Stadion Eden

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Eden


location = Prague, Czech republic
coordinates = coord|50|04|03|N|14|28|18|E|display=title,inline
broke_ground = 15 September 2006
opened = 7 May 2008
closed =
demolished =

owner = SK Slavia Praha,
E Side Property Limited
operator = SK Slavia Praha
construction_cost = 1 billion koruna
architect = Ing. arch.Martin Kotík
Ing. arch.Daniel Dvořák
Ing. arch.Leoš Zeman
former_names =
tenants = SK Slavia Praha
seating_capacity = 21,000
dimensions = convert|105|m|yd|0 x convert|68|m|yd|0

Stadion Eden is a football stadium in Prague, Czech Republic. It hosts home matches of SK Slavia Praha and the Czech Republic national football team. The stadium has a capacity of about 21,000 people and it is the most modern football stadium in Czech Republic.

History

In early 1950s, Slavia was forced to leave its stadium at Letná and a new stadium was built at Eden in Vršovice quater. Its capacity was about 50,000 (mostly for standing). The wooden western (main) stand was taken from the old stadium at Letná, the rest of the stands were made of concrete. The stadium also featured an athletic track. The first match at this stadium took place on September 27, 1953, Slavia played 1-1 against the team of Křídla vlasti Olomouc. Josef Bican scored the home team's goal.

Move

In the 1970s, it became apparent that Eden does not provide sufficient comfort for the visitors and started planning to build a new one in the same place. However, under the communist regime, the planning went quite slowly. Several projects were made, and the construction was finally to start in 1990. In 1989, Slavia moved temporarily to nearby Ďolíček stadium (a home of FC Bohemians Praha] ) and the eastern stand was torn down. However, the overthrowing of the communist regime in 1989 delayed the construction. In the meantime, Slavia moved to Stadion Evžena Rošického, a stadium on the Strahov hill, which is large but uncomfortable and poorly accessible.

In the early 1990, the whole construction was cancelled and Slavia moved back to Eden. A temporary stand was built in the place of former eastern stand, but it was clear that Eden is outdated and Slavia needs a new home ground. Several more projects were made, but Slavia was unable to raise enough funds and there were some legal problems, as the premises were owned by the government and it took a lot of effort to transfer them to Slavia. In 2000, the Stadium was not eligible to host Czech league matches, so Slavia moved to unpopular Strahov again.

New stadium

Slavia finally presented a project of the new stadium, but no construction has started. In December 2003, the old Eden stadium was torn down and Slavia announced that the new stadium will be opened on October 19, 2005, however, by October 2005 the construction has not even started. It took one more year to start. The project had to be scaled down to lower the construction cost from 1.8 billon Czech crowns to less then 1 billion. The construction started in October 2006.

Despite the stadium was not fully finished, it was opened on May 7, 2008 with an exhibition match against Oxford University A.F.C.. Many former Slavia stars (such as Pavel Kuka, Patrik Berger, Jan Suchopárek and Ivo Knoflíček) took part in this match. Slavia won 5-0.

The first competition match at the new stadium was played on May 17, 2008 against Jablonec, the match ended tied 2-2, Slavia secured the Gambrinus Liga title in this final match of the 2007/08 season.

External links

* [http://www.stadioneden.cz/webmagazine/home.asp?idk=269 Homepage]
* [http://www.slavia.cz/index_en.asp SK Slavia Praha]