Stadion Letná

The Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena, previously, and still commonly known as Letná Stadium (Czech: Stadion Letná [ˈstadjon ˈlɛtnaː]), is a football stadium in Prague. It is the home venue of Sparta Prague and occasionally hosts the matches of the Czech Republic national football team. It has capacity for 19,416 people.[1]

Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena
UEFA
Former namesLetná Stadium (1917-2003)
Toyota arena (2003-2007)
AXA Arena (2007-2009)
Generali Arena (2009-2020)
LocationMilady Horákové 1066/98
Prague
Czech Republic
Coordinates50°5′59.29″N 14°24′57.28″E
OwnerAC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s.
Capacity19,416
Field size105×68 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1917
Renovated1937, 1969, 1994
Tenants
Sparta Prague (1917-present)
Czech Republic national football team (selected matches)
Exterior of the arena in 2007 when it was named Toyota Arena
Interior of the Generali Arena at the start of a game, Nov 2002

History

The first wooden stadium at its location opened in 1921, 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, till the stadium met all international standards. The running track was removed and all spectator places were now seated.[2][3]

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.[3] 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.[4]

The playing surface was renovated in 2001, including the installation of a new under-soil heating and watering system and grass from Germany.[5] This necessitated Sparta playing league matches at the end of the 2000–01 season at the nearby Stadion Evžena Rošického.[6]

Sparta was hit by a 55,000 CHF fine from European football governing body UEFA in 2001 following racist slurs from the crowd targeted at black Brazilian Luis Robson in a UEFA Champions League match at Letná against Spartak Moscow. It was, at the time, the biggest fine ever handed out by UEFA to a club for racist chanting.[7]

Since 2002, the stadium have a heated turf. In 1994 the stadium was reopened after a complete modernization, all seats have since been seated and the stadium meets all required standards. In 2009, major changes took place at the stadium, barriers were removed, two video screens were installed and infrared radiators were installed to heat the "opposite" tribune.

Czech Republic national football team matches
Date Attendance Home team Result Away team Competition Match report
26 April 1995 17,463 Czech Republic 3–1 Netherlands UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
6 September 1995 19,522 Czech Republic 2–0 Norway UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
15 November 1995 20,239 Czech Republic 3–0 Luxembourg UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
9 October 1996 19,223 Czech Republic 0–0 Spain 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
2 April 1997 19,137 Czech Republic 1–2 FR Yugoslavia 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
11 October 1997 5,428 Czech Republic 3–0 Slovakia 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
19 August 1998 7,021 Czech Republic 1–0 Denmark Friendly Report
9 June 1999 21,149 Czech Republic 3–2 Scotland UEFA Euro 2000 Q Report
9 October 1999 21,362 Czech Republic 2–0 Faroe Islands UEFA Euro 2000 Q Report
26 April 2000 4,972 Czech Republic 4–1 Israel Friendly Report
28 March 2001 16,354 Czech Republic 0–0 Denmark 2002 FIFA World Cup Q Report
25 April 2001 4,887 Czech Republic 1–1 Belgium Friendly Report
6 October 2001 15,020 Czech Republic 6–0 Bulgaria 2002 FIFA World Cup Q Report
14 November 2001 18,996 Czech Republic 0–1 Belgium 2002 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O) Report
18 May 2002 15,077 Czech Republic 1–0 Italy Friendly Report
6 September 2002 5,435 Czech Republic 5–0 FR Yugoslavia Friendly Report
2 April 2003 17,150 Czech Republic 4–0 Austria UEFA Euro 2004 Q Report
10 September 2003 18,356 Czech Republic 3–1 Netherlands UEFA Euro 2004 Q Report
28 April 2004 11,802 Czech Republic 0–1 Japan Friendly Report
2 June 2004 6,627 Czech Republic 3–1 Bulgaria Friendly Report
9 October 2004 16,028 Czech Republic 1–0 Romania 2006 FIFA World Cup Q Report
8 October 2005 17,478 Czech Republic 0–2 Netherlands 2006 FIFA World Cup Q Report
16 November 2005 17,464 Czech Republic 1–0 Norway 2006 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O) Report
3 June 2006 15,910 Czech Republic 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago Friendly Report
15 November 2006 6,852 Czech Republic 1–1 Denmark Friendly Report
24 March 2007 17,821 Czech Republic 1–2 Germany UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
12 September 2007 16,648 Czech Republic 1–0 Republic of Ireland UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
17 November 2007 15,651 Czech Republic 3–1 Slovakia UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
30 May 2008 11,314 Czech Republic 3–1 Scotland Friendly Report
1 April 2009 14,956 Czech Republic 1–2 Slovakia 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Report
10 October 2009 14,010 Czech Republic 2–0 Poland 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Report
6 September 2011 7,322 Czech Republic 4–0 Ukraine Friendly Report
7 October 2011 17,873 Czech Republic 0–2 Spain UEFA Euro 2012 Q Report
11 November 2011 14,560 Czech Republic 2–0 Montenegro UEFA Euro 2012 Q (P-O) Report
1 June 2012 17,102 Czech Republic 1–2 Hungary Friendly Report
16 October 2012 16,160 Czech Republic 0–0 Bulgaria 2014 FIFA World Cup Q Report
7 June 2013 18,235 Czech Republic 0–0 Italy 2014 FIFA World Cup Q Report
3 September 2014 12,673 Czech Republic 0–1 United States Friendly Report
9 September 2014 17,946 Czech Republic 2–1 Netherlands UEFA Euro 2016 Q Report
10 October 2015 17,190 Czech Republic 0–2 Turkey UEFA Euro 2016 Q Report
24 March 2016 14,580 Czech Republic 0–1 Scotland Friendly Report
4 September 2016 10,731 Czech Republic 0–0 Northern Ireland 2018 FIFA World Cup Q Report
7 June 2019 13,482 Czech Republic 2–1 Bulgaria UEFA Euro 2020 Q Report
14 October 2019 9,139 Czech Republic 2–3 Northern Ireland Friendly Report

Development of the name
  • 1917-2003: Letná Stadium
  • 2003-2007: Toyota Arena
  • 2007-2009: AXA Arena
  • 2009–2020: Generali Arena
  • 2020–present: Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena[8]

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".[9] During the Velvet revolution in 1989, were at the plain assebled some 800,000 people for anti-government demonstrations. The speaking tribune was later removed.

Transport

The stadium is served by the tram stop Sparta, called at by services 1, 2, 8, 12, 25 and 26. The nearest metro stations are Vltavská to the east and Hradčanská to the west.

References
  1. "Generali Arena". AC Sparta Praha. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. "Historie stadionů Sparty Praha na místě stávajícího stadionu". sparta.cz. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. Bouc, Frantisek (26 April 1995). "Sparta Praha's Stadium Is '12th Man' for Czech Soccer". Prague Post. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. Bouc, Frantisek (9 October 1996). "Czech soccer players make a pitch for World Cup '98". Prague Post. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  5. "Na Letné bude trávník z Německa" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 13 June 2001. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  6. "Sparta dohraje závěr ligy na Strahově" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 10 April 2001. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. Bouc, Frantisek (28 November 2001). "Racist fans worry Sparta". Prague Post. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  8. "Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena". AC Sparta Praha. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. "Křetínský překope stadion Sparty a postaví obchodní centrum". E15.cz.
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