The Brno council wants to demolish the stadium and hall at Lužánky within a year

Brno - The Brno city council wants to demolish the football stadium and ice hockey hall in the Ponava area behind Lužánky Park next year. Both sports venues, where successful first-league teams once played, have long been out of operation and are in a dilapidated state. After the demolition, the council intends to prepare the area for the construction of a new multipurpose hall and football arena. According to today's statement by Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD), the construction of the hall could begin as early as the end of 2007.
    The fate of the Ponava area has been a topic of discussion among politicians for years. However, no funding has yet been found for the construction of modern sports facilities that Brno lacks. Financing is still not clarified. The city is preparing a project to revitalize Ponava in cooperation with private investors and is also hoping for contributions from the state budget and the European Union. The basic plan is expected to be presented by the council in January. Demolition preparations are, however, being made independently of it. "Whatever we decide to build, it is important for the area to be ready," Onderka said to ČTK.
    By January, the council wants to find solutions to some property issues at Ponava. The demolition of the football stadium is complicated by two transformer stations located on its premises. One is used by the nearby Boby hotel, while the other is used by a neighboring supermarket. Additionally, the hockey hall has workshops of a private company nearby. Onderka believes in an early agreement with the owners.
    The new multipurpose hall with a capacity of 10,000 seats is intended primarily for hockey players and basketball players. According to the council's plans, the football stadium should accommodate 30,000 spectators. "We want to achieve, after discussions with the Czech-Moravian Football Association, for the stadium to be perceived as a regional one," Onderka stated. The venue must meet criteria for important international or cup matches. No one has yet been able to accurately estimate the costs for revitalizing Ponava.
    The currently dilapidated football stadium Za Lužánkami was once one of the symbols of Brno's sports. Zbrojovka Brno won the league championship title there in 1978. It once held up to 50,000 people and still holds the record for attendance in the Czech league. A total of 44,120 spectators attended the match between Brno and Slavia Prague in October 1996. Currently, Brno's footballers play at a smaller city stadium in Srbská Street, which fans have not taken a liking to.