CFIG Arena – stadium description

The main stadium of Pardubice was built in March 1931 after an extremely fast construction, launched as late as October of the previous year. Its football field was surrounded with a 400-meter running track, which in turn was surrounded by a cycling track.

At that time it was regarded as one of the best not only in Czechoslovakia, but also outside of the country. It had two larger grandstands (both exist to this day) and a promenade for spectators surrounding the elevated cycling track. Contrary to most stadia at that time, it didn’t have landfill under the curvers, they were erected on concrete. And while the stadium overall was indeed designed by Czechoslovak architects, the cycling track was a German creation.

In this configuration the stadium offered 15,000 capacity and was indeed full on numerous occasions. When it comes to football, it was particularly popular during the heyday of SK Pardubice (top tier in 1937-1946). But it also held athletics, cycling, even volleyball and motorcycle speedway, especially the Memoriál JK Lobkowicze.

As time went by, sports in Pardubice lost the glory. SK Pardubice stopped playing here in 1959, Dukla followed suit in 1961 and from 1970s the cycling section was discontinued. While in 1988 a hotel was created in the west stand, it couldn’t change the fate of this venue.

In 2000 the cycling and running tracks were demolished and two temporary stands were built behind both ends. Aimed at providing proper conditions for newly formed Slovan, they were used only until 2006, when the club was relocated. Current FK Pardubice found the stadium too dilapidated to use and had to choose much smaller Pod Vinicí.

Between 2021 and 2023, the stadium was extensively modernised. The main stand (west) was refurbished, and completely new structures were built behind the goals and to the east. By bringing the auditorium closer to the pitch, the facility gained a football-specific layout. The capacity of the arena after reconstruction is 4620 spectators. Following the completion of the works, FK Pardubice football players moved back into the stadium. The facility also received a title sponsor and changed its name to CFIG Arena.