Olimp-2: FC Rostov
By Dmitry Zotov (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
It’s fair to say that FC Rostov were something of a surprise package when they qualified for the Champions League in 2016. The took the race for the Russian Premier League title right to the wire in the 2015-2016 season with a first XI worth just €25 million, compared to Zenit St. Petersburg’s €157 million team.
If not much is known about the team outside of Russia then even less is known about the stadium they call home. It’s in something of a state of limbo at the moment, with Rostov Arena being built to replace it after it has been used for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We’ll tell you what we can about it here, though.
Stats
| Olimp-2 Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1930 |
| Capacity | 15840 |
| Average Attendance | 12936 |
| Record Attendance | 16500 (FC Rostov v S Moscow (2009)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Nickname | Olimp-2 |
| Former Name | Rostselmash Plant Stadium, Rostselmash, Olimp – 21 vek |
| Owner | Olimp-2 |
| Clubs Hosted | FC Rostov, SKA Rostov-on-Don |
| FC Rostov Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1930 |
| Nickname | Selmashi |
| Kit | Blue (Home) / Yellow (Away) |
| Team Owner | Rostov Oblast |
| Record Goalscorer | Mikhail Osinov (118) |
| Record Appearances | Alexandru Gatcan (231) |
Olimp-2 Photos
By Artemka (Wikipedia) [CC0]
By Dmitry Zotov (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
Olimp-2 Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The ground is in the ‘English Style’ of having a stand on each side of the pitch. Away fans are housed in The North Stand, whilst the VIP area and the dugouts are located in The West Stand.
FC Rostov Ticket Prices
Information about ticket prices is hard to come by unless you’re fluent in Russian. Prices vary from game to game but the stadium rarely sold out even as Rostov were going for the title, so you’re unlikely to get tickets if you want them.
How To Get FC Rostov Tickets
Tickets are best bought online through the club’s official website. Again, though, some passable Russian might help here.
Where to Buy
Getting To Olimp-2
Train – Trains to Russia take so long from the UK that there’s basically no point in getting them. Rostov-na-Donu is about fifteen minutes walk away from the ground, though.
Bus – There are no bus stops close to the stadium, so bus probably isn’t your best bet, to be honest. That said, you can get around Rostov reasonably easily so you don’t need to worry too much.
Car – Driving in Russia is a pretty exciting experience, to put it politely, so if you’d like to drive to the ground then we’d recommend that you use a satellite navigation device.
By Air – Rostov-on-Don Airport is about ten miles from the centre of the city. It accepts international and domestic flights so that’s almost certainly the one you’ll be flying into.
Taxi – A taxi from Rostov-on-Don Airport to the stadium will take about ten minutes and will cost you in the region of 160 Russian rubles.
Parking Near Olimp-2
There aren’t any specific car parks to aim for, but on-street parking will serve you reasonably well.
Useful Resources
Olimp-2 Hotels
Valencia Hotel - £50+
Hermitage Hotel - £60+
Mercure Rostov-on-Don Center - £65+
Pubs and Bars Near Olimp-2
Harat's Pub
Mojo Bar&Cafe
Cheshka
Hospitality
There’s limited information available on the hospitality options at Olimp-2, but what we can tell you is that if you take the club up one their VIP offers then you’ll be in The West Stand where there’s a Directors Box as well as some boxes above the stand itself.
Private Hire
Much like with the hospitality options, information about private hire and events at Olimp-2 is limited. If you’re particularly keen to use the stadium for your own events then it’s worth getting in touch with them directly.
About FC Rostov
Rostov is known as a ‘football city’. The average attendance at the Rostov games is fourth in Russia only behind the more famous teams such as Spartak Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg and Terek Grozny. They even tend to pull in bigger crowds than both CSKA Moscow and their city rivals Dinamo Moscow. Rostov regularly fill over 80% of their stadium, the highest relative figure in Russia.
Formed in 1930 as a team for the nearby Rostelmash factory, it was actually the city’s second team. For more of the Soviet era in Russia there was another team called SKA Rostov that was formed from the local division or the Red Army. They took on their current name in 2003 and reached the Russian Cup final in the same year. They lost 1-0 to Spartak Moscow, but it was an incredible achievement for them to even make the final. They went one better in 2013-2014, winning the Russian Cup by beating FC Krasnodar on penalties.
Olimp-2 History
Originally know as Rostselmash Plant Stadium, Olimp-2 was built and opened in 1930. Over the years it has been changed and developed numerous times, meaning that the current stadium bears little resemblance to the ground as it was when it first opened. Back then it was a multi-purpose stadium featuring an athletics track.
In the 1950s the stadium had two-tiers and could host more than 32,000 people. That was more than halved when the two-tiers from the stands along the side of the pitch were reduced to one. The changes to the stadium were mainly completed after the turn of the millennium. The West Stand was moved closer to the pitch, offering a more hostile environment to visiting teams. In 2009 the South Stand was demolished and entirely and completely re-built.
Future Developments
A new ground is being built in Rostov for when Russia hosts the World Cup in 2018. Rostov will be moving into the new stadium, the Rostov Arena, so changes to Olimp-2 are unlikely to occur any time soon.