Former names | Letná Stadium (1917-2003) Toyota arena (2003-2007) AXA Arena (2007-2009) |
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Location | Milady Horákové 1066/98 Prague Czech Republic |
Coordinates | 50°5′59.29″N 14°24′57.28″E / 50.0998028°N 14.4159111°ECoordinates: 50°5′59.29″N 14°24′57.28″E / 50.0998028°N 14.4159111°E |
Owner | AC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s. |
Capacity | 19,416 |
Field size | 105×68 m |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Opened | 1921 |
Renovated | 1937, 1969, 1994 |
Tenants | |
Czech Republic national football team Sparta Prague |
The Generali Arena (previously, and still commonly known as Stadion Letná [ˈstadjon ˈlɛtnaː] (English: Letná Stadium)) is a football stadium in Prague. It is the home venue of Sparta Prague and often the home stadium of the Czech Republic national football team. It has capacity for 19,416 people.
The first wooden stadium at its location opened in 1921, in 1930 it hosted the third Women's World Games. The stadium burned in 1934 and a new main reinforced concrete grandstand was built in 1937. In 1969 all the other grandstands were replaced by reinforced concrete ones and capacity was extended to 35,880 spectators. The 1994 reconstruction into its present form saw Letná closed for nine months, till the stadium met all international standards. The running track was removed and all spectator places were now seated.
Letná has frequently hosted international matches, in October 1989 the venue saw a crowd of 34,000 watch home side Czechoslovakia defeat Switzerland in a qualifying match for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Letná continued as an international stadium, hosting matches of the Czech Republic national football team from 1995, including qualification matches for UEFA Euro 1996, in which the Czechs defeated the Netherlands and Norway.
The playing surface was renovated in 2001, including the installation of a new under-soil heating and watering system and grass from Germany. This necessitated Sparta playing league matches at the end of the 2000–01 season at the nearby Stadion Evžena Rošického.