Palace history

The history of Zaporozhye’s “Youth” began in 1967. We erected an object on a typical project at that time. It was an ice palace built in three years.

In January 1971, “Youth” began its work. Already in August of this year the first hockey team “Dneprospetztal” was created. Which in September 1971 took part in the championship of the Soviet Union, in group B of the western zone. There also worked a school of winter sports, taught hockey and figure skating. In 1977, the Ice Palace hosted the Soviet Union championship in figure skating. All the attendees managed to see the performances of such figure sports stars as Irina Rodnina, Alexander Zaitsev, Lyudmila Pakhomova.
In the late 70’s Zaporizhzhya’s “Youth” became a theatrical stage for the Kiev and Leningrad ballets on the ice.
Just do not want to forget that the ice palace was also a cult place for concerts of popular stars of that time. Vladimir Vysotsky performed at the palace on April 28, 1978.

In the 80s, an additional ice field was built behind the palace.
Also in 1984, “Youth” hosted the Cup “Friendship” of the USSR in weightlifting.

But already in the early 90’s he had to refuse, because there was no money for maintenance. But the sport remained in the palace. A cover was purchased for game species, and already then, on the “Youth” floor, local handball teams played, played basketball, volleyball and mini-football. Unfortunately, with the beginning of the 90s the work of the ice palace went into decline due to lack of funding.

In the early 2000s, the financing of the sports palace actually ceased. The material and technical base has become unusable. The building needed repairs. To survive was due to the exhibitions that were held here from 2004 to 2009.
In 2008, a technical survey of the building was conducted, according to the results of which it was concluded that the palace of sport requires reconstruction. In the same year the program “Hockey of Ukraine” was adopted. The construction of modular compactors began. But she did not provide for the reconstruction of the building itself. A year and a half the leadership of the sports palace was working on making changes to the program. And it succeeded. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has allocated 35 million hryvnia.
The reconstruction project was developed by Donetsk PromstroiNIIproekt. The customer was the City Department of Capital Construction. According to the project, at the prices of 2010 for the reconstruction it was necessary to almost 100 million hryvnia. The work on the reconstruction of the sports palace “Yunost” was carried out by the firm “Bud-Energo-Standard”. But money was not enough. From the state budget allocated 19 million hryvnia. Funds to the account came not immediately. Expenses refunded in 2013. In May – 10 million hryvnia, in October the same year – 9 million hryvnia.

In 2014, the organization “Hockey. Ukraine “ceased to exist. One of the reasons for this result was the outbreak of hostilities in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions.
In this condition, the Palace of Sports has been for several years. Funds for completing the reconstruction was not in the city or in the regional budget. In 2014, the communal enterprise Yunost was put up for privatization.
Only in October 2016 the first stage of privatization of the ice arena was completed.
In February 2017, Motor Sich JSC began an active reconstruction work on the already palace of sports “Youth”.

The most legendary discovery! August 24, the whole country had two holidays. Independence Day and Opening of the most modern arena of Ukraine. Sports Palace YOUTH officially began its activities. “Here the Legend is born.” The opening ceremony was attended by the head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration Konstantin Bryl, the President of Motor Sich JSC Vyacheslav Boguslayev, the First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the vice-president of the National Olympic Committee Igor Gotsul, the construction director of Motor Sich JSC Mikhail Berezovsky. Over 5000 thousand people participated in the official creation of history in the world of Ukrainian sports. During the ceremony, Vyacheslav Boguslayev was presented with the award of the Olympic Committee of Ukraine for his contribution to the development of sport and passed a symbolic key from the Palace. Vyacheslav Boguslaev noted that the opening of the Sports Palace “Youth” – a landmark event not only for Zaporozhye, but for the whole country and thanked all those who participated in its revival. The head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration Konstantin Bryl also noted the importance of the sports facility. Thousands of Zaporozhians gathered at the opening, many came with whole families and with children. The solemn ceremony began with a spectacular light show. Dance groups “Grace” and “Kozachat” have become the decoration of the new Palace of Sport. Spectators, light, noise and energy – these were the main attributes on August 24. Also during the day there were handball games for the Cup of the Dnieper. And at the end of the holiday guests were a concert of People’s Artist of Ukraine Irina Bilyk.