The construction of the new venue has been going on for some time. A heated field has already been laid and this will allow Sandecja to play at home after a nearly six-month break. There is also a chance for a larger stadium provided additional funding is found.

Yesterday in Nowy Sącz, new renderings of the facility that is already under construction were presented. At the start of the works, an arena with a capacity of 4,880 seats was planned, consisting of two stands along the pitch. However, for some time it has been reported that city authorities are considering building two more stands behind the goals, which would bring the ground's final capacity to 8,111.

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As announced, so was done. On Saturday, a short presentation was held on the newly-laid heated pitch with the participation of city representatives, the contractor of the stadium and the president of the Polish Football Association - Cezary Kulesza. An updated version of Sandecja's new home was shown, where the stadium has a compact body and roof lighting.

The cost of creating two stands and a heated field was estimated at PLN 50.7 million (€ 11 million). It is certain that the construction of two more tribunes will significantly increase the total cost of construction. Unofficially, it is said that it may even be PLN 75 million (€ 16.3 million). The city council has not yet made clear whether it is ready to make further commitments. It will probably be clarified in the coming months.

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It is considered to increase the remuneration of the current contractor through an annex to the contract and to announce a tender for additional works. The construction is financed entirely by a loan taken out by the city council through its subsidiary. The president of Blackbird - Jan Kos (stadium contractor) declares that the completion of the facility with four stands is feasible by the end of next year. However, this seems to be an overly optimistic scenario.

Work on the construction of a new stand opposite to the existing structure begins on Monday. Sandecja will be able to play at its stadium during the works, provided that the new playing field passes all technical approvals. In an optimistic scenario, it would be possible on November 17 (the game against Skra). Interestingly, the new pitch is raised by 1.2 m compared to the old one.

Author: Tomasz Sobura