FC Zenit Complex – design description

The idea of building a private stadium by Zenit was born back in 2013, when the club was tired of waiting for the notorious giant on Krestovskiy Ostrov and began searching for an alternative. A 25-hectare plot along the southern highway ring-road was selected.

Zenit commissioned a feasibility study from a German architectural firm but the idea was halted after having gained more certainty over the move to Krestovskiy Ostrov. However, it wasn't entirely abandoned and in 2016 the club commissioned one more project for that site, this time of a different kind.

In 2013 the studied scale was a stadium of 25,000-35,000 seats. In 2016 the stadium itself was downsized to just 20,000 in order to serve as a reserve venue for Zenit. Around it, contrary to the 2013 plan, a vast training complex was commissioned. It would comprise of five training fields (one domed), hotel and student accommodation for a total of 600 young players of 6-20 years old and on top of that a new indoor hall for Zenit's basketball team (with 5,000 seats).