called for a main football field with grass turf and a main athletics field. Additional plans called for an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, an indoor arena for handball and gymnastics, and a club house. The grass pitch was officially opened by Mayor Einar Hansen in 1949, and had a spectator capacity for 12,000 people. Two years later, a hostel, owned by the municipality and with room for 108 people, opened beside the venue.
In 1958, an equestrian exhibition area was built at Stampesletta to host the state's mare exhibition, which had previously been held in Lillehammer from 1887 to 1940. It was by Agricultural Director Aslak Lidtveidt as the country's most modern. The venue also became home of the state's stallion display. The exhibition grounds covered an area of , cost NOK 190,000 and included two stables. The show remained at Lillehammer until the opening of Biri Travbane.
The track and field venue opened in 1973, with a capacity for 6,000 people. The following year Lillehammer IF moved from Sportsplassen i Lillehammer to Stampesletta, with the old venue being retired in 1975. In 1977, Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships. It was the last time the championships were held on gravel, and this caused problems because excessive rain drowned the venue, and the fire department had to pump off the water. The club started planning fixed surface on the venue in 1980, and was granted a loan for NOK 500,000. On 18 August 1981, the municipal council voted to grant NOK 200,000 for the upgrade. The work was largely done with voluntary work, and the new surface was inaugurated on 28 August 1982 with the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championship.