Kaliningrad Stadium

Kaliningrad Stadium (Russian: Стадион Калининград, Stadion Kaliningrad), also called Arena Baltika, is a football stadium on Oktyabrsky Island, Kaliningrad, Russia, which hosted four games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[1] It will also host FC Baltika Kaliningrad of the Russian Football National League, replacing Baltika Stadium.[2]

Kaliningrad Stadium
Стадион Калининград
LocationSolnechnyy Bul'var, Kaliningrad, Russia
Coordinates54°41′53″N 20°32′02″E
Capacity35,212 (Official)
25,000 (Future Capacity)
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground2015
Built2016–2018
Opened12 May 2018 (2018-05-12)
Construction cost€ 257 million
Tenants
FC Baltika Kaliningrad (2018–present)
Russia national football team (selected matches)

Its project is based on the concept of the Allianz Arena, which hosted matches of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The first match was played on 11 April 2018, a football match between FC Baltika and PFC Krylia Sovetov Samara.[3]

Throughout the 2018 World Cup the stadium had a capacity of 33,973.

History

The stadium was the westernmost location of the World Cup.[1] In April 2012, the regional government chose the French architectural bureau Wilmotte & Associes, SA stadium construction project. NPO Mostovik & Mersfor Rus OOO were project partners and the Kaliningrad Region and Russian Federation were the project managers.[4] The project itself is worth $280 million.[5] 50% of the sum will be allocated from the federal budget, and the other half from the regional budget. Construction began soon after. It is worth noting that the stadium after the 2018 World Cup will become a 25,000-seat venue. To accommodate this downsizing, a part of the roof was removed.

At the end of October 2012 the regional authorities announced an open competition to develop the project and working documents for the World Cup stadium. The winner was Mostovik. At the beginning of March 2013, Mostovik published a stadium sketch, which received the working title of Arena Baltika.

In June 2014 the Omsk Arbitration Court declared "Mostovik" bankrupt and, in March 2015, termination of the contract with the company began. On 1 April 2014 a government order published by the government declared the appointment of ZAO "Crocus International" as the sole executor of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation for the works on the construction.[6] The state contract was signed between the Government of the Kaliningrad Oblast and Crocus International "to develop the project and working documentation on the design of the stadium".[7]

On 10 June 2015 it was reported that the stadium project was sent to the state examination. On 20 July, the layout of the stadium was presented.[8]

At first, regional authorities considered the option with the construction of new sports facilities in the city center, on the place of the current Baltika Stadium. Finally, in December 2014 it was announced that Oktyabrsky Island will be the location of the new stadium, even though it is often under threat of flooding and work on it requires additional financial investments.[9]

On 10 August 2015, it became known that the stadium would be named "Stadium Kaliningrad" or in the English version, Kaliningrad Stadium.[10]

Construction
Aerial photography, May 2017

The project was based on the concept of the Allianz Arena Munich, which hosted matches of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The project cost was anticipated as 11 billion rubles but was exceeded by far. Soil compaction work was completed in December 2014. Preparation work for construction of the infrastructure started in January 2015. In addition, a new bridge was built over the river to provide better connections to the surrounding area.[4] Testing for the stadium piles and foundation began in July 2014. As a multiple-purpose arena, Kaliningrad Stadium can be used for football matches and other sporting events, conferences and concerts.[1][4]

Services for Fans

The following services are available to fans visiting the Kaliningrad Stadium:

  • Navigation support
  • Information desk (children registration point, stroller storage, lost and found office)
  • Storage room
  • Audio descriptive commentary equipment for fans who are blind or visually impaired

Moreover, an accessible sector at the stadium offers special seating options for people with disabilities, with comfortable accommodation for wheelchair users and their accompanying persons.

Safety and Security

This is a two-tier stadium with a VIP section, equipped with ultramodern security systems and CCTV.[11][12] The stadium is equipped with more than 700 security cameras,[12] alarm and public alert systems, metal detectors, indicators of hazardous liquids and explosives, and it will be serviced by 30 24-hour security posts.

Work on consolidation and drainage of Oktyabrsky Island

Natural weak soils were stabilized and work was completed at the site measuring 43.75 hectares by September 2016. The area measuring 20.02 hectares by 33.85 hectares was filled and soil compacted.

During excavation, some pre-war buildings' infrastructure was found which was not marked on the topographic survey. These issues have been dealt with in an expeditious manner. The project includes construction of the overpass East from Oktyabrsky island and from the street.[13]

2018 FIFA World Cup
Date Time Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
16 June 201821:00 Croatia2–0 NigeriaGroup D31,136[14]
22 June 201820:00 Serbia1–2  SwitzerlandGroup E33,167[15]
25 June 201820:00 Spain2–2 MoroccoGroup B33,973[16]
28 June 201820:00 England0–1 BelgiumGroup G33,973[17]

2019 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
Date Time Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
20 April 201917:00 Russia U1827–38 Portugal U18Bronze final8,100
20 April 201919:00 Georgia U1820–10 Spain U18Final9,700[18]

2020 Rugby Europe Championship
Date Time Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
22 February 202016:00 Russia19–18 PortugalChampionship11,378

After the World Cup

The seating capacity of 35,000 seats was to be reduced to 25,000 before the stadium was handed over to the football club Baltika, which had 4,000 spectators to matches in 2017.[5] In March 2019 the federal government allocated 40 million rubles to renovate the stadium.[19]

References
  1. "Football on the island". moresports.network. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. "Kaliningrad Stadium". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. "Who will pay for Russia's oversized World Cup stadiums?". dw.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  4. "2018 FIFA World Cup Stadium Winning Proposal / Wilmotte & Associés". archdaily.com. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. "Kaliningrad Stadium's Post-World Cup Future Unclear". sportsbusinessdaily.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. "Building the World Cup: An in-depth look at Russia's stadia". sportspromedia.com. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. Правительство Российской Федерации (1 April 2014). "Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 28.03.2014 № 469-р". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  8. "Представлен макет стадиона к ЧМ-2018 в Калининграде". sport-express.ru. 20 July 2015.
  9. "Определено место строительства стадиона в Калининграде для ЧМ-2018". svoboda.org. 7 December 2014.
  10. "Арена к ЧМ-2018 по футболу в Калининграде будет называться "Стадион Калининград"" [The arena for the 2018 World Cup in Kaliningrad will be called "Kaliningrad Stadium"]. TASS (in Russian). 10 August 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  11. "Kaliningrad Stadium: FC Baltika Kaliningrad". football-stadiums.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  12. "World Cup 2018: Russia promises 'unprecedented' security". bbc.com. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  13. "Arena Baltika". rawlplug.com. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  14. "Match report – Group D – Croatia - Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  15. "Match report – Group E – Serbia - Switzerland" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. "Match report – Group B – Spain - Morocco" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  17. "Match report – Group G – England - Belgium" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  18. "Georgia win on European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship" (in Russian). klops.ru. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  19. "The State of Russian Stadiums, a Year After the World Cup". themoscowtimes.com. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
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