Georgi Asparuhov (stadium)
| Герена (Gerena) | |
|
|
| Former names | Levski Stadium (1963–1990) Georgi Asparuhov Stadium (1990–2017) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Coordinates | 42°42′19.68″N 23°21′47.51″E / 42.7054667°N 23.3631972°ECoordinates: 42°42′19.68″N 23°21′47.51″E / 42.7054667°N 23.3631972°E |
| Owner | Sofia Municipality |
| Operator | PFC Levski Sofia |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1960 |
| Opened | March 10, 1963 |
| Expanded | 2016 |
| Architect | Lazar Parashkevanov |
| Tenants | |
| PFC Levski Sofia (1963–present) | |
Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov (Bulgarian: Виваком Арена - Георги Аспарухов), also known as Gerena (Bulgarian: Герена, meaning "the flood plain"), is a multi-purpose stadium situated in the Suhata reka neighbourhood of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Named after best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century Georgi Asparuhov, it has been the home ground of Bulgarian association football club PFC Levski Sofia since its opening in 1963.
Levski Sofia previously played their home matches at two different stadiums before the construction of their current stadium. Between 1936 and 1949 the club had its own football ground which was named Igrishte Levski (Levski Football Field; Bulgarian: Игрище „Левски“) and it was situated in the city centre at the place of the current Vasil Levski National Stadium. As the construction of a new national stadium emerged in the early 1950s, Levski Sofia was eventually relocated to the Yunak Stadium and began sharing it with several other football clubs. In the following years, the football club was once again relocated to use another field in the capital, most notably a football ground in the Ivan Vazov neighbourhood of Sofia at the place of the current Spartak Swimming Complex.
In the late 1950s the club was granted a site where a new stadium could be built. The construction started in 1960 and the new stadium designed by Lazar Parashkevanov was built in three years. Its official name was Levski Stadium (Stadion Levski; Bulgarian: Стадион „Левски“) but it was dubbed Gerena by the supporters after the name of the neighbourhood in which it was built. The ground was opened on 10 March 1963 when Levski Sofia hosted a Bulgarian championship match against PFC Spartak Pleven, winning 4-0. The stadium then had a grass field with dimensions 110 х 80 m, an athletics track, seating capacity of 38,000 and additional terraces for standing spectators. The main stand of the stadium was covered.
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