Are you going to go to football, but don't know which tribune to buy tickets for, and are afraid of crazy fans? The ZagraNitsa portal will tell you which sector to take tickets to and how not to fall under the arm of heated ultras
Going to football in Russia differs significantly from a similar pastime in any of the countries of Western Europe. Old and uncomfortable stadiums, police cordon, lack of normal food outlets and mate from fan sectors are integral attributes of almost every match of the Russian Championship. If you are still ready for the test, then our memo will help you spend two hours of your life with maximum comfort (or minimum discomfort).
"Opening Arena"
For the first trip to football, we recommend choosing the home arena of Spartak Moscow - Otkritie Arena. This is the most modern and comfortable stadium in the capital, opened in early September 2014. It will host matches of the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, but for now, the Russian national team and Spartak are playing their home matches here.
Photo: Facebook
Get to the "Opening Arena" on public transport very simple - it is located a five-minute walk from the metro station "Spartak" Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya (purple) line. Owners of their own car are better off leaving it at home. Entrance to the stadium is carried out only with season passes issued when purchasing a season ticket for the 2014/15 season, and one-time passes that are valid on the day of the match. The stadium area is designed for limited quantity parking spaces, so it will not be possible to park cars without a special permit.
It is better to come to the arena about an hour and a half before the start of the game itself. The automated fan pass system installed in the arena works well, but no faster than a regular ticket clerk tearing off stamps manually. So queues at the entrance are a common thing.
Photo: ooolars.ru The tickets themselves can be bought both at the box office of the stadium and on the official website. "Spartak" in the corresponding section . It is important to remember that stand B (North) is a fan stand. Here they really do not like those who do not support their native red and white team. There were times when strong guys even kicked out those who did not sing from the podium. All your arguments that you bought a ticket and are free to do everything that is not prohibited by the rules of visiting sports events, will break into pieces. Just sing.
By the way, these same rules are regularly violated on the fan platform. If you don’t want to be a hostage of a performance blazing with flares and smoke bombs several times during the match, look for places away from the North Stand.
"Locomotive"
Much calmer at the Cherkizovsky Lokomotiv stadium. If Otkritie Arena regularly gathers 35-40 thousand people under its arches, then an audience of 10 thousand for Loko is considered quite decent.
Lokomotiv is the first among Russian clubs opened the Family Sector in his arena. Its benefits are obvious. Firstly, you can not be afraid that a fire will fly into your child’s head or a drunken fan will fall on you (yes, this is possible). Secondly, the kids can spend time in a large playroom. Also, for those who go to Loko with their families, a number of preferences are available, such as: the opportunity to take the players to the field, participation in the activities of the club, communication with the players during autograph sessions during the match break and a separate ticket office. In addition, the School and Student sectors also operate at Lokomotiv. It is clear that no one will get into them except for students of schools, secondary schools and universities.
Photo: stadium.fclm.ru 
Family sector. Photo: stadium.fclm.ru If you buy a premium for the VIP sector, then, in addition to comfortable chairs and a buffet table, you can chat with Olga Buzova or Tash Sargsyan - avid fans of Loko who do not miss the home matches of the Red-Greens.
The fan tribune of the "railwaymen" is considered to be the South. Pyrotechnics on it is an infrequent guest, but if you get to a Lokomotiv match with a principal rival (CSKA, Torpedo, Rostov or Wings of the Soviets), then prepare earplugs - the mat in the arena will be selected so that children just right to take you to the same game room.
Arena Khimki
Where, where, but at Dynamo matches, obscene language practically does not sound. The Dynamo community of fans seems to be the most friendly, although very few in number. When the club had its own stadium, the matches with the participation of the "white-blue" gathered a good audience by Moscow standards. Traveling to the team's games in Khimki is not very convenient. True, in Khimki, Dynamo, like CSKA, which we will discuss below, is temporary. On the site of the old and legendary stadium of the same name, where Lev Yashin shone, an ultra-modern arena is being built.
Photo: Only two and a half months remain before the start of the main football festival of this year - the final part of the World Cup, the matches of which will be held in 11 cities of Russia. One of the host cities will be St. Petersburg. The brand new St. Petersburg arena will host four matches group stage, as well as one game each of the 1/8 and 1/2 finals and the match for third place - a total of seven meetings.
The friendly match between the national teams of Russia and France has become another training session for all services that ensure order and security during the event. The journalist of our editorial board visited the game as an ordinary spectator and offers some advice to those who have not been to the stadium yet, but are going to the next matches of the Russian Championship or World Cup games.
Tip one: think over the route to the stadium and back in advance
St. Petersburg Stadium (informally Zenit-Arena or Krestovsky) is located in the western part of Krestovsky Island at Football Alley, 1. There are several ways to get to the stadium. I would like to say right away that it is most convenient to approach the object on foot. The easiest option is to get to the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station and walk 2.5 kilometers directly through the park along Batareynaya Road. From the metro station to the stadium, the walk will take 25-30 minutes.
Another option is suitable if you visit the Piterland shopping mall, built on the edge of the mainland of the Primorsky district. There are buses to the shopping center from the Staraya Derevnya and Chyornaya Rechka metro stations. It is not very convenient to get to Piterland itself, but the walk from it to the stadium through the pedestrian Yacht Bridge will take about 20 minutes.
On the days of the matches, the arena can also be reached by free buses, which are commonly called "shuttles". They run for two hours before the start of the game in the direction of Krestovsky Island and for two hours after it ends. "Shuttles" allow to avoid transport collapse after the match, when the work of the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station is temporarily limited. Free buses transport thousands of spectators to the Chkalovskaya metro station. On the day of the match, several dozen shuttles ran between Russia and France. Their stops are located near the Vyborgskaya (red line), Petrogradskaya (blue line) and Chkalovskaya (purple line) metro stations.
Of course, you can also get to the place by private car, but it will be difficult to do this. On the adjacent territory there are paid two-level covered parkings encircling the stadium from south to north, but there are no free ones. Paid parking allows you to leave your vehicle near the arena, and the journey from the car to the fan's seat will take from 5 to 15 minutes. Only for paid parking you need to purchase a subscription in advance either at the sales office or through the official website of FC Zenit. Currently, tickets cannot be purchased through the website. Apparently they are all sold out. However, it is not necessary to drive directly to the stadium. If you try, you can leave the car in the eastern part of Krestovsky Island and walk 3-4 kilometers on foot in 40-45 minutes.
Tip Two: Check out the list of prohibited items
During World Cup matches, all passage zones must operate, but the flow of people to the 68,000-seat stadium will be large every time. At Zenit matches alone, there were sold-outs several times. The passage area with frames is preceded by a labyrinth constructed from metal fences. To save space, it is advisable not to take backpacks and bulky bags with you. In addition, in the absence of hand luggage, you can avoid several nervous minutes of interrogation by a security officer who will definitely ask you to show its contents. You can also save a minute or two if you immediately take out your mobile phone and other metal objects from your pockets before passing through the control frame.
During the matches of the Confederations Cup-2017, which became a rehearsal for the home World Cup, the press service of its organizing committee published a list of items prohibited in the arenas. Krestovsky was also among the host stadiums, so the restrictions apply to it as well. As a result, the following items are not allowed to be brought to matches: food and drinks, liquids in containers over 100 ml, thermoses and flasks, pyrotechnics, perfumes and powder boxes, any Sports Equipment and umbrellas larger than 25 cm when folded. A separate list is professional audio, photo and video equipment: voice recorders, photo and video cameras, tripods, drones and even selfie sticks.
Remember: the sooner you pass through the security checkpoint, the more nerves you will save yourself and the employee working at the stadium. And let other fans who are nervously queuing behind you pass faster.
Tip Three: Eat a Big Eat Before a Game
As we have already found out, food and liquids whose volume exceeds 100 ml cannot be brought into the stadium. Of course, you can try to put a Snickers or other energy bar in your pocket, but once in a while you don’t have to, they can take it away. The most correct solution in this situation is to eat a hearty meal before advancing to the match. If a bright game awakens an appetite, then at Krestovsky during a break you can look into one of the six food shops located along the stands.
Prices by the standards of an ordinary Petrozavodsk resident, of course, bite: 100 rubles for half a liter of water and any other drink, and 150-300 rubles per unit for various snacks. The menu offers a choice of ordinary fast food, such as burgers or rolls. Since the days of Petrovsky, many fans have fallen in love with buying hot corn, they also sell it at the Zenit Arena. A moment of celebration: with food bought at the stadium, you can go up to the podium, only before attentive stewards will ask you to pour the liquid from the bottle into the cardboard glass that comes with the drink.
Tip #4: Think About Clothes
The case when you want to warn not that there is a "dubak" at the stadium. On the contrary, the stadium of FC Zenit is very warm even in winter due to the covered roof. It felt like it was about +15 degrees at the end of March on the field and in the stands. The intensity of passions on the lawn during the match between Russia and France did not happen, but it was still warm and comfortable in the fan's chair.
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At the St. Petersburg stadium, the roof is retractable, so in the summer, if the weather is good, it is opened so that the audience does not suffocate, and closed during rain and wind. It's funny that the roof has its own Twitter account with a 1,500 audience. The roof informs whether it will be closed or not.
Tip five: don't slow down - and there will be no problems
The last tip summarizes all the previous ones. If you calculate possible scenarios in advance and assess the risks, then there should not be any difficulties during the trip. There are a lot of negative comments on the Internet about the poor organization of work at the entrance and exit from the stadium, but most people interfere with themselves.
The game between Russia and France was attended by 51,165 spectators. Of course, if all the people gather for the game at the last moment, then pandemonium will not be avoided. Therefore, the entrance to the stands usually opens two hours before the start of matches. Another thing is that this match was held on a weekday, and most of the spectators barely made it to the stadium by 19:00, given the realities of St. Petersburg transport.
The bus with fans from Petrozavodsk arrived an hour before the start of the game, half an hour the majority managed to reach the arena at a fast pace and in 15-20 minutes pass all the entrances without any problems. At the exit from the stadium, in order to avoid the crowd, it was necessary to go to the middle or far stairs, because the main flow of people always chooses the nearest descent. By the way, this was announced by the volunteers, who constantly repeated into the megaphone the instructions for leaving the arena and leaving Krestovsky Island.
Remember: everything is in your hands. To really enjoy football, you need not only a great game on the field, but also a little self-organization and discipline. Situations are different. You should not always hope for a good organization, there are always emergency situations. If they are foreseen, then in many cases they can be overlooked or mitigated.
Undoubtedly, the stadium is very beautiful and comfortable. From afar, it looks a bit futuristic against the backdrop of the Tushino wasteland.
Convenient overview football field even outside the gates, reasonable ticket prices attract many spectators to the stands of this arena.
But still, the impression was not very good. Mainly because of the infrastructure that has developed around the stadium. Firstly, this is the entrance to the stands and the exit from them. There is a humiliating search at the entrance. Young people search the body and clothes, asking what is in the pockets.
At full stands, as it happened at the match with Liverpool, the spectators of the "B" stand were sent on a long journey to the entrance to the stands. Forty minutes before the start of the match there is already a crush. Spectators are let in in doses so that they do not crush each other.
It is reasonable to notice that you need to come to the stadium in advance. How much in advance? In an hour, two? And what is there to do on it all this time. And if the match after the end of the working day.
The stadium is modern. In addition to beautiful architecture, other aspects had to be thought through. Somehow access roads, entrance and exit from the stands. And everything turns out exactly the same as at the Luzhniki Stadium. Especially the exit finished me off. To get to the Volokolamsk highway, which is located less than half a kilometer in a straight line from the stadium, thanks to the route laid by the law enforcement officers, I had to make a detour through Tushinskaya and the above distance increased three times.
Since we started building modern stadiums, we should not forget the infrastructure
The fastest and convenient way get to the "Opening Arena" - by metro. There are two stations on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line at once, from which you can walk to the stadium. Near the arena is the Spartak metro station, which was reopened specifically for the opening of the stadium - you can get from it in two or three minutes. And 600 meters from the "Opening Arena" there is another station - "Tushinskaya" (the journey from it will take 7-10 minutes). It would be more logical for many football fans to get off at Spartak - it is closer to Barrikadnaya, which can be reached from anywhere in the city along the Koltsevaya Line. The way from "Barrikadnaya" to "Spartak" takes 16 minutes - with a well-planned route, you can not be afraid to be late for the game.
Another way to get to the stadium is by ground transport. Near the metro station "Tushinskaya" stops a large number of buses and minibuses. Here full list. Buses: 2, 88, 210, 248, 266, 372, 400t, 409, 436, 450, 455, 460 m , 741k, 777, 904, 904k, 930, 961, 964
Not far from the Tushinskaya metro station is also the Tushino railway station of the Riga direction. It can be reached from the Rizhsky and Kursky railway stations, as well as from the Moscow-Kalanchevskaya station, which is within walking distance from three stations - Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky and Kazansky.
If you intend to get to the stadium by personal transport, then you need to go through the Volokolamsk highway. The arena is located at Volokolamsk highway, possession 67, and its contours are clearly visible from the track - you can't go wrong. Parking next to the stadium will also be easy - the parking lot in front of the Otkritie Arena can accommodate more than 2,500 cars. True, for this you need a one-time pass for a parking space.
What's with the tickets?
A full house is expected at the Russia-Austria match - tickets for the match are selling like hot cakes, so this issue must be resolved in advance. Tickets for the match of the national team have been on sale since May 20 at the Spartak online box office tickets.spartak.com and from May 25 at the Otkritie Arena box office. If you intend to purchase the coveted pass on the day of the match, you need to plan the route in advance - on the days of the match, sales will be organized only at the ticket office of the stadium on the Northern entrance group.
If you decide to buy an e-ticket for the match, and at the same time take care of parking in front of the stadium, you need to arrive at the Otkritie Arena the day before the match. When purchasing an e-ticket for a seat with the right to enter the adjacent territory, you will need to arrive at the stadium at the VIP box office (located in the Red-White Store) by June 13 with a printed ticket and an identity document in order to obtain an entry permit.
It should be noted that tickets for the game of the national team are not the cheapest pleasure. You can get to the fan stand B outside the goal for only 300 rubles, to the opposite stand D - for 900 (which is also not much). A trip to the central stand will cost more.
When to come to the stadium?
Getting into the bowl of the stadium is not the biggest problem. It is not difficult to pass the control at the Otkritie Arena, the stewards do not act atrociously and do not force you to turn out all the contents of the bags, and the whole procedure, taking into account the queue for entry, will take five minutes at most. With this in mind, it is quite acceptable to arrive at the stadium 30-40 minutes before the start of the game - there is no risk of standing in line for the entrance for the entire first half. During this time, you will have time to walk around the stadium and buy team paraphernalia or a program.
What can be found in the stadium?
The main problem of our stadiums is called huge queues during breaks - someone rushes to the toilet, and someone wants to eat. However, the "Opening Arena" is devoid of this problem. Inside the stadium there is a food court with 350 seats, where you can choose any food to your taste. In the arena bowl, you can also find numerous points of sale for paraphernalia - just right if you want to leave something to remember this match.
If you went to the match with your child, and he is not too keen on football, he can be invited to play with other children. Otkritie Arena has a children's room with an area of 450 square meters, where animators work with children. And the child is fine, and no one will bother you to watch football.
Why is the Russia-Austria match not to be missed?
– loss of points in the home game with Austria may come back to haunt the finish line. The Austrians have a very trained and competent team, they lead our group and show very mature football, so the opponent cannot be treated with disdain. In addition, while our guys are stewing in their own juice and playing in the home championship, the Austrians are gaining experience throughout Europe. Many (Fuchs, Prödl, Yunuzovic, Garnik, Baumgartlinger) went through the Bundesliga school, Weimann and Arnautovic gained a foothold in English Premier League. You can't play full-footed against such a team.
In the key match for the Russian national team, the fans should become the 12th player for our team and lead the wards of Fabio Capello forward. Success can only be achieved together!
