Metalist Oblast Sports Complex facts for kids
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| Former names | Tractor Stadium (1926–1940) Dzerzhinets Stadium (1940–1967) |
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| Location | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 49°58′51.09″N 36°15′42.13″E / 49.9808583°N 36.2617028°E |
| Owner | Kharkiv City Council |
| Operator | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv |
| Capacity | 41,307 |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1925 |
| Opened | 12 September 1926 |
| Renovated | 5 December 2009 |
| Architect | Z. V. Permilovskyi |
| Tenants | |
| Metalist Kharkiv (1926–present) Metalist 1925 Kharkiv (2016–present) Shakhtar Donetsk (2017–2020) |
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The Metalist Stadium is a large sports complex in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is mostly used for exciting football games. This stadium is the home ground for the Metalist 1925 Kharkiv team.
The stadium can hold 40,003 fans. It was also one of the places where games were played for the big Euro 2012 football tournament. For a while, after the original FC Metalist Kharkiv team had money problems in 2016, professional football stopped here. But then, Metalist 1925 Kharkiv started playing here in August 2016. Another team, Shakhtar Donetsk, also used it as their home from 2017 to 2020.
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Metalist Stadium: A Ukrainian Football Home
How the Stadium Was Built
Building the stadium began in 1925. It was ordered by an important person named Anastas Mikoyan. Workers from the Kharkiv Lokomotive Factory helped build it.
The stadium first opened on September 12, 1926. It was called Traktor Stadium back then. It was built on the land of an old cemetery. When it first opened, it was the biggest stadium in Kharkiv.
Before World War II, its name changed to Dzerzhynets Stadium. This was to honor Felix Dzerzhinsky. In 1967, it got its current name, Metalist. At that time, it could hold 10,000 people.
Changes Over the Years
The Metalist Stadium has been updated four times. These updates included big improvements for Euro 2012. The first changes happened in the mid-1960s. The western part of the stadium was made new.
More work started in 1970 and finished four years later. New stands were added to the north and south sides. This made the stadium big enough for 30,000 fans. They also added the stadium's first roof and a system to drain water. Bright lights and an information screen were put in too.
A third renovation began in 1979. It was meant to fix the East and South stands. However, this work stopped for almost 20 years. It finally started again in 1998. A new East Stand was built, and the South Stand was partly rebuilt.
Big Upgrades for Euro 2012
The fourth set of renovations was for Euro 2012. The South Stand was finished, and a brand new East Stand was built. The roof was replaced, and other modern updates were made. These changes were completed by the end of 2009.
On December 5, 2009, the newly updated stadium officially opened. This was a special day for the president of the Metalist Kharkiv football club.
The South Stand of the stadium has a three-story building. It has offices and other businesses inside.
In 2013, a company connected to Metalist became the stadium's owner. However, in 2016, the Metalist Kharkiv team stopped playing because of money problems.
Who Plays Here Now?
In August 2016, a new team called Metalist 1925 started using the stadium as their home.
Later, in early 2017, the famous team Shakhtar Donetsk also moved to Metalist Stadium. They had to move because of a conflict in their home city of Donetsk. They could not play in their usual stadium, the Donbas Arena.
Hosting Euro 2012 Matches
The Metalist Stadium was an important place for the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament. It hosted three group matches. These games involved the Netherlands team.
Here are the matches that were played at the stadium during Euro 2012:
| Date | Time (CEST / EEST) | Team No. 1 | Res. | Team No. 2 | Round | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 2012 | 18.00 / 19.00 |  Netherlands |
0–1 |  Denmark |
Group B | Michael Krohn-Dehli |
| 13 June 2012 | 20.45 / 21.45 | 1–2 |  Germany |
Mario Gómez Robin van Persie |
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| 17 June 2012 | 20.45 / 21.45 |  Portugal |
2–1 | Netherlands |
Cristiano Ronaldo Rafael van der Vaart |
More Places to Explore
- KhTZ Stadium
- Dynamo Stadium (Kharkiv)
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Metalist para niños
