Stadium on Krestovsky Island in the city of St. Petersburg, in fact, is not a completely new facility. It is located on the site of the old sports complex named after S. M. Kirov. Its construction is, in fact, the restoration and reconstruction of the existing field. The location has not changed, but the appearance should make an indelible impression on the residents and visitors of the city.
Start
In August 2006, after the administration of Northern Palmyra decided to build a new stadium, a vote was organized for the best project. In the first round of the competition, the winners were 5 organizations whose plans met the basic requirements: they fit into 250 million dollars, allowed the old stadium hill to be preserved and had a retractable roof. The townspeople, along with members of the jury of the competition committee, were invited to vote for their favorite stadium on Krestovsky Island. The first project had a golden dome, reminiscent of the Mariinsky Theatre. The roof of the secondit was supposed to be lined with metal cassettes and provide heating. These options have been ruled out due to issues with maintenance and keeping them clean.
The next option was to restore the appearance of the stadium, retaining all the elements of the project of the architect A. S. Nikolsky, but supplementing the field with cascades of stairs, fountains and a pyramid in the center. The fourth project depicted the stadium on Krestovsky Island in bright colors. Its authors drew inspiration from the design of St. Basil's Cathedral (a famous church in Moscow, located on Red Square). The last project that won the competition was proposed by the Japanese. The shape of the stadium will be like a spaceship, like a huge constructor.
Project financing
Initially, it was planned that the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island will be carried out at its own expense by the Zenit football club together with the main sponsor - Gazprom. However, now the city budget allocates money for its construction, and the new stadium will belong to St. Petersburg. Because of this, the authorities have not decided on the name of the field, which they previously wanted to call the "Gazprom Arena", but now the options "Primorsky" or "Krestovsky" are popular. The initial calculations of the cost of implementing the project did not justify themselves. Initially, the amount of 6.7 billion rubles was announced, but due to the refusal of the organization that started construction, it was necessary to reassess the costs and finance the completion of the project. As a result, on2014, the amount required to complete the construction was announced, equal to 28.7 billion rubles.
When the stadium will be commissioned
In 2006, the authorities promised that the new stadium on Krestovsky Island could be used by April 2009 for FC Zenit to play its first match there. The expected deadline for putting the football field into operation was shifted several times over the course of 8 years. Today, the Governor of St. Petersburg promises to open the stadium on Krestovsky Island by the end of July 2016.
Fans are looking forward to the completion of the reconstruction of this facility, because in 2018 the World Cup will be held. And if in our country, in St. Petersburg, a stadium of such a scale appears that meets all the requirements of FIFA and UEFA, this will attract a huge number of tourists to football matches of the major leagues.
