SK Benesov; Czech Republic

SK Benesov play in Divize A, which is one of the regional fourth divisions in the Czech Republic. I visited this ground on Tuesday 25th October 2011, there was no advertised football on my holiday for this evening, but an Under 15s match was listed for here. This was changed, so I never saw a match, but not the end of the world, as I visited this small town, which I'm unlikely to go back to, & had a pleasant afternoon away from Prague. Here are photos of the ground, which is a strange old bowl, as you will see.

This board was in the town centre, advertising the club.

The street name is a bit of a giveaway, if you're lost. It's about a 15 minute stroll from the station.

The car park, outside the ground.

Club sign at the front.

Past the motors is the way into the ground.

To the right are the club buildings, club house, and back of the main stand.

The ticket booth, 40Kc for adult admission, which is less than two quid!

Inside, the entrance above, from the other side.

club buildings to the right, stand beyond it. The pitch is ahead of us.

Looking toward the main pitch, it's a fair way away!

Another glance down the main side, before we head round the ground the other direction, going clockwise.

This ground was clealry some sort of old athletics type venue, maybe speedway? A bowl anyway. The old terracing is set way back behind the goal, you can just see part of the posts on the right of the picture. So alothough there is terracing at this end I doubt if anyone stands on it. Behind the goal it is fenced off, so you can stand behind the goal, I guess, but have to watch through the fencing.

There is also some old terracing down the main side, with the grassed area between it & the pitch.

Here, still standing in the corner, you can clearly see how far back we are, & note the fences around the pitch. You can also see some open seating on the far side.

A similar shot, but including more of the side.

By the pitch, taking a photo through the fencing, as it was all secure, & I wasn't able to get onto the actual pitch.

The terraces behind the goal, from on the grassed area.

It curves round at the next corner.

Moving back a few feet, we see the open seats down the side.

Turning slightly, we get the goal in the picture.

In the other direction we get our first proper view of the wonderful old stand, on the main side.

Standing on the old terracing, we see how far back we are behind the goal.

Left again, we see the full length of the open stand.

down near the pitch, behind the goal we look toward the main stand.

Directly behind the net.

Then leftward, and you may think that stand looks a little strange...

As we get there it appears to be a shell, with no seats!

At the corner of the pitch, looking across the pitch.

Similar view, but further back , by the open stand.

Presumably there were seats in the past, along this side, I would guess from their brief spell as a top flight club.

From the front, with the pitch perimeter fencing.

Access to the seats is from the ramps at the rear.

Though blocked off, for the areas without any seating!

The view from behind the gate, on the previous ramp.

Under the stand!

Moving toward the centre section there are backed wooden bench seats, presumably the whole stand was once like this?

There is a gap in the centre, and you need to go over the 'bridge' straight ahead, to get to the other side of it.

From the 'halfway' mark, we look back along the stand, with the terraced end we've come from in the background.

Looking over the halfway line, from above, where we can also clearly see the 'gap' in the stand.

Halfway line, from ground level.

Zooming in, on the main stand opposite.

The other section has some bench seats, but with supports behind.

Standing on the 'bridge' between the two sections, looking across the pitch.

Behind us is the old pitch cuttings, dumped & rotting. And, yes, it does stink!

Moving onward, behind the last part of this side.

A few simple planks 'cordon off' the seatless section!

From the same spot, turning back along this stand.

Now we are moving no to the other end, like the first one we saw, old terracing set back on a curve. You can see floodlights behind it. That is the all-weather pitch, which we shall also look at.

At the end of the 'skeleton' stand, old terrace ahead.

The start of the old stuff. Presumably it went along the whole side, before the open seats were put in place?

Looking at the curve, through the chain link fence.

Turning round, for another glance down the side, from this end.

Now at the end behind this, the far goal. Main stand to the left.

Stading behind the old terracing, it curves round to in front of the main stand.

Another look at the 'skeleton' side.

Before moving onward, round the old terrace.

Some of it in very poor condition.

Almost at the last corner.

Here we see the dugouts, as I couldn't get on the pitch to snap them properly.

This was the closest I could zoom in on one of them.

On the side now, we see one of their youth teams finishing training, as well as the all-weather pitch, there is also a grass one, up behind the goal.

We're now on the last leg, heading to the main stand, & I'm starting to panic, a little, as dusk in drawing in, & I don't know how much daylight I have left to snap away! But don't panic folks, we make it! ;-)

It's railed off behind the steps of old terrace, in club colours, note the benches in the back row. I would presume this is where most people watch the game from, on this side, on matchdays.

We're at the main stand at last, I hope I can get up there!

Here we see it, from the front, the best angle I could get, as the pitch gates were padlocked.

The tunnel. These gates are unlocked, but the pitch perimeter is secure, behind us.

The old terrace continues past the stand.

Before we complete our circuit it's up these steps at the rear of the stand.

from the top of them we can see the other pitches to our right, where there are younger age group short sided matches going on, against Sparta Praha.

The steps take us to the bottom of the main stand, here we look up into it.

Moving up, we glance along the benches.

From the back, in the cnetre, we see down, over the halfway line.

Still at the rear, turning left, toward the rest of the stand.

Looks like a press bench, with the stairs down at this end at the front.

From the edge of the stand we look down to the final part of the main ground, which we haven't covered.

The front of the stand, with the tunnel below.

A close up of some of the slatted backed benches, one with a table at the front.

Back on the ground, we look up into the stand.

Past the stand are a variety of buildings. This one has the toilets on the ground floor.

Past that is this building, not sure exactly what they are, but there is a small bar at the end of it.

A few wonky benches at the top of this section of the old terrace, too.

This is the clubhouse entrance at the end.

There was also a club noticeboard on the wall.

Here are the same buildings, from the rear.

Now we have just got time to have a quick peek at the all-weather secondary pitch, up behind the goal. We start in the corner, open hard standing all the way round.

A scoreboard is set on the fence behind us.

Brick paved hard standing along the side, the main stadium is down to the left.

This is the view of it, below.

The hard standing goes all the way along.

And turns behind the goal, we can see the grass pitch, going the other direction, behind this end.

A small grass bank separates the two pitches, as well as the high fence, to stop wayward shots.

Moving past the goal, to the next corner.

From here we look over the grass pitch.

The far side now, same hard standing, but with a grass bank behind, for an elevated view.

Dugouts at the front.

Past them is this small section of open raised terrace.

And a gantry for filming at the top of the bank.

Over the halfway line of this pitch, from the top of the grass bank.

Same spot, looking left, to the last part we've yet to cover.

Down, pitchside, by the next dugout.

Set back, in the corner, are these old steps, looking as if they pre-date the all-weather improvements.

A cornerflag shot of this pitch, as the autmn night draws in.

Behind the goal, again the same flat hard standing.

A last view of the 'main ground' side, & this completes our visit to SK Benesov.