One of the most richly historic cities in Russia, Volgograd was a shoo-in to be a host city. Hosting four group games, the glamour tie was seeing England open their tournament against Tunisia when Harry Kane led the side to a last gasp 2-1 win.
The Volgograd Arena was built on the site of the old Central Stadium, the historic home of FC Rotor Volgograd.
So intertwined is the stadium with the history of the city, that 300 unexploded bombs and the remains of two soldiers were found on the site as it was being redeveloped for the World Cup.
For all that time Rotor games had been played on top of World War II remains, but the remnants of WW2 are unavoidable in a city where the war was won.
T-34/76 turrets line the streets and have been converted to memorials, and the Mamayev Kurgan which overlooks the area of the new and old stadium remembers those who fought in the war, including the infamous sniper Vasily Zaytsev.
It’s a city whose past is important to its future, and this is also the case with the most important of the unimportant things in life — football.
The city was also home to one of the best ‘fan fest’ parks at the tournament.
Locals, plus supporters of the teams playing in the city, gathered to watch other games on TV throughout the day in the ideal setting of Pobedy Park on the banks of the Volga river.
The searing midday heat gave way to pleasant, warm evenings where the later matches could be viewed on the big screen as the sun set.
The stadium was a short bus ride away from the fan park, but those embarking on the hour-long walk along could take in historical sights such as the Panorama Museum, Gerhardt Mill (below) and Dom Pavlova.
The maximum capacity of the Volgograd Arena for the World Cup was 43,713 and appeared full for all four games thanks to attendances between 36,823 and 42,189.
One of the standout moments was Ahmed Musa’s double for Nigeria against Iceland, and the distinct but equally effective support from both sets of fans at that particular fixture.
After the World Cup the stadium was to be used by Rotor, but how would a second division club whose attendances ranged from the low 100s to around 3000 in the previous season fill it?
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Stadium Legacy
Along with the likes of Spartak Moscow, Alania Vladikavkaz, Dinamo Moscow, and Lokomotiv Moscow, Rotor was one of the strongest teams in post-Soviet Russia, twice finishing runners’ up behind the dominant Spartak side of that era.
They regularly participated in the UEFA Cup during the 1990s, famously defeating Manchester United on away goals in the 1995 edition of the tournament.
Legendary Rotor striker Oleg Veretennikov regularly finished top of the scoring charts, and to this day remains the Russian Premier League’s all-time top scorer.
But following the turn of the century Rotor declined, and to cut a long story short, after a number of ups and downs they found themselves in the second division going into the post-World Cup season.
They had only avoided relegation to the third tier in 2018 due to the bankruptcy of one club and the failure of two others to gain FNL licenses. They would be needed to make up the numbers in the second division and would have a chance at promotion to the top flight in their brand new stadium.
Though the push for promotion never materialised, there were a number of positives to take from the 2018/19 season.
Volgograd resident and football fan Ivan Sivov tells RFN that while the club has been typically erratic, on and off the pitch, the fans have taken the team to heart.
In Volgograd, there was one huge plus. These are the fans who fill the stadium even in defeat, and if there are victories then 30,000 will go to the stadium. But the Rotor fans didn’t like it right away, and against the background of poor results in the first half of the championship there was even some anger.
A change of manager brought an improvement and a seven-game unbeaten run after the winter break, which included five wins.
Despite tailing off again towards the end of the season, Rotor eventually finished comfortably in mid-table, but for a team whose aim is promotion, it was on the whole a disappointing campaign on the pitch.
The stadium welcomed 30,611 supporters to its first game after the World Cup, and those in attendance witnessed a 1-0 win against Luch Vladivostok—a fixture which demonstrates the vast distance involved in Russian football.
Attendances were up and down, but generally impressive for a team in the second tier. They never rose higher than that first game of the season, but 25,736 turned out for a game against Baltika Kaliningrad in April 2019, ten months after the World Cup.
The average attendance was 19,054, filling 44% of the stadium’s 43,713 capacity.
The club came up with some good ideas to help fill the stadium, but according to Sivov, often failed to get the word out.
When it was cold, in November, for example, tickets were distributed free of charge because attendance was falling due to the cold weather, but this was not announced in advance, and only advertised in front of the stadium… so I would not take it as planned action!
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Life After Football
Volgograd did undergo rather a lot of changes to infrastructure, including easing traffic concerns and building (and as yet unfinished) embankment from the memorial and stadium down to the city centre.
However, according to Ivan, this will not be completed until 2021, as expected so far. However, unlike some of the more central cities, Volgograd has not received a boon to tourism:
It was already tied to the Mamayev Kurgan and the subject of the war, and so it remained.
But no Japanese, Tunisians, Poles, Egyptians, British, Nigerians, or Icelanders came/returned to the city as a result of the World Cup.
Aside from the updated transport links and numerous new hotels which popped up around the tournament, Ivan has seen a general improvement to daily life thanks to other new parts of city infrastructure, and sees opening up the city to such a vast amount of foreigners has been a general positive in the longer-term:
Every day, many people walk along the promenade, and soon there will be a restaurant in the so-called “puck” of the river port building. If they take the embankment from the center to the stadium it will be possible to ride bicycles, roller skates, and just walk along the river. That’s cool.
There is more development and I think it is connected with the World Cup. People have become a bit kinder, and we have probably seen that not a single enemy lives around us—only similar, friendly people.
Once again I will say about the stadium and the embankment, they are like a breath of fresh air.
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The Future
Rotor has already kicked off their new season, winning two games out of two to kick off the campaign.
Following the impressive run of games towards the end of last season, Igor Menshchikov continues as manager, with help from assistant and former Rotor player Pavel Mogilevskiy.
Their first home game last weekend saw an attendance of 12,734. A disappointing start, but this could improve if the team keeps winning:
This season they will be a challenge to reach the Premier League. I see a future for the stadium if we get competent management.
There has always been an interest in football, and now people are happy to go to the stadium, simply because it is clean and comfortable, and not the old Central Stadium where people were essentially sitting on concrete.
However, to take full advantage they need to make the most of the matchday experience economically, as since the World Cup the entire catering teams provided by Budweiser and Coca-Cola (who had a monopoly during the tournament in these locations) completely moved out. As Ivan says:
They need to introduce ffordable food and drinks. Beer. You need to start selling beer. This is a huge source of income that the administration and team lose every match.
Plus, a store at the stadium to buy something with the symbols of the club and generate more marketing revenue wouldn’t go amiss.
And, in general, some kind of entertainment for adults and children, and interaction with the audience at the stadium. We need a man with a microphone who will start the stands, like Spartak, Napoli.
Improving upon that match day experience is a necessity to continue to attract large numbers to stadiums. It is something we take for granted in the rest of Europe, as club merchandising, confectionary and “half-time entertainment” are part and parcel of a matchday experience, but outside the RPL - this is somewhere nearly every side needs to improve in Russia.
However, a stadium the size of the Volgograd Arena could be utilised for more than just football:
They need to try to bring big name musicians to the stadium. Leningrad [a Russian punk band who recently played at the Gazprom Arena] is coming soon and there is a huge stir, everyone wants to get there.
So Imagine what will happen if you bring Metallica or Depeche Mode here? The city will go crazy.
When asked to summarise whether he believes the World Cup has had a positive effect on Volgograd in general, Sivov is cautious.
The World Cup did not change the future of the city, but it allowed the it to breathe fresh air.
Due to the World Cup some holes, roads, transport, infrastructure were patched, but there is no guarantee that all this will be maintained in good condition in the future.
The quality of life has improved a little, but again this is my subjective opinion.
Without the World Cup it would be much worse, and it was good that we had it, but this does not guarantee a bright future for Volgograd.
It seems a shame to end on something of a negative, but this can be the case in the aftermath of big sporting events, wherever they are held.
The promise they bring during the build-up and the high of the event itself is often followed by uncertainty.
But anyone who visited Volgograd during the World Cup will have come away with a positive view of the city and its people and in some cases an eagerness to learn more about its own football team.
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