[6] Cycling competitions had been organised by Malmö Velocipedklubb (MVK) since 24 August 1890, at a temporary sports field in Rörsjöstaden.

[7] The club pitched this to the local municipality, Malmö Stad, which in February 1894 presented plans for a new sports field in the north-east of the city, in what is today Teatern, a neighbourhood in Innerstaden district.

[8] To raise funds for the ground's construction and the annual lease payments, an aktiebolag (limited company) called AB Malmö Idrottsplats was formed in March 1896 under the chairmanship of Carl Frick, a locally-born sea captain and sports enthusiast.

The ground originally spanned 4 hectares (10 acres);[8] an oval cycling track surrounded the grass pitch where association football and other sports were played.

[11] MVK disbanded its cycling section in 1902, five years after Sweden outlawed gambling in 1897; this had caused attendances to plummet.

[6] On 18 September 1897, Malmö IP hosted a large celebration marking King Oscar II's Silver Jubilee; over 10,000 people attended.

Equestrianism was popular at Malmö IP around the turn of the century, and ice skating was held during the Swedish winter months.

Crown Prince Gustaf, who later became King Gustav V, attended one of IFK's athletics competitions on 7 November 1901, and reportedly enjoyed the experience very much.

Swedish javelin thrower Eric Lemming set two new world records in the first international competition that MAI hosted on 10–11 July 1909.

Following the banning of betting in Sweden, as well as other events such as rainy summers and wet winters, AB Malmö Idrottsplats started to have financial difficulties and applied to the municipality for help.

[16] The annual lease payments were cancelled in 1899 and replaced with a subsidy of 1,500 kronor a year, conditional on local schoolchildren receiving free access to the pitch for a few hours each day.

[19] The sports field surpassed into municipal ownership in 1938 when AB Malmö Idrottsplats's financial difficulties became too great to bear.

[11] Association football and athletic clubs continued to share Malmö IP after the municipal takeover.

[24] MAI also hosted other international competitions that brought large crowds to the sports field, including Amerikagalorna (The America galas), which involved visiting athletes from the United States and Swedish sportsmen and women.

[26] The theatre was ultimately built on the edge of the stadium grounds, and only some nearby structures had to be destroyed—however, these included the building in which Malmö FF had been founded in 1910.

A commemorative table was placed at the exact site of Malmö FF's founding in 2010 as part of the club's centenary celebrations, in what is today the theatre's parking lot.

MAI, wrestling clubs Sparta and Enighet, IFK Malmö's handball division and others also won Swedish championships during this time.

[31] Athletics continued to draw large crowds to Malmö IP during the 1940s, when Gunder Hägg and Arne Andersson battled at the running tracks.

The matter was dropped until 1954,[34] when Sweden was chosen to host the 1958 FIFA World Cup, with matches to take place in Malmö.

Participants included Ricky Bruch, a champion discus thrower who went on to represent Sweden in the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.

[36] MAI left Malmö IP altogether in 1971 for the Hästhagen neighbourhood, where a new sports field had opened.

[38] Less prominent clubs such as Malmö BI and IF Allians played at the stadium in lower divisions, mainly in the third and fourth tiers of Swedish football.

The initial plans earmarked the entire ground for demolition, but the negotiations and bureaucratic procedure dragged on for over a decade.

This body decided to completely renovate Malmö IP for a second time, constructing new stands and removing the running tracks to create a stadium exclusively for football.

[46] This decision was the result of both clubs' declining attendances during the 1990s—Malmö FF were averaging crowds of less than 5,000 at Malmö Stadion, while IFK were attracting less than 1,000 by 1999.

The dugouts, changing rooms and referees' facilities are located in the Southern Stand, which also features a small cafeteria.

[51] A larger stand, built on the northern side of the pitch in the early 1920s, is still in use, and is considered a landmark building by the city municipality—modifications to it are therefore illegal.

[26] The Northern Stand originally had a restaurant behind it and a large hall next to it, but these were knocked down in 1944 to make room for the Malmö Opera and Music Theatre.

[53] In late 2013 the artificial turf was relaid to meet new regulations and standards—the new pitch includes an under-soil heating system to allow use in all weather conditions.