Stadion Letná

The Letná Stadium (Czech: Stadion Letná [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]

Letná Stadium
Generali Arena during pre-season event named Sparta Opening (August 2020)
Former namesLetná 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)
LocationMilady Horákové 1066/98
Prague, Czech Republic
Coordinates50°5′59.29″N 14°24′57.28″E
Public transitTram interchange Sparta (1, 2, 8, 12, 25, 26)
Metro interchange C at Vltavská
Metro interchange A at Hradčanská
OwnerAC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s.
Capacity18,887
Field size105×68 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1917
Renovated1937, 1969, 1994
ArchitectCyril Mandel, Vladimír Syrovátka
Tenants
Sparta Prague (1917–present)
Czech Republic national football team (selected matches)
Exterior of the stadium in 2007 when it was named Toyota Arena
Interior of the Letná Stadium at the start of a game, Nov 2002
Letná Stadium during an AC Sparta Game

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, until 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.[5] This necessitated Sparta playing league matches at the end of the 2000–01 season at the nearby Stadion Evžena Rošického.[6]

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

Date Attendance Home team Result Away team Competition Match report
26 April 1995 17,463 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Netherlands Netherlands UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
6 September 1995 19,522 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–0 Norway Norway UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
15 November 1995 20,239 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–0 Luxembourg Luxembourg UEFA Euro 1996 Q Report
9 October 1996 19,223 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–0 Spain Spain 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
2 April 1997 19,137 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–2 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
11 October 1997 5,428 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–0 Slovakia Slovakia 1998 FIFA World Cup Q Report
19 August 1998 7,021 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Denmark Denmark Friendly Report
9 June 1999 21,149 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–2 Scotland Scotland UEFA Euro 2000 Q Report
9 October 1999 21,362 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–0 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands UEFA Euro 2000 Q Report
26 April 2000 4,972 Czech Republic Czech Republic 4–1 Israel Israel Friendly Report
28 March 2001 16,354 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–0 Denmark Denmark 2002 FIFA World Cup Q Report
25 April 2001 4,887 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–1 Belgium Belgium Friendly Report
6 October 2001 15,020 Czech Republic Czech Republic 6–0 Bulgaria Bulgaria 2002 FIFA World Cup Q Report
14 November 2001 18,996 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–1 Belgium Belgium 2002 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O) Report
18 May 2002 15,077 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Italy Italy Friendly Report
6 September 2002 5,435 Czech Republic Czech Republic 5–0 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia Friendly Report
2 April 2003 17,150 Czech Republic Czech Republic 4–0 Austria Austria UEFA Euro 2004 Q Report
10 September 2003 18,356 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Netherlands Netherlands UEFA Euro 2004 Q Report
28 April 2004 11,802 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–1 Japan Japan Friendly Report
2 June 2004 6,627 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Bulgaria Bulgaria Friendly Report
9 October 2004 16,028 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Romania Romania 2006 FIFA World Cup Q Report
8 October 2005 17,478 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–2 Netherlands Netherlands 2006 FIFA World Cup Q Report
16 November 2005 17,464 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Norway Norway 2006 FIFA World Cup Q (P-O) Report
3 June 2006 15,910 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Friendly Report
15 November 2006 6,852 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–1 Denmark Denmark Friendly Report
24 March 2007 17,821 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–2 Germany Germany UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
12 September 2007 16,648 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
17 November 2007 15,651 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Slovakia Slovakia UEFA Euro 2008 Q Report
30 May 2008 11,314 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Scotland Scotland Friendly Report
1 April 2009 14,956 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–2 Slovakia Slovakia 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Report
10 October 2009 14,010 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–0 Poland Poland 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Report
6 September 2011 7,322 Czech Republic Czech Republic 4–0 Ukraine Ukraine Friendly Report
7 October 2011 17,873 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–2 Spain Spain UEFA Euro 2012 Q Report
11 November 2011 14,560 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–0 Montenegro Montenegro UEFA Euro 2012 Q (P-O) Report
1 June 2012 17,102 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–2 Hungary Hungary Friendly Report
16 October 2012 16,160 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–0 Bulgaria Bulgaria 2014 FIFA World Cup Q Report
7 June 2013 18,235 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–0 Italy Italy 2014 FIFA World Cup Q Report
3 September 2014 12,673 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–1 United States United States Friendly Report
9 September 2014 17,946 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–1 Netherlands Netherlands UEFA Euro 2016 Q Report
10 October 2015 17,190 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–2 Turkey Turkey UEFA Euro 2016 Q Report
24 March 2016 14,580 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–1 Scotland Scotland Friendly Report
4 September 2016 10,731 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0–0 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2018 FIFA World Cup Q Report
7 June 2019 13,482 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–1 Bulgaria Bulgaria UEFA Euro 2020 Q Report
14 October 2019 9,139 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–3 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Friendly Report
8 June 2021 620 Czech Republic Czech Republic 3–1 Albania Albania Friendly Report
16 November 2021 10,076 Czech Republic Czech Republic 2–0 Estonia Estonia 2022 FIFA World Cup Q Report

Development of the name

  • 1917–2003: Letná Stadium
  • 2003–2007: Toyota Arena
  • 2007–2009: AXA Arena
  • 2009–2020: Generali Arena
  • 2020–2022: Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena[7]
  • September 2022–November 2022: Letná Stadium[8]
  • November 2022–present: epet ARENA[9]

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".[10] 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.

References

  1. Stadion auf der offiziellen Website des Vereins, retrieved 15 March 2021, (in Czech)
  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. "Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena". AC Sparta Praha. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  8. "Stadium | sparta.cz". AC Sparta Praha. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. "Letná má nové jméno: epet ARENA". AC Sparta Praha (in Czech). 22 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. "Křetínský překope stadion Sparty a postaví obchodní centrum". E15.cz.
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