Stadion Sportowy Tarnów – design description

How did the redevelopment of the stadium on Traugutta Street in Tarnów-Moscice come about?

In June 2019, Kraków and Małopolska were selected as the hosts of the 3rd European Games, to be held in 2023. In November 2021, an agreement was signed under which Tarnów officially joined the group of cities hosting the event. The disciplines scheduled to be played in Tarnow are sport climbing, badminton, beach handball and beach football.

In connection with the organization of the Games, reconstruction of the athletics and football stadium on Traugutta Street in Tarnow-Moscice was planned. A practically new football facility was to be built there, which would be temporarily turned into a Beach Sports Center for the duration of the European Games. The facility was scheduled to host beach handball and beach soccer competitions.

What will the new stadium on Traugutta Street in Tarnów-Mościce be like?

The project involves decommissioning the existing athletics and football stadium and building a virtually new, football-specific venue in its place. The pitch is to be shifted slightly to the north. On the western side, a stand of reinforced concrete construction will be built to accommodate a minimum of 1,000 spectators (including at least 500 under the roof). The stand will have VIP and media seats.

The stand, with three tiers inside, will be equipped with full technical facilities (changing rooms, storerooms, administrative and catering areas) and sanitary facilities. There will be a sound and monitoring system, and the project also includes new parking spaces and a fence. The facility will be located in close proximity to the Municipal Stadium, the Arena Jaskółka Tarnów, the Mościce Art Center and the Tarnów Mościce railway station.

The second stand, opposite the main stand, is also planned to be built later.

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 completed concept, was prepared by the ART Artur Grodziński office, a consortium member of the ANKO company. 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, together 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 a building permit, the actual construction work began. The completion of the first stage of the project came just before the 2023 Games, which began in June.

As part of the first stage of work, the main stand of the future stadium was built. For the duration of the Games, a sandy field for beach sports was created in front of the stand. Next to the stadium, in the area of the tennis courts, two practice fields were also built with temporary stands accommodating about 200 spectators each, and for the Games the facility became a Beach Sports Center.

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

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 phase of the construction of the new stadium in Tarnow-Moscice be carried out?

In October 2023 and February 2024, the city issued two tenders for the second phase of the investment (construction of the football field), but each time the amounts far exceeded the budget (in the second tender, the lowest bid was for PLN 14.6 million, while the city had just over PLN 10 million for this purpose).

Finally, in May 2024, the city received PLN 6.71 million in funding from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, which made it possible to conclude the third tender, announced back in March. The contract was signed on July 9, 2024, and PRB Olexbud became the contractor. The value of the contract is PLN 14.67 million.

What does the second phase of the construction of the new stadium in Tarnow-Moscice include?

Phase II of the investment includes the creation of a full-size football field. The pitch will have a hybrid surface and will be equipped with irrigation and heating systems. In addition, four floodlight masts will also be built, as well as a fence. 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. So far it is not yet known for sure whether, and if so when, this stage will be implemented.