Kyiv is a city with lots of interesting sights. You can walk down the silent streets of Podil district which lie next to the noisy Khreshchatyk. You can visit lots of museums, cathedrals, enjoy the beauty of parks…In the capital of Ukraine there is a place which combines the spectacular landscape and special architecture. This is Dynamo stadium named after the legendary Valeriy Lobanovskyi.
Football field instead of greenhouses
In the beginning of the 20th century on the territory of the present-day stadium there were greenhouses which supplied the royal residence Mariyinskyi Palace with fruit and vegetables. Next to greenhouses there was also the popular restaurant called Château de Fleur.
In the 1920th the local Dynamo sports society built several sport grounds, football field, basketball, volleyball and handball pitches on this territory. But this was not enough for sportsmen so it was decided to build a large stadium with necessary infrastructure.
The authors of the building project were V. Osmak and V. Bespalyi. In 1934 the Dynamo stadium was opened for viewers. On the stands there were enough places for 23,000 spectators who came here to enjoy the game of Dynamo Kyiv football club.
Since that time the stadium became the home arena for our club. Citizens of Kyiv attended matches of Dynamo very eagerly. In 1936 they saw how our footballers defeated Turkey national team with 9:1 score and grabbed the winner against Moscow Army Club (3:1) in the first Soviet Union championship match. In 1937 on this stadium our team won against Torpedo Moscow (2:0) and in 1939 – against Dynamo Moscow (3:1).
Before the Second World War Dynamo Kyiv won silver and bronze medals of Soviet Union championship on the new stadium.
During the war the stadium was destroyed. Even in the 1990th they found several bombs under toe cams…
Reconstruction for the Olympic Games 1980
After the war Dynamo played on the stadium named after Soviet leader at that time Nikita Khrushchov (today – NSC Olympiyskyi).
The Dynamo Stadium was rebuilt in 1956. Since that time the reserve team played there.
The spectators came to the Dynamo stadium again after it was decided to rebuild it for Olympic Games 1980. Besides the electronic panel four light-structures were installed around the pitch. The quantity of seats was reduced to 18,000 but the administrative building became higher. Toe cams, swimming pools, tennis courts and basketball pitches were also renewed.
And though during the Olympic Games 1980 football matches were not held on Dynamo Stadium the participants had their training sessions on its pitch. Later USSR athletics competition and European Under-17 Football Championship took place on Dynamo Stadium.
The new era of Dynamo Stadium began
The new era of Dynamo Stadium began in the 1990th. The stadium was rebuilt for football only. They got rid of toe cams and made the pitch correspond international standards. New plastic seats were installed for spectators.
Behind the central stand the office of “FC Dynamo Kyiv” Ltd. is situated. In 2001 they opened a new fitness centre with a swimming pool on the territory of the stadium.
Near the office there is a parking lot. There is also a monument dedicated to footballers of Dynamo who died during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
After the death of the legendary coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi in May 2002 shareholders of Dynamo decided to name the stadium after him.
Since 1996 till 2011 Dynamo Kyiv played all home matches on this stadium.
The stadium corresponds to all international security standards and fully equipped for TV broadcasts.
Technical data of Dynamo Stadium named after Valeriy Lobanovsky:
Address: 01001 Kyiv, 3, Hrushevskyi street
Territory: 29 sectors
Capacity: 16,873 seats
Pitch size (equipped with heating system): 100m x 75m
Lighting: 1200 lux
