How to rebuild your old stadium.

Red Kev · 08-09-2015 2:06pm #1

Fans in Brno managed to reclaim their old stadium from this:

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To this as a tribute to their retiring captain. All done with volunteers.

The Stadion Za Lužánkami is a currently inactive stadium in Brno, Czech Republic. It was primarily used for football, and was the home ground of FC Zbrojovka Brno. It held 50,000 people.

The stadium was constructed 1949-1953 and in the 1960s-1970s was the biggest stadium in Czechoslovakia.[1] Za Lužánkami holds the record for the highest attendance in the Czech First League,[2] set in a match in the 1996–97 Czech First League between Brno and Slavia Prague. It was closed in 2001 after 1. FC Brno moved to Městský fotbalový stadion Srbská.[3] The club was forced to move, since the stadium did not meet the football association and FIFA criteria.

Plans for a reconstruction of the stadium, whereby the team of FC Zbrojovka Brno would return, were made,[4] but in June 2012 it was announced that, due to financial concerns, the proposed reconstruction was on hold.[5]

The stadium fell into disrepair, with trees and bushes growing within it and homeless people living in the stands.[1] FC Zbrojovka Brno captain, Petr Švancara, took it upon himself to try and restore the stadium in order that he could play a farewell game at Za Lužánkami.[1] This effort expanded into a volunteer campaign, back by crowdfunding, to have the stadium ready to host a final game for Švancara. The project was a success, and on 27 June 2015 approximately 35,000 spectators watched two teams composed largely of former FC Zbrojovka Brno players play a match at Za Luzankami.

There's a bit in The Guardian here.. http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/sep/08/petr-svancara-zbrojovka-brno-za-luzankamy-luzanky

And a couple of videos here.