Stadion Letná Explained

Stadium Name:Letná Stadium
Location:Milady Horákové 1066/98
Prague, Czech Republic
Opened:1917
Renovated:1937, 1969, 1994
Owner:AC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s.
Surface:Grass
Architect:Cyril Mandel, Vladimír Syrovátka
Former Names:Letná Stadium (1917–2003)
Toyota Arena (2003–2007)
AXA Arena (2007–2009)
Generali Arena (2009–2020)
Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena (2020–2022)
epet ARENA (since 2022)
Tenants:Sparta Prague (1917–present)
Czech Republic national football team (selected matches)
Seating Capacity:18,887
Dimensions:105×68 m
Publictransit: Sparta (1, 2, 8, 12, 25, 26)
at Vltavská
at Hradčanská

The Letná Stadium (Czech: Stadion Letná in Czech pronounced as /ˈstadjon ˈlɛtnaː/), is a football stadium in Prague. It is the home venue of AC Sparta Prague and often hosts the home matches of the Czech Republic national football team. The stadium's capacity is 18,887 seats.[1]

History

The first wooden stadium at its location opened in 1921. The origins of motorcycle speedway in Prague can be traced back to races held at the stadium, starting on 9 June 1928. It is unknown as to when the track was removed.[2]

In 1930 it hosted the third Women's World Games. The stadium burned in 1934 and a new main reinforced concrete grandstand was built in 1937. In 1969 all the other grandstands were replaced by reinforced concrete ones and capacity was extended to 35,880 spectators. The 1994 reconstruction into its present form saw Letná closed for nine months, until the stadium met all international standards. The running track was removed and all spectator places were now seated.[3] [4]

Letná has frequently hosted international matches, in October 1989 the venue saw a crowd of 34,000 watch home side Czechoslovakia defeat Switzerland in a qualifying match for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.[4] After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Letná continued as an international stadium, hosting matches of the Czech Republic national football team from 1995, including qualification matches for UEFA Euro 1996, in which the Czechs defeated the Netherlands and Norway.[5]

The playing surface was renovated in 2001, including the installation of a new under-soil heating and watering system.[6] This necessitated Sparta playing league matches at the end of the 2000–01 season at the nearby Stadion Evžena Rošického.[7]

In 1994 the stadium was reopened after a complete modernization. The capacity was lowered to 20,854 seats. In 2009 major changes took place at the stadium – barriers between sections were removed, two video screens were installed and infrared radiators were installed to heat the eastern stand. The capacity has been 18,887 since 2009.

Czech Republic national football team matches

DateAttendanceHome teamResultAway teamCompetitionMatch report
26 April 199517,463Czech Republic 3–1 NetherlandsUEFA Euro 1996 QReport
6 September 199519,522Czech Republic 2–0 NorwayUEFA Euro 1996 QReport
15 November 199520,239Czech Republic 3–0 LuxembourgUEFA Euro 1996 QReport
9 October 199619,223Czech Republic 0–0 Spain1998 FIFA World Cup QReport
2 April 199719,137Czech Republic 1–2 FR Yugoslavia1998 FIFA World Cup QReport
11 October 19975,428Czech Republic 3–0 Slovakia1998 FIFA World Cup QReport
19 August 19987,021Czech Republic 1–0 DenmarkFriendlyReport
9 June 199921,149Czech Republic 3–2 ScotlandUEFA Euro 2000 QReport
9 October 199921,362Czech Republic 2–0 Faroe IslandsUEFA Euro 2000 QReport
26 April 20004,972Czech Republic 4–1 IsraelFriendlyReport
28 March 200116,354Czech Republic 0–0 Denmark2002 FIFA World Cup QReport
25 April 20014,887Czech Republic 1–1 BelgiumFriendlyReport
6 October 200115,020Czech Republic 6–0 Bulgaria2002 FIFA World Cup QReport
14 November 200118,996Czech Republic 0–1 Belgium2002 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O)Report
18 May 200215,077Czech Republic 1–0 ItalyFriendlyReport
6 September 20025,435Czech Republic 5–0 FR YugoslaviaFriendlyReport
2 April 200317,150Czech Republic 4–0 AustriaUEFA Euro 2004 QReport
10 September 200318,356Czech Republic 3–1 NetherlandsUEFA Euro 2004 QReport
28 April 200411,802Czech Republic 0–1 JapanFriendlyReport
2 June 20046,627Czech Republic 3–1 BulgariaFriendlyReport
9 October 200416,028Czech Republic 1–0 Romania2006 FIFA World Cup QReport
8 October 200517,478Czech Republic 0–2 Netherlands2006 FIFA World Cup QReport
16 November 200517,464Czech Republic 1–0 Norway2006 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O)Report
3 June 200615,910Czech Republic 3–0 Trinidad and TobagoFriendlyReport
15 November 20066,852Czech Republic 1–1 DenmarkFriendlyReport
24 March 200717,821Czech Republic 1–2 GermanyUEFA Euro 2008 QReport
12 September 200716,648Czech Republic 1–0 Republic of IrelandUEFA Euro 2008 QReport
17 November 200715,651Czech Republic 3–1 SlovakiaUEFA Euro 2008 QReport
30 May 200811,314Czech Republic 3–1 ScotlandFriendlyReport
1 April 200914,956Czech Republic 1–2 Slovakia2010 FIFA World Cup QReport
10 October 200914,010Czech Republic 2–0 Poland2010 FIFA World Cup QReport
6 September 20117,322Czech Republic 4–0 UkraineFriendlyReport
7 October 201117,873Czech Republic 0–2 SpainUEFA Euro 2012 QReport
11 November 201114,560Czech Republic 2–0 MontenegroUEFA Euro 2012 Q (P-O)Report
1 June 201217,102Czech Republic 1–2 HungaryFriendlyReport
16 October 201216,160Czech Republic 0–0 Bulgaria2014 FIFA World Cup QReport
7 June 201318,235Czech Republic 0–0 Italy2014 FIFA World Cup QReport
3 September 201412,673Czech Republic 0–1 United StatesFriendlyReport
9 September 201417,946Czech Republic 2–1 NetherlandsUEFA Euro 2016 QReport
10 October 201517,190Czech Republic 0–2 TurkeyUEFA Euro 2016 QReport
24 March 201614,580Czech Republic 0–1 ScotlandFriendlyReport
4 September 201610,731Czech Republic 0–0 Northern Ireland2018 FIFA World Cup QReport
7 June 201913,482Czech Republic 2–1 BulgariaUEFA Euro 2020 QReport
14 October 20199,139Czech Republic 2–3 Northern IrelandFriendlyReport
8 June 2021620Czech Republic 3–1 AlbaniaFriendlyReport
16 November 202110,076Czech Republic 2–0 Estonia2022 FIFA World Cup QReport¨
26 March 202416,158Czech Republic 2–1 ArmeniaFriendlyReport

Development of the name

Non-football activities

Since the beginning the stadium has been used as a speaking tribune for events that took place in front of it, in/around the Milada Horaková street and the large "Letná Plain".[11] During the Velvet revolution in 1989, some 800,000 people assembled for anti-government demonstrations at the Letná plain. The speaking tribune was later removed.

Transport connections

The stadium is served by the tram lines 1, 2, 8, 12, 25 and 26. The tram stop Sparta is in front of the stadium in Milada Horáková Street. The nearest metro stations are Vltavská to the east and Hradčanská to the west.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.sparta.cz/cs/klub/generali-arena.shtml#a4 Stadion auf der offiziellen Website des Vereins
  2. Web site: 50 Years ago: Ove kicked the cat, but the pigeon flew down the stairs . Speedway A-Z . January 2016 . 29 March 2024.
  3. Web site: Historie stadionů Sparty Praha na místě stávajícího stadionu. sparta.cz. 11 September 2014. 24 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160824232647/http://www.sparta.cz/cs/klub/generali-arena.shtml#a6. dead.
  4. News: Frantisek . Bouc . Sparta Praha's Stadium Is '12th Man' for Czech Soccer . Prague Post . 26 April 1995 . 31 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131101104414/http://www.praguepost.com/archivescontent/19434-sparta-praha-s-stadium-is-12th-man-for-czech-soccer.html . 1 November 2013 . dmy.
  5. News: Frantisek. Bouc. Czech soccer players make a pitch for World Cup '98. Prague Post. 9 October 1996. 31 March 2013. dead. https://archive.today/20130411165552/http://www.praguepost.com/archivescontent/24901-czech-soccer-players-make-a-pitch-for-world-cup-98.html. 11 April 2013. dmy-all.
  6. News: Na Letné bude trávník z Německa. cs. idnes.cz. 13 June 2001. 31 March 2013. 26 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130526151308/http://fotbal.idnes.cz/na-letne-bude-travnik-z-nemecka-dz4-/fotbal.aspx?c=A010612_182618_fotbal_mn. live.
  7. News: Sparta dohraje závěr ligy na Strahově. cs. idnes.cz. 10 April 2001. 31 March 2013. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095329/http://fotbal.idnes.cz/sparta-dohraje-zaver-ligy-na-strahove-d84-/fotbal.aspx?c=A010410_144401_fotbal_rou. live.
  8. Web site: Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena. AC Sparta Praha. 11 February 2020. 23 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200723125937/https://sparta.cz/cs/clanek/generali-ceska-pojistovna-arena-36414. live.
  9. Web site: Stadium sparta.cz . AC Sparta Praha . 6 September 2022 . 4 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220304071650/https://sparta.cz/en/club/stadium/ . live .
  10. Web site: Letná má nové jméno: epet ARENA . 2022-11-22 . 2022-11-24 . AC Sparta Praha . cs . 22 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221122145511/https://sparta.cz/cs/clanek/letna-ma-nove-jmeno-epet-arena-40284 . live .
  11. News: Křetínský překope stadion Sparty a postaví obchodní centrum . E15.cz . 16 October 2019 . 16 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191016123303/https://www.e15.cz/byznys/reality-a-stavebnictvi/kretinsky-prekope-stadion-sparty-a-postavi-obchodni-centrum-1145432 . live .