Čair Stadium ( sr-Cyrl, Стадион Чаир, ''Stadion Čair'') is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
. It is used mostly for association football, football matches and is the home ground of FK Radnički Niš, Radnički Niš. After a partial reconstruction that began in 2011, the renovated stadium re-opened to the public on 15 September 2012. The stadium is part of the Čair Sports Complex, which also includes an indoor swimming pool and an Čair Sports Center, indoor arena.
History
The stadium was built in 1963 and had an original capacity of 40,001 spectators.
A complete reconstruction began during the second half of 2011 in an ambitious project by the Football Association of Serbia and the city of
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
to replace decaying infrastructure at important sports venues. The refurbished stadium had a seating capacity of 18,151 spectators. The cost of the project was 1.1 billion Serbian dinar, dinars (approximately euro, €10 million). Upon completion, the new stadium met UEFA standards to host international matches. In June 2012, the Football Association of Serbia announced that Čair would host the Serbia national football team, Serbia national team in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Scotland national football team, Scotland on 26 March 2013.
However, the match was played at the Karađorđe Stadium after it was announced that Čair Stadium would not meet all UEFA standards until May 2013. The stadium hosted its first football game after the renovation works on 15 September 2012, in which Radnički Niš beat FK Smederevo 1–0 in front of 7,000 spectators.
On 18 December 2012, it was announced that the city of Niš would devote an additional 250 million dinars to a newly-constructed 9,500-seater west stand to be built in 2013, which would bring the stadium capacity to a minimum of 25,003.
Rekonstruiše se i zapad Čaira
Srpski Fudbal, 18 December 2012 However, work has not yet started.
Gallery
File:Stadion Cair, 6 images, 25032012(001) - 25032012 - 4431x1156 - SCUL-Smartblend.jpg, Čair Stadium under reconstruction (March 2012)
File:Čair Stadium panorama.jpg, Ground panorama
File:Čair Stadium main stand.jpg, Eastern stand
File:Čair Stadium north end.jpg, Northern end
File:Čair Stadium south end.jpg, Southern end
File:Čair Stadium west stand.jpg, Western side
See also
*List of football stadiums in Serbia
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cair Stadium
Football venues in Serbia
Football venues in Serbia and Montenegro
Athletics (track and field) venues in Serbia and Montenegro
Football venues in Yugoslavia
Athletics (track and field) venues in Yugoslavia
Buildings and structures in Niš
Multi-purpose stadiums in Serbia
FK Radnički Niš