5 things to know about Eden Aréna, the stadium of the Conference League Finale

Fiorentina and West Ham managed to reach the Final of the second Conference League, after a long journey that will end in the Czech Republic, in Prague's Eden Aréna, a grass pitch opened in 2008. The stadium is built in the district of Vršovice, can accommodate around 21,000 spectators and hosts home matches of Slavia Prague and the Czech national team during the year. 

To the history of the Eden Aréna, also known as Synot Tip Aréna, will be added that of a European final that in many respects is unique and could become one of the most important pages in the history of Fiorentina and West Ham. The first version of the stadium was inaugurated in 1953, but over the decades it has had an eventful history, following the course of political events in the Czech Republic, the fall of the communist regime and several changes of direction regarding the construction of a new facility. In anticipation of the match, here are five interesting facts about the Eden Aréna.

1. In addition to the matchday experience, Eden Aréna offers fans various services in addition to the classic bars and fan shops, including a bank, various offices, a hotel and a McDonald's.

2. The first match played in the facility as we know it today took place on 7 May 2008, when a representative team of former Slavia Prague stars and a team of Oxford University students took to the pitch, which ended 5-0 to the former footballers. The first official match, however, was the last match of the 2007/2008 Czech championship, on 17 May, a match that handed Slavia the second title in its history. 

3. The communist regime blocked the construction of a new stadium in Prague in the 1970s, only to resume in 1990 after the demolition of the eastern tiers of the stadium and to be stopped again after the overthrow of the regime. After moving to the Stadion Evžena Rošického, Slavia moved again in the 1990s to the meanwhile partly dismantled Eden Stadium, without being able to raise funds for a reconstruction. In 2000, the team moved again, with the construction of a new stadium, but it did not start until 2006, two years before the official opening.

4. The stadium was designed by architects Martin Kotík, Daniel Dvořák and Leoš Zeman, but the management of Slavia Prague also participated in the project. The project was intended to fit in with the city's urban planning in the best possible way. In fact, the stadium looks like any other building from the outside, with windows and a cladding in the colour of exposed brick. 

5. The stands of the stadium are dedicated to three legends of Czech football and Slavia. One to Irishman John William Madden, who led the team and innovated training methods in the early 1900s and is nicknamed 'the father of Czech football'. The second legend is František Plánička, a historic goalkeeper who for years fought with Zamora for the title of the best goalkeeper in the world, even taking second place at the 1934 World Cup in Italy. The other tribune of the stadium is a tribute to František Veselý, a right-sided goalkeeper who wore the Slavia jersey for sixteen years and also won the European title with the national team in 1976.