In the city of Zaporozhye, on Lobanovsky Street, there is a beautiful stadium called the Slavutich Arena. This is a very old stadium with a long history; after five years of reconstruction, it seats about 12,000 spectators.
Stadium History
The stadium didn’t get such a name right away. It used to be called the Metallurg Central Stadium. It was built almost 70 years ago, in the distant 1938. Not far from the Slavutich Arena (Zaporozhye) is the legendary island of Khortytsya. Until the stadium was built, a football pitch existed at this place for about twenty years.
In Soviet times, there were a large number of competitions in various sports. In addition to football, athletics were most often held. Permanent football matches of the First League of the USSR and Cuba of the USSR were also held. In 1973, another rostrum was completed, while the Central Stadium accommodated 27,000 spectators.
By 1980, the stadium was already considered emergency, but the Zaporizhstal plant made repairs at its own expense. In 1992, the Ukrainian Cup match for third place was held here.
In 2001, the stadium was closed for complete reconstruction, in fact, it was the construction of a new stadium based on the old one. The main sponsor of the construction of the new stadium was the brewing company Slavutich. A 20-year contract was concluded with her, which states that the company will sponsor the reconstruction in equal shares, and subsequently the contents of the stadium. Hence the name “Slavutich Arena” (Zaporozhye) appeared.
The reconstruction of the stadium took place over five years. As a result, the residents of the city received a new and modern stadium, with a large LED screen and excellent lighting.
Stadium architecture
The main stadium of Zaporozhye accommodates 12 thousand people, on its territory there are 6 commentator booths and press boxes for sixty people. There is also a VIP box that can accommodate up to one hundred people.
Sectors in the Slavutich arena in Zaporozhye are located rectangular along the perimeter of the stadium. There are 16 sectors in total, all of them are properly equipped, fans can watch football matches in comfort.
On the eastern rostrum there are 60 seats for people with disabilities. The guest sector can accommodate up to 650 people. Under a canopy there are 6285 people, the rest watch open-air football matches. There is a large scoreboard measuring 6 by 10 meters. Two locker rooms are provided for teams, each of which has an area of 140 square meters.
To date, the stadium "Slavutich Arena" (Zaporozhye) has on its territory:
- Fitness Centre;
- table tennis club;
- conference rooms that can be rented if necessary.
For tourists and just football lovers, the stadium sometimes hosts excursions and photo shoots, they are available to everyone.
Last news
A few months ago, it was decided to allocate 1.26 million hryvnia to replace lighting.
On January 27, 2017, a petition appeared on the website of the Zaporizhzhya administration, where people are asking for another reconstruction of the stadium so that the Slavutich Arena (Zaporozhye) can host European matches. To do this, some work is needed to improve the stadium, it must comply with European standards.
How to find?
At this stadium, the local Metallurg team plays; everyone can visit the stadium and watch football. Zaporozhye "Slavutich-Arena" is located at: st. Lobanovsky, house 21. The stadium is located almost in the center of the city, not far from the river. Dnepr and the famous Fr. Khortytsya.
Conclusion
This stadium has a very ancient history; it has already carried out repeated renovations. At present, it is a comfortable and cozy stadium for holding interesting matches of the Ukrainian championship, but the Slavutich Arena (Zaporozhye) is still not up to the European level. It held the finals of the Cup of Ukraine in 2010. Then the Donetsk Shakhtar and the Simferopol Tavria played, the Shakhtar turned out to be the winner in this confrontation.
For a long period, Metallurg Zaporizhzhya played in the Higher League of the Ukrainian Championship, but the club had a lot of turmoil, and at the moment the team plays only in the Second League and has some problems with the rental of the Slavutych Arena.