Donbass Arena

Donbass Arena

UEFA Category 4 Stadium
Location	Donetsk, Ukraine
Coordinates
Owner	Shakhtar Donetsk
Operator	Donbass Arena
Capacity	52,187
Field size	105m x 68m
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	June 27, 2006
Opened	August 29, 2009
Closed	2014 (due to War in Donbass)
Construction cost	₴ 3,175 billion
Architect	Arup Sports
General contractor	ENKA
Tenants
Shakhtar Donetsk (temporarily relocated in Lviv) Euro 2012

Donbass Arena or Donbas Arena (Ukrainian: Донба́с Аре́на [donˈbɑs ɑˈrɛnɑ], Russian: Донба́сc Аре́на) is a stadium with a natural grass pitch in Donetsk, Ukraine that opened on 29 August 2009. The facility is located in the center of the city, in the Lenin Comsomol park. With a capacity of 52,518 spectators, the stadium hosts FC Shakhtar Donetsk matches and hosted some matches of Euro 2012. It is also one of the popular nightlife spots in Donetsk.

The initial estimated cost of the project was $250 million. $30M has been allocated to set up a recreational park around the stadium. The final cost of the project will reach $400M.

The name of the stadium represents the shortened name for the Donets basin industrial region, hence - Donbas, however the official name in English spells after the Russian orthography.

Construction and design

File:UA Donezk Zentralstadion-Schachtar Neubau.jpg

Construction site in August 2007

Construction began in 2006. The general contractor was a Turkish company ENKA. The Stadium was completed and opened in 2009. About 1600 specialists, mainly Turkish, were involved in the construction.

Donbass Arena was designed by ArupSport, who also designed the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester, England), Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany) and the Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China). The soaring roof effect makes the Stadium resemble a flying saucer. The stadium has an oval shape and a glazed façade and is located near Regional Sport Complex Olimpiyskiy. The roof of the stadium slopes from north to south matching the landscape and contributing to the natural lighting and airing of the pitch. The external lighting makes the Stadium shine at night.

Opening

The Donbass Arena was completed ahead of schedule, but the grand opening was delayed until 29 August 2009 to coincide with the Ukrainian holiday of Miners Day, as well as Donetsk City day. Donetsk is in the Donbass region, a mining region, and the date was chosen for its symbolism. The prime tenants of the facility are named Shakhtar Donetsk ("Donetsk Coal Miners").

American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles performed a show from her I Am... Tour on the opening night of the new stadium. It was Knowles' first performance in Ukraine. Beyoncé performed her famous hit Halo to honour the memory of Michael Jackson, who would have had his birthday on that day.

Many state officials attended the show designed by K-events Filmmaster Group. The opening ceremony was awarded as Event of the Year at the Stadium Business Awards on June 18, 2010 in Dublin.

Shakhtar Donetsk's first match at the stadium was a 4–0 victory in a Ukrainian Premier League 2009–10 Round 8 fixture on 27 September 2009 against FC Obolon Kyiv. The first international game took place on November 18, 2009 against Greece, which Ukraine lost 0-1 failing to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2012 matches

Donbass Arena was included in the official bidding project submitted by Poland and Ukraine for hosting UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium hosted group D stage games and one quarter-final and one semi-final game (with the other matches in that group played at Kiev Olympic Stadium). Unlike most new stadiums being built in Poland and Ukraine, Donbass Arena was not specifically built for the tournament.

The following matches were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2012:

Date	Time (CEST / EEST)	Team #1	Res.	Team #2	Round	Scored
2012-06-11	18.00 / 19.00	France	1–1	England	Group D	Joleon Lescott Samir Nasri
2012-06-15	18.00 / 19.00	France	2–0	Ukraine	Group D	Jérémy Ménez Yohan Cabaye
2012-06-19	20.45 / 21.45	England	1–0	Ukraine	Group D	Wayne Rooney
2012-06-23	20.45 / 21.45	Spain	2–0	France	Quarter-final	Xabi Alonso (2)
2012-06-27	20.45 / 21.45	Portugal	0–0 aet (2–4 pen.)	Spain	Semi-final	—

Other uses

Merchandise in the Shakhtar shop

Shakhtar Ultras in the stadium

The project of new stadium "Donbass Arena" was conceived long before Ukraine was named as co-host of Euro 2012. The owner considered the possibility of daily use of the arena. "Donbass Arena" includes three restaurants, a lounge-bar, a fan cafe, fast-food outlets, retail outlets, a fitness center, corporate boxes and first aid rooms. The stadium also provides facilities for corporate events - presentations, press conferences, celebrations and concerts. Stadium tours are available which include an examination of the unique features of Donbass Arena, a visit to the footballers’ rooms and FC Shakhtar Museum and a visit to the FC Shakhtar brand shop for souvenirs.

2014 Conflict in Ukraine

On 20 May 2014 the stadium hosted a small "Peace March" against the violence of the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

On 22 August 2014 the stadium was damaged by what was reported to be artillery shelling, as the Ukrainian armed forces clashed with pro-Russian separatists for control of the town.

On 20 October 2014 the stadium was again damaged by what was reported to be artillery shelling. The stadium sustained damage to the east and west sides and at least one large glass panel fell near a young girl. Due to the ongoing conflict in Donetsk, Shakhtar has moved all home games to Lviv in the west. Additionally, the club's administrative headquarters and player training sessions have been shifted to Kiev.

Facts

• 7,668 m² (82,538 sq ft) natural turf will be used with 2,201 m² (23,691 sq ft) synthetic turf
• The total area of the construction site (including mobilization areas) is 254,907 m²
• The land (including pitch), where the Stadium is located, is 46,780 m²
• The height of the new stadium is 54m from pitch level to the top of the roof.
• There are 227 lavatories with 471 toilets and 333 wash basins.
• Over 120,000 m³ of concrete were poured during construction of the Stadium
• Approximately 4,300 tonnes of steel were used for construction
• Approximately 3,800 tonnes of steel were used for the roof structure.
• Total glazing area is approximately 24,000 m²
• The total area of the tiers is approximately 70,000 m²
• The size of the football field is 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)

External links

• Donbass Arena official website
• Rinat Akhmetov: The new stadium's name is Donbass Arena