Due to the concerns that their rivals expressed in regard to safety, the Russian Volleyball Federation (VFV) decided that Belogorie won’t host any matches in the next two months.
All home matches for Belogorie until the end of 2022 have been moved to the opponents’ courts. Such a decision was made by the Executive Committee of the VFV due to concerns expressed by the Superliga rivals of the former European club champion. The Belgorod club, based on the border with Ukraine where the war is happening, confirmed this information. On November 12 they were supposed to host Lokomotiv. Now this meeting will be held in Novosibirsk. In addition, the Belgorod club exchanged courts with Zenit St. Petersburg (November 26), Stroitel (December 7), Kuzbass (December 11), and ASK (December 29). So, in the second part of the season, in February and March, Belogorie will have to play these opponents at home. But even that isn’t sure.
In July, the stage of the Russian Cup that was to be held in Belgorod was moved to Kazan. Transport is a big problem in the city. Belgorod Airport hasn’t been operating for civil aviation since the spring. All this time, the rivals get to the matches with Belogorie by train. Logistical problems were one of the factors due to which the preliminary stage of the Russian Cup was taken away from Belogorie. The ‘Lions’ have played three home matches thus far: against Gazprom-Yugra (October 2, 3-0), Enisey (October 15, 3-0), and Nova (October 24, 3-0). The opening match of the season at the brand-new Belgorod Arena gathered more than 3,000 spectators, but then attendance fell, probably due to mobilization and internal fear of potential spectators being in crowded places.
