Hradec Králové has started building a football stadium, it will be completed in April 2023.

Hradec Králové – Hradec Králové today officially commenced the rough construction of a football stadium for 568 million korunas excluding VAT. This occurred after the city received a building modification permit from the construction office for the stadium last week. So far, the builders have only been able to work according to the original building permit since taking over the construction site last August. They primarily conducted demolition and preparatory work.

"We have reached a crucial moment in the entire process of building the stadium," stated Mayor Alexandr Hrabálek (ODS). The city has been preparing the construction on the site of a partially demolished multi-sport stadium built in 1966 for over 15 years.

The stadium is being built by a consortium of companies including Strabag, Geosan Group, and D&D Elektromont. They won the competition commissioned by the city using the Design and Build method, where one contractor designs and builds the structure. The consortium signed a contract with the city in April 2021 and subsequently began designing the tendered stadium. The building modification permit respects the limits of the original building permit and contains the current construction project.

The stadium, which is the largest investment in the modern history of the city, is expected to be completed by April 28, 2023. It should meet UEFA category 4 standards, which are for stadiums hosting international matches. It should also comply with requirements for a multifunctional arena. The arena's capacity is expected to be 8,000 spectators, with the possibility of increasing it to 9,300 seats. All seats will be covered.

At the turn of February and March, the builders will erect four cranes on the future playing field and will begin constructing the main load-bearing structure. The main buildings will be the western grandstand, which will contain facilities, and the ring of the remaining three grandstands. "The foundations of the future playing field will be laid in the autumn," stated technical manager of Strabag, Aleš Fišer.

The first visible change to the construction took place last September when builders dismantled four lighting masts, known as lollipops, which were a characteristic landmark of the city. After refurbishment, the several dozen-meter long masts will be incorporated into the structure of the new stadium.

The designers have incorporated three gymnasiums, a 100-meter covered track, and an outdoor amphitheater into the stadium. The stadium should provide facilities and outdoor space for congresses, festivals, or harvest celebrations. For concerts, up to 25,000 spectators should fit into the stands and on the playing field. A 600-meter long athletic track will run around the stadium.

A question mark still hangs over the future of the eastern grandstand of the original stadium, which is about 20 meters from the new stadium. The city will still have to decide whether to demolish it or preserve it after renovation.

The city wants to secure funding for the stadium from the National Sports Agency (NSA). The server Seznam Zprávy reported in January that Hradec Králové was unsuccessful in the funding call. Following that, Hradec Králové prompted the NSA to cancel the funding call. The call and the process of evaluating applications are reportedly in violation of legal regulations according to the city hall. The NSA stated that it does not intend to cancel the funding call. The city is prepared to build the stadium even without the grant.

Recently, the chairwoman of the opposition Hradec Democratic Club and council member Pavlína Springerová criticized the city's approach to securing a grant that could amount to up to 300 million korunas. "If the stadium does not receive financial support from the NSA definitively, it will be a disgrace, an expensive disappointment, and a failure of the city leadership," she stated. According to her, the city will then be left with a "robbed treasury" and will not have funds for other investments.