Ukraine will be co-hosting the European Championship (Euro 2012) next year along with Poland between June 8th and July 1st. This will be the first major soccer event for the former Russian country of 46 million people. Ukraine, which became an independent nation back in 1991, has qualified for the tournament automatically along with Poland as the co-hosts.
Ukraine has a rich sporting and soccer history that stretches back to the days as a part of the USSR. Many of Russia’s top soccer players before 1991 came from Ukraine with several of them playing for the country’s top club FC Dynamo Kyiv. These include Anatoliy Demyanenko, Oleg Blokhin, Oleg Protasov, Igor Belanov, and Volodymyr Bezsonov. Belanov, Andriy Shevchenko, and Blokhin of Ukraine have all won the Ballon d’Or trophy as Europe’s top soccer player in the past.
The country’s football federation was also launched in 1991 with Ukraine playing its first match as an independent nation in 1992 against Hungary. Ukraine made it to the quarterfinal stage of the 2006 World Cup. Euro 2012 will mark the country’s first European Championship tournament. However, they did reach the European Under-21 Championship Final in 2006 and won the European Under-19 title at home in 2009. The first Ukrainian club to capture a European cup since independence was Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008/09 when they lifted the UEFA Cup.
There are four historical Ukrainian cities that will be hosting games in Euro 2012. These are Donetsk-population-1,015,000 (Donbass Arena), Kharkiv-1,453,000 (Metalist Stadium), Kiev- population-2,820,000 (Olympic NSC Stadium), and Lviv- population-735,000 (New Stadium). Each city has a lot to offer when it comes to culture, history, and tradition. There will be plenty of restaurants and hotels to choose from in all price ranges as well as top-class transportation systems.
Olympic NSC Stadium, Kiev
Address: 55 Velyka Vasylkivska Street, Kyiv
This stadium originally opened way back 1923 and has now been rebuilt. It also went through renovations in 1941, 1966, 1978, and 1999. It will be able to hold close to 70,000 spectators for Euro 2012 with a pitch that’s 104 metres in length and 72 metres in width. The stadium also has a transparent roof. The final game of Euro 2012 will be held here as well as three group games and a quarterfinal match.
The stadium used to be called the Republican Stadium as well as Red Stadium of Trotsky, Central Stadium, and All-Ukrainian Stadium. When it was the Central Stadium in 1967 it had a capacity of 100,000. It was the Dynamo Kiev’s home ground up until 1998. The stadium then became the home of the national team and still hosted a few Dynamo matches.
Donbass Arena, Donetsk
Address: 189e Cheluskintsev Street, Donetsk 83048
The new Donbass Stadium was constructed from 2006 to 2009 and officially opened its doors in August, 2009. It’s the home ground of Shakhtar Donetsk and cost about U.S. $ 400 million to build. It will hold close to 52,000 fans for Euro 2012 with a 105 by 68 metre pitch. The arena sits in Lenin Comsomol Park in the city centre. It will host three group games along with a quarterfinal and semi-final match. Click here for the official website which offers a lot of information.
Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
Address: 65 Plekhanivska Street, Kharkiv
This stadium, which was constructed in 1926, will be able to hold about 41,500 fans for Euro 2012. It’s also the home field of FC Metalist Kharkiv. It has undergone facelifts a few times over the years and is now part of the Metalist City complex. Between 1926 and 1940 it was called the Tractor Stadium and from 1940 to 1967 it was known as the Dzerzhinets Stadium. Rebuilding was finished in 2009 and the pitch is 105 metres in length and 68 metres in width. Metalist Stadium also contains a business centre and shopping mall. It will host three group stage games in Euro 2012.
New Stadium, Lviv
Address: Strijska Street – Kiltseva Street, Lviv
This stadium is still under construction and hasn’t been officially named as of yet. However, Lember Stadium is its working name. Construction began back in 2008 and it will be able to hold about 33,500 spectators for Euro 2012. All of the stadium’s seats are covered and there’s a VIP section. The pitch is 105 by 68 metres. It will host three Euro 2012 group games. There’s parking available under the building and it will also feature restaurants, a concert hall, training centres, and offices. It will be used by local clubs FC Lviv and FC Karpaty.
