Arena Livyi Bereh – stadium description

How did the construction of Arena Livyi Bereh happen?

In the summer of 2017, on the initiative of Mykola Lavrenko and Mykola Pavlov, a new football club FK Livyi Bereh was founded, based on the southern outskirts of Kiev, on the left bank of the Dnieper (hence the name). The club focused mainly on developing young players, but in 2020 a senior team was also formed and started in amateur competitions. A year later, the senior team entered the second league (third competition level) and was granted professional status.

From the beginning, the club focused on the improvement of its own infrastructure, such as the commissioning of a 60 × 40 m pitch with a stand for 500 people on June 23, 2018, and the opening of the club's first stadium with a full-size pitch on June 3, 2020. Among other things, the facility was equipped with artificial turf and stands for 1,350 spectators. Already in 2021, about 1.5 km to the south-east of the facility opened in 2020, the construction of a new football stadium, which complies with the requirements for hosting international matches, began.

How did the war affect the construction of Arena Livyi Bereh?

When Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine occurred at the end of February 2022, construction of the new stadium was halted. Most of the players and staff members of the team, who were on a training camp in Turkey when the war started, decided to stay abroad.

The second division games were completed at a time when FK Livyi Bereh was in 2nd position in the table and the club was therefore eligible for promotion. However, the management took the decision not to enter the senior team into the competition for the 2022/23 season. The activities of the academy and the construction of the stadium, despite the ongoing war, resumed in April 2022.

When was the new FK Livyi Bereh stadium opened?

After about six months, the construction was completed and the inauguration of the new stadium took place on October 15, 2022, which was unusual under wartime conditions, but was also a demonstration of strength and resilience. Present at the inauguration was, among others, the president of the Ukrainian football federation Andriy Pavelko and many other high-ranking officials, as well as the honorary consul of Lithuania. A children's football tournament was played on the opening day, and there were also patriotic gestures.

What are the characteristics of Arena Livyi Bereh?

The stadium has four free-standing, covered stands on each side of the pitch and has a capacity of around 5,000 spectators. Plastic seats have been installed on the auditorium, which form a mosaic consisting of the colours yellow, green and black. Four floodlight masts stand in the corners. The pitch has a natural grass surface and is equipped with a heating system and automatic irrigation. The main stand, with boxes at the top, is located on the south side; on the opposite stand, in its central section, a LED screen has been installed.