Центральный, Sports stadium in Industrialny District, Izhevsk, Russia

The Central Republican Stadium "Zenit" is a multi-purpose arena at Sovetskaya Street 33, with a capacity of 15,000–16,000 spectators. Its concrete stands were fitted with plastic seats and a new pitch during a 2006 overhaul that also restored the scoreboard and installed heating and irrigation systems. The ground sits within a sports cluster that includes tennis courts, an ice palace, an indoor rink, a football school and a municipal sports palace.

The first wooden Zenit stadium opened on Karlutskaya Square on 12 July 1933 with stands for 3,000. Plans for a larger venue arose in the late 1930s but were delayed by the war; in the early 1950s a 10-hectare site between Udmurtskaya, Sovetskaya and Krasnogeroyskaya streets was chosen, despite opposition because it lay on an old city cemetery. The concrete stadium opened in 1968, hosting its first official match in the Soviet third-tier league: Zenit Izhevsk drew 0-0 with Shirak Leninakan.

The stadium's name, Zenit, comes from the Soviet sports society of the same name; the venue is officially the Central Republican Stadium Zenit. It hosts football and athletics events, and its first official match was a 0:0 draw between Izhevsk's Zenit and Shirak from Leninakan in 1968. The surrounding sports town includes tennis courts, an ice palace, and a football school.

The facility is straightforward to navigate with a large playing field surrounded by tiered stands that offer clear sightlines from different levels. Visitors should expect that event timing varies depending on the season and type of competition being held.

The stadium stands on the site of an old city cemetery, a choice that drew opposition when plans were debated in the early 1950s. Izhevsk was then a closed city because of its defence industry, so large away crowds were not expected. The first official match, in 1968, ended 0:0 against Shirak from Leninakan.