Stadion Sportowy Tarnów – construction description

Why is a new stadium being built at Traugutta Street in Tarnow?

In 2023, Kraków and Małopolska hosted the 3rd edition of the European Games. Part of the competition also took place in Tarnow. One of the investments planned in the city in connection with the Games was the construction of a new football stadium on Traugutta Street, on the site of the existing athletics and football facility (opposite the City Stadium). For the duration of the event, the new stadium was to be temporarily turned into a Beach Sports Centre to host beach handball and beach football competitions.

When was the first stage of construction of the new stadium in Tarnow-Moscice carried out?

The functional-utility programme and the concept for the new facility by engineer Tadeusz Surówka were created in December 2021. In February 2022, the city announced a tender for the design and construction of the stadium. In April 2022, the city received funding from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and a contract was signed with the contractor, ANKO from Tarnów, which was the only company to submit a bid in the tender. The value of the contract is PLN 23.8 million, of which PLN 20.138 million was subsidized by the ministry and the rest was the local government's own contribution.

The design documentation, based on a previously developed concept, was prepared by the ART Artur Grodziński office, a consortium member of ANKO. Once the documentation was completed, the first construction work began in August 2022, involving the demolition of elements of the existing stadium, including the running track and the rest of the earth embankment, which, along with the stands, had already been partially dismantled several years earlier. Preparatory work for the construction of the new elements had also begun.

In November 2022, after obtaining planning permission, the actual construction work started. Completion of the works took place just before the Games, which start in June 2023. In connection with the Games, a sandy pitch was created at the stadium for beach sports. Next to the stadium, two training pitches were also created in the area of the tennis courts, with temporary stands accommodating around 200 spectators each. During the Games, the facility served as the Beach Sports Center.

What was the scope of the first stage of work carried out in connection with the construction of the new stadium at Traugutta Street in Tarnów?

The construction work involved demolishing the existing football and athletics facility and building a new, football-specific venue in its place, with the pitch slightly shifted to the north of the previous one. On the west side, a reinforced concrete structure was erected for the main stand, seating 1,000 spectators (including some under roof). It features VIP and media seating, and a three-storey backstage area was built underneath the stand.

What are the further plans for the new stadium on Traugutta Street in Tarnów?

In the first stage of the project, only the main stand was built. The purpose of this stage was to prepare the facility for the 2023 European Games, during which there was a sand pitch in front of the grandstand, making the facility serve as a Beach Sports Center. Ultimately, however, the facility is to serve as a football facility (and will probably be used by the football club Unia Tarnów), with a full-size turf field to replace the sandy pitch. A second stand is also to be erected on the opposite side.

The investment could not be resumed immediately after the Games, and the new stand stood unused. It was agreed that the football field would be constructed first, so that the facility could begin to be used. Construction of the second stand was postponed until later.

When will the second stage of the construction of the new stadium in Tarnow-Moscice be carried out?

Adequate funds for carrying out the second stage of the investment were raised only after the Ministry of Sports and Tourism awarded funding in May 2024. The contract for the second stage was signed on July 9, 2024, with PRB Olexbud as the contractor, and the value of the contract is PLN 14.67 million.

The second part of the investment includes the construction of a full-size football field with hybrid turf, heating and watering, as well as the construction of four floodlight masts and fencing. The work is to be completed within 18 months (the stadium should be ready by early 2026 at the latest).

What is planned for the third stage of the construction of the new stadium in Tarnow-Moscice?

The final third stage is to be the construction of a second stand, opposite the main stand. For the time being, it is not yet known for sure whether, and if so when, this stage will be implemented.