The Czech Republic could soon be home to the world’s largest ice hockey stadium with a capacity of more than 22,000.
ISport.cz said Dynamo Pardubice owner Petr Dědek has been given the green light by Pardubice city authorities to go ahead with the project.
Dynamo Pardubice is a professional ice hockey club that plays in the Czech Extraliga. Its home venue is Enteria Arena in Pardubice.
The planned new hockey arena could accommodate up to 22,296 spectators, which would mean that it would be the largest in the world in terms of capacity.
Dědek said on his account on the X network, “We presented the economic benefits of the planned multifunctional hall for the city. It is based on the capacity of 22 thousand spectators for hockey.
“The total investment in the complex of buildings, which includes, in addition to the arena, a small hall, a hotel and a parking garage, will be 10.5 billion crowns.”
The deputy mayor of Pardubice Jan Hrabal published the planned layout of the hall on the same social network.
The proposed new stadium would have three vertical tiers – the lower, middle, and upper stands – as well as VIP seating.
It would consist of lower bowl: 7,518 seats, 2,207 standing and 44 for disabled; middle bowl 5,699 seated, 50 standing and 20 for disabled; upper bowl 5,512 seated and 22 for disabled and VIP stands 1,224 places.
Dědek said that the arena would host a hundred events a year, while it could accommodate up to 26,000 visitors for concerts.
Currently, the largest hockey hall in the world is the arena in St. Petersburg with a capacity of 21,542 spectators, followed by the Bell Center in Montreal (21,273). No other exceeds 20,000.
The current largest stadium in Czechia for professional hockey teams is the O2 Arena in Prague 9, with a capacity of 17,360.
The new arena would not only bring economic benefits for the city, but also put Pardubice on the map as a premier location for sporting and entertainment events, city councilor Vít Ulrych said.
Czech hockey is currently in the global media spotlight for other reasons, too. Officials and players of the North American National Hockey League (NHL) are touting Prague as a potential, regular venue for hosting NHL season fixtures.
Along with Ostrava, Prague hit the headlines during this year’s Hockey World Championship, where it broke its own attendance record.
Czechia also won the whole tournament. The two host cities saw a combined total of almost 800,000 spectators, with NHL stars praising the vibrant atmosphere.
The 2024-25 NHL season, which started on October 4, kicked off with two games at the O2 Arena in Prague. This will mark the fifth time that the overseas competition has visited the Czech Republic, with the most recent visit being two years ago.
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