Prague’s Stadiums
Football
A football pitch is most commonly known as a football field. It is the playing surface for the most popular game around the globe: football. The field is either made with turf grass or artificial turf. Prague is a very popular tourist destination and attracts thousands of tourists every year. It is practically impossible to walk across Old Town during the spring and summer season without getting pushed and shoved by hundreds of tourists walking along that area. Those who want some relief from the madness and hordes of people carrying beer mugs, such as football stadiums and football fields, are most popular.
Prague has a huge variety of stadiums and sports centres to cater to the growing demand for sports activities. The city already boasts a number of outdoor events that take place along the mesmerizing River Vltava or amongst the lush green parks, fields and forests of Prague. Added to this is the huge diversity in football stadiums. They vary in size and are built to hold multiple capacities of crowds. Simultaneously, many events can take place, and families can enjoy multiple football events in one day.
The Strahov Stadium is huge and has a capacity of 220,000. The stadium’s construction began in 1926, and it was slowly upgraded during the next 50 years. The stadium was originally built to accommodate gymnastic events on a massive scale, which were continued into the communist era. Currently, the stadium is a total of 63,500 square meters with eight football pitches. It also serves as a training ground for Sparta Praha Youth Team, who come here for training.
There are numerous other stadiums in the city with different seating capacities and a different number of pitches. The most popular teams use these stadiums for practice before the national events.
Generali Arena (Letná)
Milady Horákové 98, Prague 7 – Letná; www.sparta.cz
The Letná stadium, with a capacity of more than 19,000 spectators, is the home turf of the football premier league club AC Sparta Prague and a venue for Czech national football team matches.
Synot Tip Arena
U Slavie 2a, Prague 10 – Vršovice; www.edenarena.cz
This representative football stadium in Prague’s Vršovice is the home base of the Men’s A team of Slavia Prague and also a venue for some Czech national football team matches. The stadium capacity is 20,800. Synot Tip Arena is part of the Eden multifunctional complex, comprising of several training pitches with grass and artificial turf, an athletics stadium, a rugby pitch, a swimming pool, field hockey and handball pitch, and several sports halls.
Škoda Transportation Arena
Na Julisce 28, Prague 6 – Dejvice; www.fkdukla.cz
This Prague football and athletic Stadium (Juliska) is the home base of FK Dukla Prague football club. Thanks to the tribune being set on a hillside, you can enjoy watching the whole pitch and a panoramic view of Prague. The stadium capacity is 8,150 seats, and it belongs to the Czech Army.
Ďolíček
Vršovická 31, Prague 10 – Vršovice; www.bohemians.cz
The legendary home stadium of the Vršovice local football club Bohemians 1905 is characterized by an incomparable sporting atmosphere during football matches.
eFotbal Arena
Seifertova 10, Prague 3 – Žižkov; www.fkvz.cz
The home stadium of the FK Viktoria Žižkov football team is one of the smaller stadiums in the Czech Football League (capacity just over 5,000). It benefits from a good location in the city centre near the Žižkov television tower.
Winter Stadiums
Many Czechs are crazy about sports. The two most popular sports in the country are football and ice hockey. To accommodate and host sporting events like ice skating and ice hockey, winter stadiums are built. These stadiums are built very much like any other stadium and have different seating capacities. Many yearly sports events take place inside these stadiums. The most popular events with numerous Czech fans are the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament. The European Football Championship and the Football World Cup are equally popular events. Any match that involves ice hockey or football catches Czech attention.
Winter stadiums see lots of events involving ice skating and ice hockey. State championships and Olympic level events are held in these stadiums. These facilities are designed especially to hold multiple events in these particular sports. Ice skating, figure skating and ice hockey all require a massive field of smooth ice. Caretakers ensure that these stadiums are kept spotless and clean for an impromptu event. The latest technology and equipment is used to create a smooth surface all year round.
Children and parents who are keen on practising together can now avail themselves of the flexible family timings in these stadiums. When major events are not taking place, these winter stadiums are open to the public for leisure and other sporting activities. Multiple locker rooms are accompanying the facility, along with a changing area and refreshment centre close by. The government and state authorities take utmost care that these sports stadiums cater to all the amenities and conveniences required by players and attendees. Most of these stadiums that were built years ago have slowly been upgraded and developed as the city progressed. As the sporting fever rose in Prague, there has been an increased concentration and attention on the development of winter stadiums.
Tipsport arena Praha
Za Elektrárnou 1, Prague 7 – Bubeneč; www.tipsportarena-praha.cz
The home stadium of the ice hockey team HC Sparta Prague is a multifunctional arena, transforming within a few hours from the ‘extra league’ winter stadium into, say, a concert hall. The total capacity for ice hockey matches is 13,238 seats.
O2 arena
Českomoravská 17, Prague 9 – Vysočany; www.o2arena.cz
One of the most modern multifunctional halls in Europe with a capacity of up to 18,000 spectators opened in 2004 for the ice hockey World Championships. Since then, it has welcomed over 600,000 visitors a year. Apart from sports matches, it hosts concerts by the world’s megastars.
Public Ice Skating
Public or outdoor ice skating is a fun and enjoyable sport. The Czech Republic faces extreme winter and snow months; thus, it is ideal for such activities during the winter months. The snowfall can be extremely thick during the colder months, making this a suitable sport for all ages.
Public ice skating is usually free of charge and operates when there are at least six inches of snow or ice. This is what makes it so attractive to adults and children alike. All one needs is skating gear along with a helmet, and you are ready for extreme enjoyment. There are many parks and recreational centres in Prague that host public ice skating during winter. Some are free, while others charge a nominal amount from the public.
Ovocny Trh is an open ice rink in the middle of the historical city. It opens during the winter months and if you have your own ice skating equipment, then skating here is free. Otherwise, a fee of 50 CZK is charged for a pair of ice skates. This is on an hourly basis, and ID cards and passports are required as proof of identity. If this proof is not available, then a 600 CZK amount is to be deposited as security. This amount is fully refundable.
Stvanice Island is a huge ice skating rink that holds events in the winter months. Previously this used to be an indoor rink but was demolished in early 2011. This skating rink is open to the public from the winter months up to mid of March. There are other skating rinks that are open during the weekdays and have flexible timings. The schedule and timings of these rinks are usually uploaded online for all residents of the city. The flexibility allows tourists to enjoy this sport immensely. During peak seasons, however, skating equipment has to be rented or reserved beforehand. The prices also increase at times during peak months to filter out some of the crowd.
Prague also has indoor public ice skating rinks that are open all year round. These rinks are very popular amongst the kids who eagerly want to visit these facilities after their school hours. Keeping the convenience of everyone in mind, these ice rinks are open from morning to evening so that everyone can avail of the facility at any time they want. The indoor ice skating rinks are clean and well maintained.
Nikolajka winter stadium
U Nikolajky 28, Prague 5 – Smíchov; www.nikolajka.eu
The Nikolajka winter stadium is named after the hermit Nikolai, who lived in the 17th century on the slopes above the stadium. There are weekday morning skating sessions for schools and seniors in the winter season, with the weekends being open for regular public skating. There are skates to rent and refreshments.
Ice arena Letňany
Tupolevova 669, Prague 9 – Letňany; www.icearena.cz
The modern ice hockey and figure skating complex in Prague’s Letňany offers ice skating for the public throughout the year (excluding summer holidays). Here you will find 2 indoor ice rinks (European + overseas sized), skates rental, sharpening, refreshments, but also a fitness centre and sporting goods retail store.
Bronzová winter stadium
Bronzová 37, Prague 5 – Stodůlky; www.praha13.cz/Skolni-zimni-stadion-Bronzova
The stadium near Metro B stop – Luka is just the place to go skating in the winter months, with a rink of 62 by 26 metres. You can get your own skates sharpened here, but there are no skates to rent. However, the stadium is not for playing hockey.
Incheba Arena
U Výstaviště 67, Prague 7 – Bubeneč; www.incheba.cz
A multi-purpose sports hall used for sporting and cultural events. In the winter season, it offers public skating and ice hockey or figure skating training.
Other Stadiums
There are numerous stadiums around the beautiful city of Prague that host many sporting events. Ice hockey and football stadiums are the most common as these two are the favourite sport of Czechs. During the 1800 and 1900, many stadiums were built to hold racing events. Athletic tracks were built inside these facilities and around the lush green forests to hold races annually.
Swimming is another favourite spot in the city. The swimming pools inside these stadiums have a capacity to hold 200-meter events. The swimming pools are crowded during the summer months as it is also the peak tourist season. Many tourists make their way towards these stadiums to avail themselves of the pool facilities. The government makes sure that these pools are kept clean at all times as hundreds of children and swimming fans use these pools daily.
Eagles Park
Pálkařská 225, Prague 4 – Krč; www.eagles.cz
An extensive baseball and softball complex which, with its five pitches, ranks among the biggest complexes for bat-and-ball games in Europe. Players also have a multi-purpose indoor hall available.
The complex regularly hosts international tournaments.
Prague Curling arena
Komárkova 12, Prague 4 – Roztyly; www.curlingpromo.cz
The hall has a total of 4 curling lanes to rent out. Lane rental includes all the curling equipment, with expert guidance and supervision, by an instructor from the ranks of major league players to help introduce you to the game.
Greyhound Park Motol
Plzeňská 215f, Prague 5 – Motol; www.greyhoundpark.cz
A sports entertainment complex surrounded by greenery, particularly known for its greyhound racing. If there is no race going on, you can take your friends to ride the local ECO go-karts and pedalos (pedal go-karts) or visit the panoramic restaurant with its own terrace.
Markéta Speedway stadium
U Vojtěšky 11, Prague 6 – Břevnov; www.speedway-prague.cz
Within sight of the ancient Břevnov monastery is the only speedway stadium in Prague, which hosts many domestic and international races.
