The Chornomorets Stadium () is a football stadium built in 2011 in Odesa, Ukraine. The stadium has a capacity of 34,164 and is the home of FC Chornomorets Odesa and FC Seasters. The inaugural match, between FC Chornomorets Odesa and FC Karpaty Lviv, was played on 19 November 2011, and ended with a 2–2 draw. The first goal was scored by Vitaliy Balashov in the 46th minute from a penalty.
The stadium was constructed on the site of the old Soviet multi-use Central Stadium of the Black Sea Shipping Company (ChMP), which was demolished in 2009. The venue was considered to be one of the stadiums of UEFA Euro 2012 but failed to be nominated as such."Surkis says Odesa mayor promised much, did little with respect to Euro 2012", Kyiv Post (December 15, 2009)
History Name 1935—1938: Stanislav Kosior Stadium 1938—1945: Taras Shevchenko Park Stadium 1945—1958: Central Stadium Kharchovyk 1958: Avanhard Stadium 1958—2009: Central Stadium of the Black Sea Shipping Company (alternatively Central Stadium ChMP) since 2011: Chornomorets Stadium
Former stadium The former ChMP stadium was built on the same site in 1935, and it was originally named as Stanislav Kosior Stadium after the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR, Stanislav Kosior. After Stanislav Kosior was repressed in the 1930s, the name was changed to Shevchenko Park Stadium.
After World War II, the stadium was passed to the ownership of the republican Ministry of Food and received name as the Central Stadium Kharchovyk. At the end of the 1950s, it was renamed as Avanhard Stadium after the Ukrainian Sport Society of industrial workers. In 1959, the stadium was renamed to the Central Stadium of the Black Sea Shipping Company or alternatively Central Stadium Chornomorets.
ChMP could hold 34,362 people. It hosted the Ukrainian Super Cup from 2004 until 2007. At the end of 2008, it was closed and, in 2009, it was demolished.
New stadium Financial crisis The stadium was a part of a defunct Imexbank assets. On May 26, 2020, the Deposit Guarantee Fund of Ukraine sold at auction the Chornomorets Stadium to the American company "Allrise Capital Inc.", for ₴193.8 million ($7.24 million). Allrise Capital's main owner is Russian expat in America Vladimir Yevseyev. Prosecutor's office against Americans: who will get the Chornomorets stadium, Ukrayinska Pravda (25 August 2020)
In August 2020, the Shevchenko District Court of Kyiv arrested the stadium complex and handed over to the Agency in search and management of assets (Ukrainian). The pretrial investigation began based on a statement of public organization "Olimpik" that owns the football club with the same name.Acquired by American the Chornomorets Stadium was arrested again, new details (Приобретенный американцами стадион "Черноморец" снова арестовали: новые подробности). Footboom. 19 August 2020 About ten days later it was announced that the same court decided to cancel arrest of the stadium.Artur Malkin. The court decided to cancel arrest of the Chornomorets Stadium, return it from the ARMA administration to the American Allrise Capital Inc (Суд решил отменить арест стадиона "Черноморец", вернуть из управления АРМА американской Allrise Capital Inc). Footboom. 27 August 2020
Russo-Ukrainian war
In February 2023, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian text on the stadium's facade was replaced by the Ukrainian version.
On 7 August 2026, the stadium was hit by a Russian drone, partially damaging the roof and stands. Two people were injured. FC Chornomorets' match against FC Kolos Kovalivka, which was to take place the following day, was postponed.
Gallery
See also Black Sea Shipping Company, former owner of the stadium
References
External links Chornomorets Stadium official homepage Profile at stadiumguide.com Profile at upl.ua (in Ukrainian) Стадіон, схожий на мрію (in Ukrainian) Video presentation of the Chernomorets Odesa Stadium (in Ukrainian) Stadiony.net - Prokopenko Arena (Stadion Czornomorca) (in Polish)