Sinobo Group
Sinobo Stadium was named after what from 2018 to 2019?
Sinobo Stadium Sinobo Stadium ( formerly known as Eden Aréna and Synot Tip Arena ) is a football stadium , in Prague-Vršovice , Czech Republic . The stadium has a capacity of 19,370 people and it is the biggest and the most modern football stadium in the Czech Republic . It is the home venue of SK Slavia Prague and occasionally the Czech Republic national football team . In the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons , it was also the venue of Bohemians 1905 home matches . During the 2011–12 season the stadium hosted home matches for FC Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League group stage . The stadium was used for the 2013 UEFA Super Cup . History . In the early 1950s , Slavia was forced to leave its stadium at Letná and a new stadium was built at Eden in the Vršovice district . Its capacity was about 50,000 ( mostly for standing ) . The wooden western ( main ) stand was taken from the old stadium at Letná , the rest of the stands were made of concrete . The stadium also featured an athletics track . The first match at this stadium took place on 27 September 1953 , Slavia drew 1-1 against the team of Křídla vlasti Olomouc . Josef Bican scored the home teams goal . Move . In the 1970s , it became apparent that Eden did not provide sufficient comfort for the visitors and started planning to build a new one in the same place . However , under the communist regime , the planning went quite slowly . Several projects were made , and the construction was finally to start in 1990 . In 1989 , Slavia moved temporarily to the nearby Ďolíček stadium ( home of FC Bohemians Prague , now known as Bohemians 1905 ) and the eastern stand was torn down . However , the overthrowing of the communist regime in 1989 delayed the construction . In the meantime , Slavia moved to Stadion Evžena Rošického , a stadium on the Strahov hill , which is large but uncomfortable and poorly accessible . In the early 1990s , the whole construction was cancelled and Slavia moved back to Eden . A temporary stand was built in the place of former eastern stand , but it was clear that Eden was outdated and Slavia needed a new home ground . Several more projects were made , but Slavia was unable to raise sufficient funds and there were some legal problems , as the premises were owned by the government and it took a lot of effort to transfer them to Slavia . In 2000 , the stadium became ineligible to host Czech First League matches , so Slavia moved to the unpopular Strahov again . New stadium . Slavia finally presented a project of the new stadium , but no construction started . In December 2003 , the old Eden stadium was torn down and Slavia announced that the new stadium would be opened on 19 October 2005 , however , by October 2005 the construction had not even started . It took another year to start . The project had to be scaled down to lower the construction cost from 1.8 billion Czech koruna to less than 1 billion . The construction eventually started in October 2006 . Despite the stadium not being fully finished , it was opened on 7 May 2008 with an exhibition match against Oxford University A.F.C . Many former Slavia stars ( such as Pavel Kuka , Patrik Berger , Jan Suchopárek and Ivo Knoflíček ) took part in this match , which Slavia won 5–0 . The first competitive match at the new stadium was played on 17 May 2008 against Jablonec , the match ended 2–2 , Slavia secured the Czech First League title in this final match of the 2007/08 season . In 2016 , CEFC China Energy , who had previously purchased a majority stake in SK Slavia Prague , sought to buy a 70% stake in the stadium and announced plans to invest around €50 million ( including the purchase price ) to improve the stadium capacity and turn it into the main national stadium for the Czech Republic national team . In April 2017 , it was announced that the details of the transaction have since changed and CEFC China Energy had purchased the stadium in full . The stadium was then renamed to Sinobo Stadium . Sponsorship . In July 2008 , it was announced that betting company Synot Tip had made an agreement with E Side Property Limited , the owners of the stadium , regarding a sponsorship deal regarding one of the stands . In 2009 , the stadiums name was officially changed to Synot Tip Arena . In 2011 , Natland Group were announced as the new majority owners of the stadium . In 2012 it was announced that Synot would not be extending their sponsorship of the stadium past the end of the 2011–12 season . In November 2018 , the Chinese real estate company Sinobo Group became the majority owner of SK Slavia Praha , and the stadium was renamed Sinobo Stadium . International matches . Eden Arena has hosted eight competitive matches and four friendly matches of the Czech Republic national football team . Other uses . The stadium is occasionally used for other events beside football , such as concerts or other sports matches . In 2012 , the Sokol slet , a mass gymnastics event , was held here . The stadium was used for the final rugby matches of the 2008 and 2009–10 KB Extraliga seasons . There is a hotel and a fan shop in the northern stand , and various other facilities ( bar , McDonalds , Komerční banka branch , offices ) in the main stand . Transport . The stadium is served by buses and trams , with stops for both using the name Slavia . Trams 4 , 7 , 22 and 24 run along Vršovická street , north of the stadium , while bus services 135 , 136 , 150 and 213 stop on U Slavie street , immediately west of the stadium . The nearest metro station is Želivského and nearest train station is Praha-Vršovice . External links . - Homepage - Stadium picture - SK Slavia Prague - Stadium Guide Article - Photos of opening night from ouafc.com