The story of the stadium began long before the structure we know today existed. The site had already been used for football as early as 1946, following the establishment of the Kelantan Amateur Football Association.

Known then as Padang KAFA, it was a much simpler place. There were no towering floodlights, modern seating or giant screens. There was only a pitch, the players and the people who came because they loved the game.

From those modest beginnings, football slowly grew into something larger. Matches became meeting points. Players became local heroes. Memories began passing from one generation to the next.

By 1965, the Kelantan State Government began developing the site into a proper stadium that could serve football, sport and public recreation.

On 14 April 1967, Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium hosted its first football match, with Kelantan facing Pahang in the Piala Emas Raja-Raja.

Parts of the stadium were still under development at the time, but history had already begun.

Work continued in the years that followed, including improvements to seating and lighting. By 1970, funding had been approved for floodlights, allowing Kota Bharu to experience more football under the night sky.

One of the defining qualities of Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium is its location. It does not sit far beyond the life of the city. It stands close to the rhythm of Kota Bharu itself.

On matchday, the journey towards the stadium becomes part of the occasion. Roads grow busier. Food stalls fill. Shirts appear everywhere. Conversations turn to the starting eleven, the striker, the defence and the result that might come later that night.

The closer supporters get to the ground, the louder everything becomes.

Before a player even touches the ball, the match has already begun outside the gates.

That relationship between the stadium, the team and its supporters is what gave rise to the expression “gelanggang keramat” — a revered home ground whose identity is shaped as much by its people as by its concrete and steel.

For a younger generation, Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium is perhaps most vividly remembered through the rise of Kelantan football during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

This was the era in which The Red Warriors grew into a national football phenomenon.

Red filled the stands. Crowds arrived in huge numbers. Visiting Kota Bharu became one of the most demanding away fixtures in Malaysian football.

The stadium was already decades old, but during those nights it felt young again.

Kelantan’s Malaysia Cup success in 2010 became one of the defining moments of that generation. Although major finals were often played away from Kota Bharu, the road towards those nights was built through match after match at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.

This was where confidence grew. Where momentum was built. Where visiting teams faced not only eleven players, but a stadium that seemed to move with the home side.

As the stadium grew older, renovation became inevitable. Different phases of upgrading followed as its facilities adapted to the needs of modern football.

A major improvement programme in 2021–2022 included new floodlights, improvements to dressing rooms, public facilities, access routes and additional seating.

There was something symbolic about replacing the old floodlights. They had witnessed generations of football — players making their debuts, careers reaching their final chapters, young supporters growing older and eventually returning with children of their own.

The equipment changed. The memories remained.

In 2024, further restoration work focused on essential infrastructure including drainage, piping, electrical systems and the playing surface.

During the works, football had to temporarily move elsewhere.

It was another reminder that a team can play on many pitches — but not every pitch feels like home.

Competitive football returned to Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in 2025, once again bringing crowds, colour and noise back into the heart of Kota Bharu.