Podkarpackie Centrum Lekkiej Atletyki – design description

How does the project of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center look in a nutshell?

Plans to expand Resovia's modest stadium began to be floated as early as 2006, helped by a private investor who wanted to build a large shopping and entertainment center “Resovia Park” next door.

Nothing ultimately came of the ambitious plans, but Resovia decided to take matters into its own hands and developed a project boisterously named the Subcarpathian Athletics Center (Podkarpackie Centrum Lekkiej Atletyki).

The focus on athletics was not only to strengthen the club's athletics section, but also to help raise additional public funds. Naturally, the facility was still to serve the footballers as well.

Although the initial plan was to preserve the main stand of the old stadium, it was eventually decided to completely demolish it and build a new facility from scratch.

The new stadium will be able to accommodate 7,500 spectators. The stands will be built around the running track, except for a section on the southern curve – but the whole, including the empty south side, will be surrounded by a coherent oval structure forming the roof and façade.

The investment is jointly financed by the city, the province and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism. The construction contract was signed in April 2024, and work began in early 2025 with the demolition of the old stadium. The new facility should be ready by the end of 2026.

How did the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center come about?

When was the old Resovia stadium built?

The old stadium on Wyspiańskiego Street was opened in 1949. The facility was associated with Resovia from the beginning, although in the late 20th century, the club, which was in financial trouble, sold the stadium to the Higher School of Pedagogy (later the University of Rzeszow), but retained the right to use the venue freely.

The stadium was used by the Resovia football team, but also served the club's highly successful athletics section. Since 1984, the facility had a tartan running track, which was built in preparation for the National Youth Spartakiada.

Between 2004 and 2006, the university modernized the stadium, including replacing the surface of the running track, while buildings with lecture halls and monitoring rooms were added to the side sections of the main stand.

How did the old Resovia stadium look like?

In its old form, the Resovia facility had a main stand on the west side. On the other sides, the running track was surrounded by low stands based on earthen embankments. Poles with lighting were also placed around the track.

It was a rather modest stadium, with a capacity of more than 3,000 spectators. Resovia had problems obtaining a license to play at this facility, and in the last years before its demolition the club had to play at the Municipal Stadium, nominally serving its derby rival, Stal Rzeszow.

When were the first plans to rebuild Resovia's stadium conceived?

After the 2004–2006 renovation of the stadium, carried out by the University of Rzeszow, Resovia's players returned to the facility in September 2006. Meanwhile, as early as October 2006, Resovia's president, Aleksander Bentkowski, revealed plans for the complete reconstruction of the stadium and the development of the grounds around the facility.

A private investor was said to be behind the plans, intending to build a shopping mall, a multicinema, a hotel and the first aquapark in Subcarpathia next to the stadium. In exchange for the city's approval for these investments, sports facilities were to be built as well: a new indoor ice rink and an athletics hall with a football pitch and archery tracks. The plans also included the expansion of Resovia's stadium with additional stands, to a capacity of 15,000 spectators.

The assumptions were very ambitious and evolved over time, there was even talk of building two skyscrapers, as well as a bowling alley or skate park. There was a lot of buzz about the project over the next few years, and more and more reports suggested that the plans were close to fruition. The project was initially called “Resovia Park”, although when the ambitious plans began to be heavily truncated, a new one emerged: “Res-Vita”.

When were the plans for the Subcarpathian Athletics Center conceived?

The investor's intentions over time ceased to include stadium expansion, but in 2011 Resovia came up with its own initiative, according to which the stadium was to be rebuilt into a proper athletics center.

The focus on athletics was not only to strengthen the club's athletics section, but also to help raise additional funds from the provincial budget or government programs. Naturally, the facility was also to continue to serve the football team.

Resovia partnered with ZK Architekci studio, which prepared a concept for the stadium's expansion. Renderings were first published in October 2012.

The plan was to keep the existing main stand and build new, much larger stands on the other sides. The facility after expansion was to have a capacity of 16,000 spectators. Next to the stadium, on the south side, a new sports hall was to be built for athletics, football and archery. An additional wing was to house a medical center and the headquarters of the Sports Championship School.

The project was to be implemented in stages, and the first to be built was a new stand opposite the existing main stand. It was to accommodate 4,800 spectators, with an additional indoor track planned inside. The stands on the curves were to be built later.

The whole concept was initially called the Regional Youth Sports Center in Rzeszow. Later, a new name emerged: the Subcarpathian Athletics Center (Podkarpackie Centrum Lekkiej Atletyki).

What development took place regarding the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center?

One of the obstacles to expanding the stadium was the fact that it was owned by the University of Rzeszow. The university authorities claimed that no one had consulted them about anything, and they learned about the various plans from newspapers. The media even reported a conflict between the university and the club. The matter was resolved, however, and the university decided to hand the facility back to Resovia, which happened in late 2014.

While efforts to bring about an expansion of the stadium were underway, a plan for a private investment on adjacent land (the Res-Vita shopping center) finally fell through. As late as the spring of 2016, the ice rink next to the stadium was demolished, but due to the lack of further progress, the city took back the plot from the investor in 2018.

In 2020, the city also took over the stadium from Resovia. The club, which reclaimed the facility from the University of Rzeszow in 2014, has now given it back to the city so that the local government can contribute to the expansion. In late 2022, the city also bought an additional plot of land from the private entity Resovia Residence, which was needed for the development.

In June 2020, an updated concept for the stadium expansion from ZK Architects was presented. The plan looked similar to the one presented back in 2012, except that now the new stands were to be almost fully covered. The new capacity after the expansion was also declared (9,500 spectators, compared to the previously announced 16,000).

When was the tender for the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center announced?

Originally, the cost of building the Subcarpathian Athletics Center was assumed at PLN 32 million, but after the cost estimate was updated, the figure rose to PLN 120 million. Support for the investment was declared by the city, provincial and government authorities. Once all the details were finalized, the city announced a tender for construction work in late 2022.

When was the new concept for the Subcarpathian Athletics Center presented?

When the tender was announced, a new concept for the Subcarpathian Athletics Center was also presented. The project was entirely different from previous plans and involved the complete demolition of the old stadium and the construction of a brand new venue in its place. New stands were to be built on three sides, with an open southern curve.

When was the contractor for the Subcarpathian Athletics Center selected?

The bids were opened on May 8, 2023, but at that time it turned out that only one company (Mirbud) joined the tender, offering to carry out the project for PLN 232.47 million, almost double the cost estimate assumed by the city. On May 11, the tender was cancelled.

In May 2023, K+ARCHITEKCI studio also published new, more attractive renderings of the new concept for the Subcarpathian Athletics Center, unveiled in 2022. Further, updated renderings were published by the City Council in February 2025.

Already at the end of May 2023, a second construction tender was announced. This time six bidders came forward, and the selection of the contractor was announced on November 9, 2023. The bid of the Betonox company, which amounted to PLN 163.8 million, won.

However, this decision was appealed by Mirbud, which submitted the second cheapest bid in the tender, for PLN 193.1 million. The appeal was accepted by the National Board of Appeals and the court, so the city had to review the bids again. After reserving additional funds in the city budget, the selection of the bid from Mirbud was announced on April 4, 2024.

When will the Subcarpathian Athletics Center be built?

When did the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center begin?

On April 24, 2024, the city signed a contract with Mirbud. The construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center is expected to eventually cost PLN 194 million, of which 104 million is to come from the city budget, 60 million from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, and 30 million from the Subcarpathian Voivodeship.

The investment is to be carried out under the design and build formula. The start of construction work was originally scheduled for the summer of 2024, with the completion date set for October 31, 2026.

However, the owner of one of the neighboring plots protested against the construction, and the start of the project was delayed by half a year. Finally, on December 30, 2024, the site was handed over to the contractor, and on January 7, 2025, the first work began.

How is the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center progressing?

First, the demolition of the old stadium was carried out, which was done very efficiently, in about one month. After receiving a building permit, the actual work on the construction of the new facility should have begun. Due to the delay in starting the work, the completion date has been postponed to the end of 2026.

A report on the construction of the Subcarpathian Athletics Center can be seen on a separate subpage

What does the Subcarpathian Athletics Center project entail?

The plan calls for the complete demolition of Resovia's old stadium, followed by the construction of a completely new facility in its place. The new stadium will be given an oval form and will be able to accommodate 7,500 spectators.

The facility will be suitable for high-ranking athletic competitions, such as the Polish senior championships or the European youth championships, and will also meet the requirements for Ekstraklasa football matches.

Single-level, reinforced concrete stands will be built all around the running track, except for a section on the southern curve, where an empty space will remain – if necessary, additional mobile stands can be installed there or a stage can be set up. The main stand with additional facilities is planned on the west side.

The stands will be fully covered, and from the outside they will be covered by a decorative façade. The roof, along with the façade, will also be built on the empty southern curve, thus enclosing the oval body of the building.