Scarborough Athletic FC played in its home town for the first time since the club was founded in 2007.
The team, formed after the collapse of Scarborough FC, has been playing home fixtures nearly 20 miles away in Bridlington.
The Sea Dogs lost 4-1 against Sheffield United XI in front of a sell-out 2,000 crowd at Flamingo Land Stadium.
Chairman Trevor Bull said: "Today is not only a great day for our club, it is also a massive day for our town."
The club was formed after Scarborough FC went out of business with debts of £2.5m. It is jointly owned by about 350 supporters.
Fan and club communications officer Will Baines said: "A lot of people have put a lot of work in to the club while we've been in exile, but now we're coming home."
Mr Baines said the move back to Scarborough was key to the future success of the side.
"We're fan-owned which means we've got our destiny in our own hands," he said.
"We've not got a big investor backing us, so that's why it's important that we're back in town as it's the money that we get through the turnstiles every week that will pay for the club."
The homecoming fixture generated such interest the council and club warned people not to congregate on the hill overlooking the ground as it has no public right of way.
The stadium forms part of a £50m development built on the town's former Weaponness Park and Ride site, which includes a swimming pool, new University Technical College and Coventry University's Scarborough campus.
Scarborough FC's former ground - the McCain Stadium -  was demolished in 2011.

PC James Burns was found not guilty of common assault and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm against Michael Stanley, 28, in Penrhyndeudraeth, on 10 April 2016.
He was also cleared of giving a false statement about what happened.
He had denied all the charges at Caernarfon Crown Court.
The case against another officer, PC Robin Humphreys, who had been accused of perverting the course of justice, was thrown out earlier in the month.
Judge Huw Rees said there was insufficient evidence to prove he had colluded with PC Burns by giving false statements about the incident.

Michael Patterson was handed the order after being convicted of break-ins in the Levenshulme and Longsight areas of the city.
His "consistent method" was to carry out burglaries after entering rear alleyways, magistrates heard.
The 49-year-old, of Field Bank Grove, Gorton admitted three counts of burglary and possession of a Class B drug and was jailed for 16 months.
The ban, known as a criminal behaviour order, will run indefinitely after his release.
It will ban Patterson from entering rear alleyways with the exception of the one behind his own home.
The order also prohibits him from entering an area of Stockport Road, from Stanley Grove in Longsight up to Albert Road in Levenshulme, and the surrounding streets.
Premises targeted in the break-ins included a takeaway, a solicitors' office and a mobile phone shop.
Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's executive member for neighbourhood services, said: "Michael Patterson has used the same technique repeatedly to commit a number of offences and this order will prevent him continuing the pattern."
A football team has played its first home game in more than 10 years after moving into a new stadium.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A police officer has been cleared of assaulting a handcuffed man with pepper spray after arresting him in Gwynedd.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A prolific burglar has been banned from all of Manchester's back alleyways.