Donbass Arena Stadium Is the World Standard of Sports Facilities

The opening of Donbass Arena Stadium in August 2009 was a historic event because, in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, it is the first stadium designed to the highest standards of UEFA. It was the first of the eight stadiums that was put into operation in Ukraine and Poland during Euro 2012 preparation. In addition, it is one of the three European stadiums that stand out in terms of technical equipment and versatility. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that during the Stadium Business Awards on June 18, 2010 in Dublin, the opening of Donbass Arena was awarded as Event of the Year.

The new stadium Donbass Arena with a capacity of fifty thousand people is located in the heart of the Donetsk City, the park zone of Kiev district. Stadium construction had begun before Ukraine won the right to host Euro 2012, and was lasting for three years (2006 – 2009).

The first thing that strikes you is Donbass Arena appearance. UFO – such an impression is caused by an unusual design of Donbass Arena Stadium. Just look at it and you’ll see a stadium of oval form and fully glazed facade.

When Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine, planned to build a top-class stadium in Donetsk, he even didn’t think about the Football European Championships 2012. He just wanted his club “Shakhtar” had a stadium no worse than the Europeans have. Actually, the best stadiums in Europe such as the Allianz Arena in Munich, Amsterdam Arena, and Emirates in London served as an example for the design of Donbass Arena. It was invested four hundred million dollars in Donbass Arena construction. It should be added that over thirty million dollars of that amount went to the improvement of the surrounding area. Namely because of this, Donbass Arena is surrounded by a picturesque park with fountains, benches, and small cute ponds. A special pride of the stadium workers is a huge granite soccer ball. Its weight is 28 tons. And it is rotated by two streams of water beneath it, near the southern stand of Donbass Arena. By the way, it is the biggest decorative ball for playing football in the world.

The second uniqueness of the stadium is a modern IT infrastructure of Donbass Arena. For the first time in Eastern Europe, the stadium is managed by world leading know-how. The basis for operation of IT technologies is a reliable system of uninterrupted power supply.

Technological innovations work for fans as well. We are talking about LED screens on the southern and northern stands. The area of ​​each of them is about 100 square meters. They are the biggest screens in European football stadiums. Besides, the stands are equipped with infrared heating system. It can increase the temperature by 12-14 degrees inside the stadium compared with the temperature outside of it. In such a way, it attracts fans in cold weather.

Donbass Arena owner is proud of a high quality, natural grass football pitch. One of its features is that there are drainage, irrigation, and heating systems beneath the lawn surface.

Third and no less important thing is that in addition to established by UEFA requirements to modern stadiums that meet secretly rule of three «S»: safety, security, and service, Donbass Arena developers added another «S» rule that is a special atmosphere. Adding the forth «S», they set a new special level of comfort and service to football fans. So, what does this forth «S» mean? It means that spectators have 100% visibility of football pitch from any point of the stand.

Holiday atmosphere is provided by Donbass Arena owner even today. It was built a fan stand (10 sectors) and opened Ukraine’s largest sports museum that is the Museum of Football Club Shakhtar. This museum is called Donbass Arena’s Soul. It performs a real football show that harmoniously combines both the respect for the history of the club and the entertaining part. Any fan can listen to the audio guide, watch chronicle of events, read historical materials, and play PlayStation. Here, photos are replaced by digital displays, and everyone can select a date and watch any match of the club with the help of a few buttons.

Donbass Arena is a home stadium of FC Shakhtar. It is considered as a place for the finals of the Champions League and Europe League.