Kirov Stadium

Coordinates: 59°58′23″N 30°13′14″E / 59.97306°N 30.22056°E / 59.97306; 30.22056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kirov Stadium
FC Zenit St. Petersburg
Capacity100,000 (seating and standing)
84,000 (seating only)
Construction
Opened30 July 1950
Closed29 August 2006
Demolished2006-2007
Tenants
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (1950–1989, 1992)

The SM Kirov Stadium was a

Sergey Kirov
.

History

The stands of the Kirov stadium were located on the slopes of a circular artificial mound in the western part of

Red Navy
recruits were also conscripted as labor force for construction.

The stadium was opened on 30 July 1950 with the game between two main Leningrad teams,

Zenit and Dynamo
, drew 1-1. Initially the stadium held 100,000 people (including 16,000 standing places).

For the match between Zenit and CSKA on 14 July 1951, additional temporary stands were installed, increasing the capacity of the stadium to 110,000. The stadium was sold out, and the attendance of 110,000 is the record for the Soviet football. Kirov stadium was reconstructed to hold preliminary matches of the football tournament at the 1980 Summer Olympics.[1] The capacity was reduced to 72,000.

In 1994 the stadium was used as the main arena for the St. Petersburg 1994 Goodwill Games. This was the last major international event at the Kirov Stadium, with participation of athletes from over 50 nations of the world. After the Goodwill Games, the stadium was used for several more years for football matches, as well as for athletics and training. In 2005 it was decided to demolish the main arena of the stadium and build a new one in its place. International competition for construction design of the new Zenit Stadium was won by architect Kisho Kurokawa.

The Kirov stadium was the home to Zenit football club in 1950-1989 and 1992. On 6 July 2006 Zenit decided to play a match against Dynamo Moscow at the Kirov stadium because of unavailability of pitch at the Petrovsky Stadium, the current Zenit ground. Part of the seats were already uninstalled because of planned deconstruction, so the match was visited by only 45,000 spectators despite the sold-out stadium.[2]

The last official match at Kirov stadium was FC Petrotrest - Spartak Shelkovo on 17 August 2006. Visitors won 3-0.

The stadium was demolished in September 2006.[3][4] A new stadium, the Krestovsky Stadium, was built on the site and opened in 2017.

References

  1. ^ 1980 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. Part 1. p. 122.
  2. ^ Росгосстрах чемпионат России по футболу 2006, 28-й тур Archived 2006-08-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  3. ^ Burlund, Martin (2006-07-07). "Zenit Plays First Match At Condemned Kirov Stadium". The St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  4. ^ Details for S.M. Kirov Stadium, St. Petersburg

59°58′23″N 30°13′14″E / 59.97306°N 30.22056°E / 59.97306; 30.22056