Bulgarian Army Stadium
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| Full name | Bulgarian Army Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Athletic Park (1923–1944) Chavdar Stadium (1944–1948) Narodna Armia (1948–1990) Balgarska Armia (1990–) |
| Location | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Coordinates | 42°41′3.33″N 23°20′23.17″E / 42.6842583°N 23.3397694°E |
| Owner | Ministry of Physical Education and Sport |
| Operator | CSKA Sofia |
| Capacity | 22 995 (18 495 seats) |
| Field size | 105m x 68m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1965 |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Renovated | 1982, 1997, 2001, 2015, 2016 |
| Architect | Anton Karavelov, Simeon Ivanov |
| Tenants | |
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FC AS-23 (1923–1944) FC Chavdar Sofia (1944–1948) CSKA Sofia (1948–) |
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Balgarska Armia (Bulgarian: "Българска Армия", translated as Stadium of the Bulgarian Army) is the club stadium of the Bulgarian football club CSKA Sofia. It is situated in the Borisova gradina (King Boris' Garden) in the centre of Sofia. The stadium has four sectors and a total of 22,995 (18,495) seats, of which 2,100 are covered. The pitch length is 106 meters and the width is 66 meters.
The capacity of the stadium is divided in four sectors:
The sports complex also includes tennis courts, a basketball court, and gymnastics facilities, as well the CSKA Sofia Glory Museum. The press conference room has 80 seats.
Built in 1923 for AS-23, the stadium was known as Athletic Park until 1944, when AS-23 merged with two other clubs to form Chavdar Sofia. From 1944 until 1948 it was called Chavdar Stadium. Between 1948 and 1990 it was the People's Army Stadium, and since 1990 it is the Balgarska Armia Stadium. The current structure was built by architect Anton Karavelov in the period between 1965-1967 on the old grounds of AS-23. It was reconstructed again in 1982, which included the introduction of floodlights.
In 2000, the stadium was equipped with a new Dynacord surround sound system, capable of 48 kilowatts and 107 decibels. The electric lighting is also of the latest generation and is covering the pitch with 2100 lux.
In early 2009, the new owners of the club announced an ambitious project for a new stadium in place of the current one, whose construction would start only if CSKA Sofia qualified for the 2009/10 group stages of the UEFA Europa League, which the club did.
On October 13, 2009, it was announced by the club owners that construction of a stadium would begin on February 1, 2010. The current Bulgarian Army Stadium was to be demolished to make space for the new 30,000-seat modern venue. However, the construction did not commence as negotiations between the owners and the Ministry of Sport fell through. The owners of the club only reconstructed some parts of the stadium in order to receive a license for the Bulgarian A Football Group.
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