Puszcza secured its place in the Ekstraklasa for the 2024/2025 season after a fierce battle to stay up. Following a 1:0 victory over Piast Gliwice in the last round, celebrations were held in Niepołomice to mark the undeniable success of Tomasz Tułacz's team. However, the club faces a significant challenge in securing a stadium for the upcoming matches.

End of Kraków hospitality

After their promotion to the Ekstraklasa in 2023 and the complications with the planned rental of Wisła Kraków’s stadium, Puszcza found refuge at Cracovia’s ground. However, in April of this year, the president of Cracovia announced that Puszcza would only play their home games at Kałuża Street until December. After that, they won't be here anymore, he remarked during a press conference. Fortunately, a wide array of online sports betting options will always be available for you. Check out an online betting company and enjoy the game. To my surprise, I found out that most match day duties are handled by my employees. If I took them away, they probably wouldn't be able to organize a match. This statement caused a stir in the media, and everyone began to wonder where Puszcza would play in the spring of 2025 if they stayed in the league.

During Puszcza's fight for promotion to the Ekstraklasa, there was much talk about modernizing their current stadium in Niepołomice to meet the requirements, but nothing concrete happened, and Puszcza still cannot play at their home ground. There were even talks about building an entirely new arena, but that remains a distant prospect.

© MKS Puszcza Niepołomice

Will a proper facility be built?

The local elections in April brought a change that might signal a new beginning for Niepołomice and, of course, Puszcza. New mayor Michał Hebda addressed the stadium situation in an interview with Bochnianin.pl.

We are working on providing access for broadcast trucks to the stadium. This is one condition set by the Ekstraklasa, along with installing cameras that meet Live Park's standards, the operator servicing Canal+. We have approval from the PZPN that currently, there is no need to increase the number of seats in the stadium. If we can meet these two conditions, it is realistic that Ekstraklasa matches will be played in Niepołomice by February 2025. That is our goal.

The mayor also announced that while the construction of a new stadium is not planned for this term, such plans do exist for the next 10 years. The idea is to create a large sports complex in the industrial zone, outside the city center. It would consist of a small football stadium and a multi-purpose hall for hosting concerts, festivals, and large events. It's an ambitious project that will likely be realized over two terms, but I believe Niepołomice deserves such a facility, concluded Michał Hebda.

© MKS Puszcza Niepołomice