Construction of the first sports venue began in 1960 at the same time as a new handball and ice hockey field at Nedre Elvebakken.

[7] The opening match took place against England's Queens Park Rangers on 27 July 1987, with TIL losing 0–1 in front of 2,700 spectators.

[4] In a 2012 survey carried out by the Norwegian Players' Association among away-team captains, Alfheim was ranked seventh amongst league stadiums, with a score of 3.60 on a scale from one to five.

However, the condition of the pitch, especially during the winter months, received considerable criticism from sports pundits and visiting managers.

This, along with the wear and tear from football matches and practicing sessions, caused the grass to disappear and reduced the pitch to a muddy field.

Funding for the turf came from contributions to the club from several businesses in Tromsø, including 7.5 million NOK from an anonymous donor.

Ahead of the 2005 season, the former Mack-stands had been renamed to the Coop-stands, being sponsored by the Norwegian convenience store chain Coop.

Straddling the middle of the south end and running for two thirds of the length is an uncovered family stand which seats approximately 600 people.

The South Stand is closed for matches in European cup tournaments due to safety regulations imposed by UEFA.

Until August 2007 there was a temporary uncovered stand at the north end which ran for about two thirds of the pitch, this was dismantled to allow place for a stage during a music festival.

Set back from the pitch at the north end is TIL-huset, a building that previously housed the teams' changing rooms.

Record Attendance: 10,225 v Rosenborg on 15 August 1990 (quarter final in the Norwegian Cup) Because of Tromsø IL's good home record in many seasons in the Eliteserie (for example, 10 wins in 13 matches in the 2004 season), Romssa Arena has been given the nickname Fort Alfheim, building on the image of the stadium as being impregnable.