Banik Ostrava 0-0 Slavia Prague, Sunday 6th August 2017

Banik Ostrava 0-0 Slavia Prague

Welcome to ...

The short story: I didn't get in.

The long story:  Well, where to start?  I arrived in Ostrava more than 3 hours before kick-off, more than enough time to find the stadium, you'd think. Of course, in this day and age, where we are so reliant on our phones (Google Maps), then it doesn't do well to have no charge/power left.  My phone failed to charge up at my hostel and failed to charge on the train.  I'm on a train now and it's failing to charge but it started charging on the same service yesterday so maybe it's the charger?  Maybe it's the phone?

Tram terminus at Ostrava railway station.

So, yes, I arrived at Ostrava without any maps and only the vague knowledge that Banik’s stadium was on a bend in the river.  (This turned out to be totally wrong too; the ‘bend’ was a road, and it was a completely different stadium I was looking at.)  Turns out the railway station is one end of town, the city centre another 2 miles down the road (I know cos I walked it) and Banik’s stadium another couple of miles after that.  I'll say this for Ostrava, it's spread out.  It's also not worth visiting - but that might be the bitterness talking.

I did tho pass an old pit wheel...

After an hour of wandering through deserted streets and a distinct lack of city centre street maps (unlike, say, Olomouc)  I saw a large bridge, presumably with river running underneath.  Knowing the stadium was next to the river, I walked up, hoping/expecting to see a set of floodlights.  None, but I did see a few people walking into the shopping centre next door, so I followed.  Best move I made all day.

Turns out there WERE some folk out and about on a Sunday, but not many.  I found a bookshop, perfect.  I looked up a map of Ostrava, found the footie stadium (wrong one!) and at least had a vague idea of where it was.  As I was leaving I passed an info point and picked up a map.  I was up and running (walking).

I eventually found some fans.

True to my memory, the stadium was near the river, so I headed that way.  I was probably 2/3 of the way there when I stopped at a bench for a welcome sit down.  Consulting the map, I had a horrible feeling the name of the stadium didn't quite resonate.  I studied it more closely.  THERE’S Banik’s stadium.  Balls.  It’s way to the other side of that damn shopping centre (The Forum).  Still, I could walk most of the way along the river.

I traipsed along the river, passing the Eiffel Tower and the Parthenon on the way (true: there was some miniature model park.  Who says Ostrava isn't worth visiting?)  Eventually, the path gave out and I had to head inwards, but no worries, I had a map now.

The Parthenon, yesterday.

Somehow, somehow, I ended up doubling back on myself.  I've no idea how.  So, another pointless mile on before I found myself back at the bridge next to the shopping centre.  Quite a few bods were waiting for a tram and it looked like the #1 would save me a fair distance, so I hopped aboard.

By now there was a passenger in a Czech national football shirt.  Perhaps I was on the right track, no pun intended.  Mind, it wasn't far off kick-off so maybe that was why the tram was relatively empty. Not wanting to be reliant on my Czech friend actually going to the game, I jumped off probably a stop early.

Finally!  A 1st view of stadium....

I walked down some characterless main road, feeling more confident.  There were half a dozen or so other latecomers and as we crossed the bridge you could see hundreds of people sweeping down the hill to our left from Ostrava’s southern suburbs. Now the worry was how long it would take to get a ticket.

Actually, I had another worry too. If it was a 6pm kick off, and the last train to Olomouc was 20:12, I would need to leave the match early. Later maths meant I'd have had to leave by 19:20, thereby missing nearly half an hour.  This is some consolation considering….

Fans gather around the stadium.

It was busy, but the queue shrank quickly and no wonder: it was sold out.  Sold out? It never sells out.  Ostrava’s is something like the 4^th or 5^th biggest in the country and there's hardly any away fans.  But opponents Slavia are the current champions and it's the first home game of the season.  I should have thought this through.  Taking the positives, I wasn't going to have to leave early and I wouldn't have to stress about making the train.  I’d also already seen one game today (SK Union Unicov).  I walked back towards the same tram stop, 15 minutes away, and caught a #1, this time it was straight to the railway station, 20 minutes.  Anyway, the match finished goalless.  Karma.

Sold out.

 The moral of the tale:

1. Do your research first.

2. Have your phone charged

3. Catch tram #1 from the station then walk.  Unless they move stadiums again.  You're not missing anything by not seeing the city centre.

Regarding stadium mix-ups: Banik used to play at the Bazaly Stadium, until 2015 (indeed, as I write this, Wikipedia still lists Bazaly as their home ground).  By then, the city’s Mestsky Stadium had been renovated, so Banik moved in there.  Capacities were similar, at about 15,000.  The Mestsky is fully covered, (cover is limited to one side at Bazaly) but has an athletics track around the pitch.  Maybe one day, Banik will return to their spiritual home.  I hope so.

The Damage:

Pride!

The Tunes:
The Suburbs (Arcade Fire)
The Immaculate Collection (Madonna)
Until The Hunter (Hope Sandovak and the Warm Inventions)
Truelove’s Gutter (Richard Hawley)

The Mestsky Stadium.

Stadium plan.

One corner of the Mestsky.