Due to the rich history of the club, the Lokomotiv stadium of the Sokol team in Saratov is now one of the most convenient and high-quality among those that have teams from the Second Division of the Center zone.
The history of the stadium of the team "Falcon" from Saratov
Back in the early 30s of the 20th century, after the creation of a local football team, the idea was proposed to create a spacious modern stadium on the site of the old hippodrome. The Falcon in Saratov quickly gained popularity among local fans, so the project was soon ready to begin construction, but due to the outbreak of World War II, the start of work was delayed.
The question of the construction of a football stadium was returned only in the second half of the twentieth century. After the change of ownership of Sokol, rights to it were transferred to a branch of Russian Railways in the Volga Federal District. Work on the project was resumed, and after 6 years, in 1962, the football stadium was ready for the first game. The official debut game at the new stadium Sokol (Saratov) was held only at the beginning of 1963, having drawn with Spartak from Nalchik as part of the USSR Championship. The football arena, called Lokomotiv, which has remained unchanged until now, has become a real home for the Saratov club, and it is with it that the team’s main successes are associated.
Problems and Arena Reconstruction
In connection with the release of the team in group A in the USSR championship in 1965, the Sokol stadium in Saratov began to break record after record for attendance. For matches of the 1/16 finals of the Union Cup in 1967 against the main star of domestic football, the capital's Spartak, both times more than 35 thousand spectators came, which to this day remains the highest figure in the history of the arena. Himself “Falcon” achieved victory by defeating an opponent in the second match with a minimum score of 1: 0.
The tale for the club ended in the early 70s, when the team was unable to maintain a residence permit in the national championship, and almost at the same time problems began with the stadium. Due to leaching of sand under the stands, the construction of the stadium began to deform, which forced the local authorities to begin reconstruction of the arena with a complete replacement of structures. Due to the lack of necessary funds, the restoration of the Sokol stadium in Saratov was delayed. The team had to play in other fields, including in neighboring cities. And only by the end of the 90s, thanks to two mass investments in 1990 and 1997, the Lokomotiv again earned full power.
Modern "locomotive"
The reconstruction led to a significant reduction in the capacity of the stadium. Having lost almost 20 thousand visual places, Lokomotiv became a 15-thousandth arena. In modern Russia , the Sokol stadium in Saratov (at Atkarskaya, 29), which has remained unchanged, has repeatedly improved, including due to the success of the club itself. Now the artificial turf on the field is equipped with heating, and for the fans there are plastic seats and a modern video display, which allows you to get the most out of your favorite team's game.