Víceúčelová hala Havířov

The Gascontrol Aréna in Havířov wears its history on its front. A large blue banner reading MĚSTO HAVÍŘOV spans the width of the building, sandwiching the crest of the HC Havířov Panthers. Below that, the name RADEGAST sits in green lettering, while a sign for squash and bowling points to a life beyond the ice.

The structure is not a cathedral of sport. It is a working hall, opened in 1968, that has always served the town in more ways than one. The capacity is 5,100, a figure settled in 1999 when standing areas were ripped out to meet safety standards. Before that season, the place could hold 7,000 bodies. The crowd record of 7,100 remains from the 1993/94 campaign, when the team played Ústí nad Labem and HC Škoda Vsetín.

What makes the place distinct from another arena is its quiet endurance. It has hosted EuroBasket 1981 matches and concerts by Elton John and Scooter, but the daily reality is the Czech Second Hockey League. A renovation finished recently replaced the roof and lighting, adding solar panels to the mix. The surface is artificial ice, 58 by 28.5 metres, a rectangle used for figure skating and badminton when the hockey season ends.

The building does not shout. It is the only major sports hall in the Podlesí district. The managing body, Správa sportovních a rekreačních zařízení Havířov, keeps the lights on. They know the place by its signs as much as by its history, and they do not expect it to be anything other than what it is. The roof holds the sky, and the ice holds the players.