Metalist Oblast Sports Complex
 | |
| Former names |
Tractor Stadium (1926–1940) Dzerzhinets Stadium (1940–1967) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 49°58′51.09″N 36°15′42.13″E / 49.9808583°N 36.2617028°ECoordinates: 49°58′51.09″N 36°15′42.13″E / 49.9808583°N 36.2617028°E |
| Owner | Kharkiv city council |
| Operator | Metalist 1925, Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Capacity | 40,003[1] (football) |
| Field size | 105 x 68m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1925 |
| Opened | 12 September 1926 |
| Renovated | 5 December 2009 |
| Architect | Z. V. Permilovskyi |
| Tenants | |
|
Metalist Kharkiv Shakhtar Donetsk | |
"Metalist" Oblast Sports Complex (Ukrainian: Обласний спортивний комплекс «Металіст»), which includes the Metalist Stadium (Ukrainian: Стадіон «Металіст»), is a multi-use stadium in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is currently used chiefly for football matches and is the home of FC Metalist Kharkiv and Shakhtar Donetsk. The stadium, which was a venue for Euro 2012, currently seats 40,003.
After Metalist Kharkiv financially collapsed in May 2016 professional football temporary disappeared from the stadium.[2] Shakhtar Donetsk made the stadium its home stadium in February 2017.[2] The following month Metalist 1925 followed suit.[3]
History
Construction on the stadium began in 1925 by order of Anastas Mikoyan on the site of the Holy Spirit cemetery. Opened on September 12, 1926, the new stadium was known as "Traktor", as it was then being sponsored by the local tractor production plant. Prior to World War II, the facility was renamed Dzerzhynets Stadium in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the first head of the Cheka. Since 1967, it has borne its present moniker; in that same year, the capacity of the stadium reached 10,000.
Including improvements for Euro 2012, the stadium has undergone four renovations over the course of its history. The first of these took place in the mid-1960s, when the western section of the structure was renovated. The next, begun in 1970 and finished four years later, saw the addition of the north and south stands, raising capacity to 30,000. The architect for the project was Yu. Tabakova. Also added were the stadium's first roof and drainage system, as well as floodlighting, an information panel, and a hotel, located under the north stand and gymnasium.
A third renovation was begun in 1979 to renovate the East and South stands but was completed only three decades later. After the demolition of the South Stand in that year, construction was halted indefinitely, resuming only in 1998 after a delay of nearly twenty years. A new East Stand and a partially reconstructed South Stand were erected.
Metalist's fourth set of renovations was ordered in preparation for Euro 2012. The South Stand was completed and a completely new East Stand was built. Roof replacement, other general modernizations and aesthetic improvements were completed by the end of 2009. On December 5, 2009, the renovated stadium was officially opened on the 50th birthday of Metalist Kharkiv's President, Oleksandr Yaroslavsky.[4]
The South Stand contains a three story shopping mall - business center "Metalist-Arena". The offices are rented here by UkrSibbank, several local businesses, and other banks. There is a pharmacy, a medical office, tour agencies, and other businesses.
On 19 December 2010 the Kharkiv City Council asked the Kharkiv Oblast Council to transfer the Metalist Stadium to the municipal ownership of the city.[5] The then new owner of Metalist Serhiy Kurchenko proposed late December 2012 to buy Kharkiv municipal authorities' share in the Metalist Stadium.[6] He did so in August 2013; from then (technically) the stadium owner is Metalist Stadium Sports Complex LLC, which is part of Metalist which is owned by Kurchenko.[7]
After having finished the 2015–2016 Ukrainian Premier League season Metalist Kharkiv ceased operating due to insolvency.[2]
Following the winter break of the 2016–17 season the football club Shakhtar Donetsk, together with Ajax, Anderlecht, AS Monaco, Benfica, Besiktas, Celtic, FC Basel, FC Porto, FCSB, Fenerbahçe, Fenerbahçe Men's Basketball, Galatasaray and Zenit one of the first sports clubs from Europe outside the top five (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) with 1 million followers on Facebook, moved to the Metalist Stadium (150 miles to the north of Donetsk) early 2017.[2] Due to the War in Donbass this club can not play in its home stadium Donbass Arena in Donetsk.[2]
Early March 2017 Metalist 1925 also made the stadium its home ground.[3]
UEFA Euro 2012 matches
The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2012. Three group B matches were played there (with the other matches in that group played at Arena Lviv).
The following matches were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2012:
| Date | Time (CEST / EEST) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 2012 | 18.00 / 19.00 |  Netherlands | 0–1 |  Denmark | Group B | Michael Krohn-Dehli |
| 13 June 2012 | 20.45 / 21.45 | Netherlands | 1–2 |  Germany | Group B | Mario Gómez Robin van Persie |
| 17 June 2012 | 20.45 / 21.45 |  Portugal | 2–1 | Netherlands | Group B | Cristiano Ronaldo Rafael van der Vaart |
See also
References
- ↑ About stadium
- 1 2 3 4 5 Still in exile, Shakhtar Donetsk picks new home, The Washington Post (30 January 2017)
- 1 2 (in Russian) Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist in 1925 will hold matches in the same stadium, Bigmir.net (7 March 2017)
- ↑ The new architectural monument in Kharkiv (in Ukrainian)
- ↑ Yaroslavsky refuses to invest in Kharkiv, Kyiv Post (22 December 2012)
Dobkin:Kharkiv Regional Council could sell Metalist Stadium, Kyiv Post (21 December 2012) - ↑ New owner of FC Metalist intends to win Ukrainian Cup, ready to buy city's share in stadium, Kyiv Post (25 December 2012)
Kernes:Yaroslavsky sold Metalist in anticipation of court's decision on fixed matches, Kyiv Post (25 December 2012) - ↑ Firm that won tender to sell Metalist Stadium belongs to Kurchenko, Interfax-Ukraine (28 August 2013)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metalist Stadium. |