Saturday, February 18, 2012

Sigma Olomouc - Spartak Stadion (?)





These pictures are from 2006, during a visit I made to Olomouc. For the most part, this stadium doesn't exist anymore, except for a small section of stone terracing, which is used for the new training facility. It was an old school bowl stadium, which used to be quite common around Central and Eastern Europe.

I believe it was called Spartak Stadion, but perhaps someone could confirm this? Before its demolition, the stadium was used in the 2000's for various Sigma Olomouc "B" games, and the occasional 2nd division game. I remember Opava playing at Spartak Stadion against Jakubčovice (I think) in a neutral site league game. I attended a few games here, and can't help remembering that it was not the best place to watch football, as the spectators were quite far from the play.

Despite a decent grass surface, the stadium was really beginning to fall apart. Grass was pushing itself up through the terraces, which were crumbling away to begin with. It wasn't long before Sigma tore down the stadium, and built an indoor training hall with an adjacent hotel. Ah, progress...

Monday, February 6, 2012

A Football Guide to Prostějov


A football guide to Prostějov? Really? Well, there is enough football in the city and the area to keep you busy for a weekend, so why not? The guide is quite basic, so if you want more information, just send me an e-mail. I limited the football clubs that are accessible by the local bus routes, which define the boundries of the city. If anyone has further questions, just e-mail me at footballinmoravia@yahoo.com.

SK Prostějov - The oldest club in the city, founded in 1904. They did quite well for themselves in the 1930's, playing in the Czechoslovakian 1st division, and also playing in European competitions. The club had a revival in the 1990's and early 2000's, which saw them play in the 2nd division. Mismanagement, and constant relegation saw the club slip to the 5th division by 2006/07. It was after this season that the men's team was cancelled. They didn't make a return until the 2010/11 season when they started play in the 10th tier of football in the country.

Currently, they play in the 9th tier of football, but don't have a home to call their own (for many reasons), so they must play their games in Mostkovice. To get to Mostkovice, it is easiest on the weekends to take bus #4 to the last stop. A map can be found here.

Sokol Čechovice - Čechovice only plays in the 6th tier of football, but that makes them the second highest club in Prostějov. Reaching their ground is quite easy by bus, as you can just get off at the Čechovice stop, taking bus 4, 6 or 41. From the bus stop, just walk further down the road (away from Prostějov) for about 50m. The ground will be on the right. A map can be foundhere.

Haná Prostějov - A club which dates back to 1931, but most certainly doesn't get the majority of the football attention in the city. In many ways, they were seen as the 3rd or 4th club in the city. This is pretty much the same today. Crowds usually range between 30-200, depending on the opponent, and the quality of the Haná. In the most recent years, they have celebrated the most successful period for the club. Currently, they play in the 7th tier of football, and have been a local 'force' with regards to promotion hopes. The Sport Centrum is their home ground, which is only about a 5-10 minute walk from the centre of town. However, if you are feeling lazy, you can take bus 32 and get off at Sportovní. A map can be found here.

Sokol Vrahovice - Vrahovice is located just south of the main train station. The club has enjoyed some success reaching the 7th tier as recently as a few years ago, but they now find themselves in the 8th tier. To get to the stadium, take bus 5 heading towards Vrahovice, and get off at Vrahovice, střed. From there, walk south for about 100m, turn left on Přešovská and walk about another 3-5 minutes until you see the pitch on your right. A map can be found here.

Sokol Mostkovice - A club without a website, as far as I can tell. So, I wasn't able to find any information about the history of the club. However, they have been a decent side over the past few years, playing in the 6th tier of football in the country. To the dismay of locals, they now find themselves in the 7th tier. Mostkovice is a small town of a few thousand which is only a few kilometres outside of the city. It isn't connected with city transport, but you can take bus 4 to Domayslice (the last stop), and walk the rest of the way. It is about a 10 minute walk, and you can find a map here.

FK Prostějov - A club formed a week before the 4th division season kicked off. There were some legality problems in buying the license from Vítkovice, who went bust, but everything was sorted out 'just' before the season kicked off. Technically, they are the same club as SK Prostějov, and the two could merge next year under the SK name. They had to create a new club to get into the 4th division, or something like that. The less I say about them, the better. To get to where they play, just follow the directions for Haná Prostějov, as they play at the same ground.