Yuubileyny Sports Palace

The Yuubileyny Sports Palace is a working building in Almetievsk built for one purpose: to hold a crowd while a team plays hockey. It opened in 1983 as a gift for the sixtieth anniversary of the Soviet Union, and Tatneft has owned it ever since 2000.

The first thing you notice is the roof. A complex net of steel columns and cross-bracing holds up the structure, and it feels like a warehouse rather than a sports venue. Below that, the seating rises in tiers, split between red and blue plastic chairs. The colours are plain and do not hide the fact that this is a regional arena. The most striking feature on the floor is the orange surround around the basketball court, which sits inside the ice rink. That orange border is the only splash of colour in an otherwise grey and white space.

The building has had two major reconstructions in 2003 and 2016, updates that changed the shape of the interior rather than just painting the walls. You can see the result in the upgraded lighting rig hanging above the centre ice. The capacity is the only piece of information that is not settled; the club itself claims 1,820 seats, while other sources allow for 2,200. The difference is small enough that it does not matter for the character of the place. HC Neftyanik plays here, and the atmosphere in these games is always tight. The table goes out of the window in these games. There is no internet café or luxury box, only the rink and the people who watch it.