Czech First League top-tier football club Viktoria Plzen has unveiled new beer can-shaped dugouts at its Doosan Arena stadium as part of an innovative initiative with beer company Gambrinus.
The dugouts have been designed in the shape of a can of Gambrinus Full 12 and feature state-of-the-art leather seats.
The seats have been designed to provide maximum comfort to substitutes during games, and the beer-can-like model is believed to be the first of its kind in football.
Gambrinus is a long-time partner of the club, and the two parties have worked together on a number of charity initiatives in the past.
The dugouts at the 11,700-capacity arena took four weeks to produce, although the club said the project required several months of preparation. Two tonnes of metal and 300 square metres of aluminium were required to construct the dugouts.
The club’s general manager, Adolf Šadek, said: “This is a shared idea and I am very glad that the realisation has succeeded. These are quite unique and I dare say that there is no other club (that has them).”
Thomas Aubrecht, an executive at Abstrakt, which was responsible for the project, said: “Of course, the seats are heated, so even in the cold months they will be good for the players. We have been inspired by the big European clubs that have similar routines. We just wanted to have them at Plzeň.”
Plzen player Milan Petržela added: “Of course no player likes it when you sit on the substitutes’ bench. You always want to be on the pitch. But we are a team, not just 11 on the field, so I am glad that the substitutes will have such comfort.”
The new dugouts debuted during Plzen’s 4-0 home win over Dukla Prague on Saturday.
Image: Viktoria Plzen
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