On July 19, the Mayor of Kraków issued a construction permit for a new football stadium, along with the development of sports and recreational areas, for KS Wieczysta. The decision also includes permission to demolish existing structures at 16 Chałupnika Street, as well as approval of the design prepared by Jerzy Wowczak's Architectural Design Studio.

What does the investment include?

The design and execution documentation, developed between 2022–2023 and costing 590,400 PLN gross, is an extension of the sports and recreational area development concept for KS Wieczysta Kraków, presented on August 4, 2022.

The stadium building will be located in the northeastern part, facing Meissner Street. As accompanying structures, an open underground garage with a surface plaza forming the stadium's entrance area has been designed. The garage will have 61 parking spaces, including 5 for people with disabilities. The project is expected to include various recreational elements that may attract sports enthusiasts who also enjoy offers like slots with no deposit needed.

The stadium building will be a four-story, above-ground structure without a basement, situated as the northeastern stand. It has been designed as an elongated rectangle, containing stands and facilities that meet the requirements of the first football league. The stands will accommodate approximately 2,090 people. All seats will be covered. They are divided into sectors for fans, sectors with individual seats for the press and VIPs, and areas for people with disabilities. A café has been designed on the green area side, adjacent to Meissner Street.

© Autorska Pracownia Projektowa Jerzy Wowczak

A whopping 140 million

When the first reports about the issued permit appeared a few days ago, it was mentioned that the city had secured a total of 29 million PLN of its own funds, spread over several years, to kickstart the investment. This year, 1 million PLN will be allocated from the municipal budget for the investment, with 4 million PLN each in 2025 and 2026, and 10 million PLN each in 2027 and 2028.

However, it turns out that this is just a drop in the ocean of needs, as according to an official statement from Kraków, the estimated cost of the entire investment, based on the investor's estimate, is approximately 140 million PLN gross. The project is included in Kraków's Multiannual Financial Forecast for 2025–2028, with a total amount of 33 million PLN gross.

The planning of the tender process to select the investment contractor will be possible once full financing is secured. The city is in talks regarding potential financing options and will seek to obtain external funding, including from the state budget, reads a statement from the Sports Infrastructure Management.

Obtaining funds from the state budget may not be easy. A few weeks ago, Sports Minister Sławomir Nitras spoke about the financing of stadium construction. The discussion involved the potential state support for building a new facility for Ruch Chorzów, and the minister strongly condemned such actions. Wieczysta may have a chance for funding because the investment also includes the construction of two smaller Orlik pitches for children and youth. Minister Nitras has expressed interest in supporting youth sports.

© Autorska Pracownia Projektowa Jerzy Wowczak