New stadium in war-torn Ukraine capital Kyiv

Article posted by Coliseum, November 1^st, 2022

Image: Livyi Bereh Kyiv (Facebook)

It is boots-on-the-ground situation in Ukraine with Russia staging a war against the former with missiles raining on the country. It is leading to a trail of death and destruction with Ukraine suffering huge casualties. Despite the war ravages, the Ukrainians love for the game of football has not died down. Their spirit is simply indomitable.

‘A Facebook post of the club’ stated that the Ukrainian football club – Football Club Livyi Bereh Kyiv – opened its new home ground – the 5,000-capacity Arena Livyi Bereh, a standard size stadium with a natural surface – on October 15^th and this bears testimony to the fact that nothing can take away Ukrainians’ love for football. Not even war!

Football Club Livyi Bereh Kyiv is a Ukrainian football club from Kyiv, Ukraine. The club is based at the Kyiv’s Osokorky neighborhood located at the Left-bank of Dnipro, hence Livyi Bereh (Left-Bank). The newly-opened Arena Livyi Bereh serves as their home pitch. In June 2021, the club was admitted to the Second League.

Apply for membership

The stadium opening ceremony was attended by pupils of the Left Academy, and parents of the pupils and guests attended the stadium opening ceremony. At the invitation of the club President Mykola Lavrenka, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) President Nikolay Pavlov, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Executive Committee Member Andriy Pavelko, UAF First Vice-President Vadym Kostyuchenko, celebrated football players, First Vice-Presidents of UAF Anatoly Demyanenko, Oleksiy Mykhailychenko and Oleg Protasov, the Professional Football League of Ukraine (PFL) President Oleksandr Kadenko, Head of the Kyiv Oblast Football Federation Andriy Zasukha, Head of Zolochiv OTG Oleksandr Lazarenko, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine Robertas Gabulas, and a large number of people attended the function held on the occasion.

Kyiv (Ukraine)-based the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) is the governing body of football in Ukraine. Before 2019, it was known as the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU). The UAF is a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.

The Professional Football League of Ukraine (PFL) is a sport organization and a collective member of the Football Federation of Ukraine. Created in 1996 as a representative of professional clubs in Ukraine, since 2008 it only represents the professional clubs of lower leagues.

‘The club’s Facebook post’ further stated that the stadium was built in a short time, but it turned out to be surprisingly amazing in terms of its design. The stands can accommodate 5,000 spectators when the pitch is heated (undersoil heating) and automatically irrigated.

The Honorary President of the club Mykola Pavlov informed that there are very few stadia in Ukraine which can match up to the standards of the Arena Livyi Bereh and the facility meets all the criteria to host international matches.

The weather was also favorable on the stadium opening day as it was a bright sunny day and the opening ceremony was indeed “magical”. The students of the Left Bank Academy took to the pitch.

Be it war or anything, nothing can stop the football-loving people of Ukraine from carrying forward with their soccer activities and developing the football infrastructure of the country. There is no looking back for them!

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 250 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue