Saint Petersburg Is for Sports Lovers
Since the exams are over and the third module has finished, it's good to get out of the exam mode and see what we can do. St. Petersburg offers great opportunities in many sports branches besides its natural beauties and historically awesome buildings. St. Petersburg sports clubs are in an important position in many sports, not only in Russia but also in Europe. Today I will tell you about three important sports branches (Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey) of the city and the success of these sports clubs. I will also give information on how to get tickets to visit these sports activities for those who live or stay in St. Petersburg.
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (Football)
Football Club Zenit, also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is one of the most successful Russian football clubs which was established on the 25th of May in 1925. The club plays in the Russian Premier League. It is also the defending champion of the Russian Premier League and is currently leading the league. Zenit, which is three points ahead of the nearest follower with 49 points, is the biggest contender for the championship. Previously they won the 2007, 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20 and the 2020–21 seasons of the Russian Premier League, as well as the 2007–08 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup. It is one of the leading clubs of football in Russia with 22 cups they have won in total. The team plays its home matches at the Gazprom Arena (it is also known as Krestovsky Stadium). The stadium, which has a capacity of 67,800 people, has hosted many international competitions.
The way to the stadium is easy. The nearest subway station to the Gazprom stadium is Zenit (Зенит) (Green line <Line 3>) opened in May 2018. It’s not just close, it can be said it’s adjacent to the venue.
Before the Zenit station was built, Krestovsky island metro station (Крестовский остров) (Purple line <Line 5> ) was the general station of football fans. It is a 20-minute walk from the stadium. You can reach the stadium from the Batareynaya Doroga (батарейная дорога) road located in Seaside Victory Park (Приморский парк Победы).
Tickets for the home matches can be purchased online through the Zenit FC’s website. Ticket prices may vary according to the importance of the match and the seat chosen, and usually between 400 and 70000 RUB.
You can buy tickets directly from club’s website: https://tickets.fc-zenit.ru/en/
BC Zenit Saint Petersburg (Basketball)
Another sporting activity that you can go and watch with pleasure is basketball. The biggest basketball team in the city is Zenit Basket. Formerly known as BC Dynamo Moscow Region (2003–2007) and BC Triumph Lyubertsy (2007–2014), the club changed its name in 2014 and moved from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. The club competes domestically in the VTB United League and competed in the EuroLeague. Although it does not have a large trophy collection like football team (FC Zenit), it has been appearing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in the last three years with the momentum it has gained in recent years. FC Zenit, one of the biggest contenders for the championship this year in the VTB United League, is in the second place after CSKA in the league.
BC Zenit's home court is Sibur Arena. Sibur Arena, which has a capacity of 7.000 people, has a magnificent atmosphere. I personally went to watch the match three times and I was really impressed. Since the Arena is right next to the Gazprom Arena, you can use the Zenit metro station and the Krestovsky island metro station for transportation.
Since the team moved to Saint Petersburg in 2014, the team is a part of the multi-sports club Zenit, of which the football club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Tickets for home matches can be purchased from the team's official website https://tickets.fc-zenit.ru/en/ or Yandex Afisha https://afisha.yandex.ru/saint-petersburg/sport?source=menu. Tickets usually range from 300 to 12000 Rubles, depending on the importance of the match and the side and seat chosen.
SKA Ice Hockey Club (Ice Hockey)
The Hockey Club SKA (СКА), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg, is a professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg. The club is a member of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). SKA, which has achieved many successes in the league just like other sports clubs in the city, is now the leader in the league. The club, which took the name SKA in 1991, used names such as Kirov LDO, ODO Leningrad, SKVO Leningrad, SKA Leningrad.
The hockey team plays its home matches in the Ice Palace with a capacity of 12,300. Getting to the stadium is very easy. For this, you just need to reach Prospekt Bol'shevikov (Проспект Большевиков) (Orange Line <Line 4>). When you exit the metro, you can see the stadium on the right when you walk to Prospekt Pyatiletok (Проспект Пятилеток).
You can buy tickets on the team's official website https://tickets.ska.ru/?lang=en&utm_source=ska&utm_medium=menu&utm_campaign=menu#!date-2022-04/ska or Yandex Afisha https://afisha.yandex.ru/saint-petersburg/sport?source=menu. The cost of the ticket to watch the hockey match varies between 400 and 4000 rubles.
Hurry up and don't miss these opportunities, the leagues are about to end.
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