On a rainy day in March of this year I was able to visit the Ovcha Kupel Stadium with the help of my Bulgarian friend Alexander. It was not possible to just walk in, so we needed some luck to get permission at the main entrance. At first, some old man was inexorable, no entrance! Eventualy he got overruled by the (his?) old lady who was truely honored by our visit to this beautiful ground.
Ovcha Kupel Stadium
The history of this stadium is a bit unclear. Information tells that the construction is done between 1930 and 1932, but other details say it dates back to 1958. Once thing is certain, it is the home ground of Slavia Sofia. They are considered as the thirth club of Sofia, being most succesful in the 30s and 40s. Their last league title was in 1996. The number of spectators able to go into the stadium vary as well. Numbers say that it can house almost 16.000 fans, all the way up to 33.000 taken into consideration that in april 2014 Slavia got an agreement for expanding the stadium. Looking around, the most obvious amount would be almost 16.000.
The beauty of this stadium is that it shows its history. The decay of the concrete, the rust and missing benches on the terraces tell a story. Besides that it has an authentic sound system and a great authentic clock on the short end. Ovcha Kupel Stadium breaths pure football.
You felt everything exactly the way it is. Unfortunately most of our fans don’t realize the authentic soul of the stadium and the atmosphere it brings, and want radical changes.