How much did they invest in the Zenit stadium? Zenit Arena will break the world record for construction cost. How many years did it take to build the Zenit Arena stadium?

The construction of the Zenit Arena stadium is the longest undertaking in Russian football. The long-term construction began in 2007 and has not yet been completed, the deadline for the completion of the project is constantly being postponed, and the cost is growing day by day. Encouraging statements from contractors and managers about the construction of the stadium regularly appear in the newspapers.

Zenit is already waiting for a new arena, but the players cannot influence the speed of construction in any way. So, let's fast forward ten years ago, when the idea of building a new stadium first appeared.

2005 year

In March 2005, information appeared that the Kirov Arena on Krestovsky Island would be demolished, and in its place the construction of a stadium would begin from scratch. Zenit was still far from the UEFA Cup and the Hulk in the lineup. Management announced that the new arena would cost one hundred and fifty million dollars and have a capacity of 50 thousand spectators.

Already in April, the concept of the future stadium appeared. The basis was Old Trafford. This idea was later criticized by Demit Momot, who considered the open stadium unsuitable for the Russian climate. Six months later, management announced that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium already costs $250 million.

2006

In January, the organizers of the construction promised to commission the Gazprom Arena (as they planned to call the stadium) by 2009. Even then, analysts predicted repeated postponements. In April, the vice-governor of St. Petersburg promised that construction of the Zenit Arena stadium would start at the end of this year.

In the summer of 2006, the arena project, which was developed by a Japanese company, was presented. The structure was supposed to have a roof in the shape of a spaceship with the possibility of heating. The project cost was $225 million. At the end of the year, a builder was identified. It was the company SINTEZ-SUI LLC, which promised to build the Zenit Arena stadium for 6.7 billion rubles.

2007

In March, Valentina Matvienko said that construction would be completed by the end and the team would spend the next season at the new stadium. A month later, the governor of St. Petersburg said that the Zenit Arena stadium would receive a retractable field, which would cost additional money. In September, the lieutenant governor gave a statement in which he indicated that construction was ahead of schedule. He promised that the arena would be ready in December 2008.

2008

In March he reported that the construction of a new stadium could become more expensive. Gazprom was brought in for additional investment. A month later, Alexander Dyukov made it clear that in 2009 he would not see the new stadium of FC Zenit. The deadline for delivery was presumably moved to 2010. In addition, the cost of construction now amounts to 13-14 billion rubles.

In the middle of summer there was another increase in the price of the Zenit Arena stadium. Now the price was a whopping 23.7 billion rubles. Management promised a capacity of 62,000 people. At the end of the year, it was announced that the construction would be carried out by the Inzhtransstroy company, which signed a contract for 13.2 billion rubles.

year 2009

In April, information appeared in the media that in 2010 the famous Metallica would perform at the opening of the stadium. In December, the arena under construction was inspected and it was found that it did not meet FIFA requirements. There were complaints about the location of the stands and the rooms under the stands.

2010

In February 2010, they decided to make the stadium more spacious (67,000), which affected its cost. Due to budget adjustments in April, construction timelines are increasing again. Because of this, the cost rises again. At the end of the year, the president of Zenit announced the completion of the redesign of the arena. The new capacity will be 68,000 people.

2011

In January, Glavgosexpertiza orders the dismantling of the arena's already constructed roof, which leads to additional costs and postponement of completion. Now the total cost of construction is already a cosmic 33 billion rubles. In October, the roof was demolished again, which the customer did not like. In November, delivery of the finished arena is scheduled for 2013. The cost increased to 40 billion rubles.

year 2013

At the beginning of the year it was published that the stadium was 34.4% ready. In February, the Investigative Committee begins to investigate a case of fraud related to the construction of the arena. The case involves the first contractor and the amount of 500 million rubles.

In March, the construction management promises to commission the arena in the summer of 2016. In the summer it turns out that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium, which will host matches at the home 2018 World Cup, is only 35% complete.

year 2014

In April, the exact date for the commissioning of the facility was set - June 15, 2016. The vice-governor ruled out an increase in the cost and named the figure at 34.9 billion rubles.

2015

In March, the case of the theft of 145 million rubles was closed. The reason is the expiration of the statute of limitations. In November it was announced that Zenit would play the first match at the new arena in September 2016. A month later, the date was again moved to December.

2016

In February, the contractor asks to increase the construction amount to 35.3 billion rubles. In the summer, 144.5 million rubles are lost, which were intended for the installation of a video board. Information has emerged that workers are not receiving wages. On July 13, according to the general contractor, there was an attempted raider takeover. He did not rule out that in this way the city administration is trying to delay the completion of the facility.

Only two and a half months remain before the start of the main football festival of this year - the final part of the FIFA World Cup, matches of which will be held in 11 cities of Russia. One of the host cities will be St. Petersburg. The brand new St. Petersburg Arena will host four group stage matches, as well as one game each of the 1/8 and 1/2 finals and a match for third place - a total of seven meetings.

The friendly match between the national teams of Russia and France became another training session for all services ensuring order and security during the event. A journalist from our editorial team attended the game as an ordinary spectator and offers some advice to those who have not yet been to the stadium, but are planning to go to the next matches of the Russian Championship or World Cup games.

Tip one: think through the route to the stadium and back in advance

The St. Petersburg Stadium (unofficially Zenit Arena or Krestovsky) is located in the Western part of Krestovsky Island at Football Alley, 1. The stadium can be reached in several ways. I would like to say right away that the most convenient way to approach the object is on foot. The easiest option is to get to the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station and walk 2.5 kilometers directly through the park along the Battery Road. The walk from the metro station to the stadium will take 25-30 minutes.

Another option is suitable if you visit the Piterland shopping and entertainment complex, built on the edge of the mainland of the Primorsky district. Buses run to the shopping center from the Staraya Derevnya and Chernaya Rechka metro stations. Getting to Piterland itself is not very convenient, but the walk from it to the stadium via the pedestrian Yachtny Bridge will take about 20 minutes.

On match days, you can also get to the arena by free buses, which are commonly called “shuttles”. They run for two hours before the start of the game towards Krestovsky Island and for two hours after its end. “Shuttles” make it possible to avoid a transport collapse after a match, when the operation of the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station is temporarily limited. Free buses transport thousands of spectators to the Chkalovskaya metro station. On the day of the match between Russia and France, several dozen shuttles were operating. Their stops are located next to the Vyborgskaya (red line), Petrogradskaya (blue line) and Chkalovskaya (purple line) metro stations.

Of course, you can get to the place by personal car, but this will be difficult. In the adjacent territory there are paid two-tier covered parking lots, encircling the stadium from south to north, but there are no free ones. Paid parking allows you to park your vehicle near the arena, and the journey from the car to the fan seat will take from 5 to 15 minutes. Only for paid parking it is necessary to purchase a subscription in advance either at the sales office or through the official website of FC Zenit. Currently you cannot buy passes through the website. Apparently they have all been sold out a long time ago. However, it is not necessary to drive directly to the stadium. If you try, you can leave the car in the eastern part of Krestovsky Island and walk 3-4 kilometers on foot in about 40-45 minutes.

Tip two: read the list of prohibited things

During World Cup matches, all access areas should be in operation, but the flow of people into the 68,000-seat stadium will be large every time. At Zenit's matches alone, there were sold-outs several times. The framed passage area is preceded by a labyrinth constructed of metal fences. To save space, it is advisable not to take backpacks and bulky bags with you. In addition, if you do not have hand luggage, you can avoid several nervous minutes of interrogation by a security officer who will definitely ask you to see its contents. You can also save a minute or two if you immediately remove your mobile phone and other metal objects from your pockets before passing through the control frame.

During the matches of the 2017 Confederations Cup, which became a rehearsal for the home World Cup, the press service of its organizing committee published a list of items prohibited in the arenas. Krestovsky was also among the host stadiums, so restrictions apply there as well. As a result, the following items are not allowed to be brought into matches: food and drinks, liquids in containers larger than 100 ml, thermoses and flasks, pyrotechnics, perfumes and compacts, any sports equipment and umbrellas larger than 25 cm when folded. A separate list includes professional audio, photo and video equipment: voice recorders, photo and video cameras, tripods, drones and even selfie sticks.

Remember: the sooner you go through the control and inspection point, the more nerves you will save for yourself and the employee working at the stadium. And you will allow other fans who are nervously standing in line behind you to pass faster.

Tip three: eat a big meal before the game

As we have already found out, food and liquids whose volume exceeds 100 ml cannot be brought into the stadium. Of course, you can try to put a Snickers or other energy bar in your pocket, but you can’t do it every time, they might take it away. The most correct decision in this situation is to eat a hearty meal before going to the match. If a bright game whets your appetite, then during the break at Krestovsky you can look into one of the six food stalls located along the stands.

Prices, by the standards of an ordinary Petrozavodsk resident, are, of course, steep: 100 rubles for half a liter of water and any other drink, and for various snacks the receipt will cost 150-300 rubles per unit. The menu offers regular fast food to choose from, such as burgers or rolls. Since the time of Petrovsky, many fans have loved buying hot corn; they also sell it at the Zenit Arena. Moment of celebration: with food purchased at the stadium, you can go up to the stands, only first the attentive stewards will ask you to pour the liquid from the bottle into the cardboard glass that comes with the drink.

Tip four: think about your clothes

This is the case when you want to warn not that there is a “dubak” at the stadium. On the contrary, the stadium of FC Zenit is very warm even in winter due to the covered roof. It felt like it was about +15 degrees on the field and in the stands at the end of March. There was no intensity of passion on the lawn during the match between Russia and France, but it was still warm and cozy in the fan’s chair.

Video

At the St. Petersburg stadium, the roof is retractable, so in the summer, if the weather is good, it is opened so that the spectators do not suffocate, and closed during rain and wind. It's funny that the roof has its own Twitter account with an audience of one and a half thousand. The roof informs whether it will be closed or not.

Tip five: don’t slow down – and there won’t be any problems

The last tip summarizes all the previous ones. If you calculate possible scenarios in advance and assess the risks, then there should be no difficulties during your trip. There are many negative comments on the Internet about the poor organization of work at the entrance and exit of the stadium, but most people create obstacles for themselves.

The game between Russia and France was attended by 51,165 spectators. Of course, if all the people gather for the game at the last moment, then crowds will be inevitable. Therefore, entrance to the stands usually opens two hours before the start of matches. Another thing is that this match was held on a weekday, and most spectators barely made it to the stadium by 19:00, taking into account St. Petersburg transport realities.

The bus with fans from Petrozavodsk arrived an hour before the start of the game, in half an hour the majority managed to quickly walk to the arena and in 15-20 minutes go through all the steps at the entrance without any problems. When leaving the stadium, in order to avoid the crowd, it was necessary to go to the middle or far stairs, because the main flow of people always chooses the nearest descent. By the way, volunteers informed about this, who constantly repeated into a megaphone instructions for leaving the arena and leaving Krestovsky Island.

Remember: everything is in your hands. To truly enjoy football, you need not only a great game on the field, but also a little self-organization and discipline. Situations vary. You shouldn’t always hope for a good organization; there are always emergency situations. If they are anticipated, in many cases they can be overlooked or the consequences can be mitigated.

The address is Football Alley 1. Previously, the multi-sports stadium named after Kirov was located here.

How to get there:

Activity:

Football matches
Group excursions from 5 people.
Holidays, official celebrations
Concerts
Hockey games

Tickets For all events you can buy online on ticket sales websites: cashier, official football club Zenit. No additional printing is needed; electronic tickets on your phone are enough.

There is a security check upon entry. Access to the stadium is quite fast, the queue moves without delays. The stewards will tell you which direction will be the fastest to get to your place.

For disabled people, the passage is equipped with special ramps and elevators.

Not very good seats in the stadium:

The upper rows of sector D201 - the pylon covers part of the penalty area and here the sound does not come from the speakers, but the field is completely visible.
A102 row 7 - I do not recommend it, due to the platform under the camera there is limited visibility.

No food or drinks are allowed into the stadium.

The sound in these places is weak, but the overview of the game is excellent.

There are food and drink stalls throughout the stadium. A snack will cost about 350-400 rubles. Prices for drinks are about 100 rubles, hot dogs, sandwiches from 150 rubles.

There are restrooms.

Indoor stadium. The temperature in the stadium with the roof closed is +16-18, it is very comfortable, you can take off your outerwear.

Anyone who has had to sit outdoors in temperatures around 0 will understand how valuable and important this is.

The roof even got its own Twitter account, where it informs whether it will be open or not.

The Zenit football club takes care of the accessibility of the arena for all guests and makes every effort to make it as comfortable as possible for fans.

Seats in the stadium

Special places:

Promenade (third floor)

141 seats for fans in wheelchairs. The attendant's chair is located nearby. Of these, 10 places are for fans of the visiting team in wheelchairs, which are located in sectors B-103 and B-104.

Sectors A-102 and A-103

50 seats for fans with visual impairments. Each fan has the opportunity to come to the match accompanied by one person.

The stands provide an audio-descriptive commentary (ADC) service for matches. Spectators can obtain AOK equipment free of charge from the MGN support service staff.

Additional places (do not require special conditions):

Sector C-111

30 seats for fans with hearing disabilities
30 places for children with disabilities (without PDA)
30 seats for fans with disability group I (without PDA)

Each visitor with a disability has the opportunity to come to the match accompanied by one person.

Invitation cards

You can apply to attend the match at .

In your application you must indicate the match you are going to attend, the desired sector, the name of the fan with a disability, the name of the accompanying person, and also attach a document confirming the disability.

Acceptance of applications begins with the start of ticket sales for the game and ends 2 days before the match.

Parking

Near the entrance to the Gazprom Arena there is parking for fans with disabilities. Parking passes are free and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability. You can apply for a car pass via email or at the club’s client office on Dobrolyubova, 16A, presenting a ticket for the match, a document confirming your disability, and also indicate the make and number of the car.

Acceptance of electronic applications begins with the start of ticket sales for the match and ends 2 days before the match. After this, the car pass can only be obtained at the client office.

Shuttles for MGN

Due to restrictions on entry to Krestovsky Island on match days, MGNs using personal vehicles are provided with parking on Petrovskaya Square, where they transfer to equipped minibuses with subsequent delivery directly to the stadium and on the return route after the match.

Shuttles start operating 2 hours before the start of the match.

Social taxi

On the day of the match, social taxi cars can go to parking lots P1 and P21 (next to Sibur Arena) only for dropping off/pick-up of fans.

Entry to the territory of the Gazprom Arena is possible only with an official “social taxi” pass.

MGN escort service

Stewards from the MGN escort service work at each match. They can be identified by their blue vests with the words “escort” written on them. They are located in parking lots P1, P2 and P22, as well as at entrances 2a, 10a and 16a. At each of these entrances there are wheelchairs that fans can use if necessary to get to their seat in the stands (not rentable).

There are also escort service stewards located near the entrances to Stands A, B and C, as well as on the internal promenade of the stadium. MGN fans can always turn to them for any necessary help.