The Kladno hockey stadium will have a new roof in 2021

Kladno – The Kladno ice hockey stadium will have a new roof in 2021. The building will also undergo repairs to its façade, including insulation. Work is set to begin next spring after the hockey season ends, with completion expected before the start of the next season. Estimated costs will reach 150 million crowns, with the city announcing the tender in spring, Kladno's Mayor Dan Jiránek (ODS) said at today's press conference. The highest domestic league, the Extraliga, is played at the stadium by Rytíři Kladno.

"We have, shall we say, the oldest stadium. It was built in 1959," stated the owner of the Kladno hockey club, Jaromír Jágr, adding that he is glad the city proceeded with the roof repairs. The stadium also serves several hundred young players, and recreational hockey players use it as well.

Currently, special sensors from the Buštěhrad Institute UCEEB of the Czech Technical University monitor the stadium's structure. When a large amount of snow falls, climbers must clear it from the roof.

According to the mayor, in addition to the roof, windows, electrical wiring, lighting, and air conditioning will also be replaced. Rainwater from the roof will be collected in tanks, which the city will use, for example, for watering. Component manufacturing for the roof and façade should begin after evaluating the tender later this year, so that installation can directly commence next spring without delay.

During the work, hockey players' training will move to the second Kladno ice rink. If there is a risk of delays, according to Jágr, an arrangement can be made, similar to a previous repair, for the Rytíři to play their first ten Extraliga games away instead of at home.

The city is also planning further stages of the stadium's reconstruction and modernization. The interior of the hall and the players' facilities are to be upgraded, and there are plans to create a new floor above the northern stand. The eastern stand will remain standing for home fans even after the renovation. Overall, the complete modernization of the stadium is expected to cost over 600 million crowns.

Before the elections in 2014, when Dan Jiránek was at the helm of the city, the roof was temporarily repaired, already calculating that the repair would last about five years. At that time, approximately 30 million crowns were invested in the stadium, for example, for seat replacement and upgrading facilities.

In November 2016, the then-mayor of Kladno, Milan Volf (Volba pro Kladno), stated that construction work on the roof repair should begin in 2017 or 2018, and in February 2018 announced the postponement of the planned reconstruction to the following year. He cited better timing for starting the work as the reason. Since autumn 2018, the city has once again been led by Jiránek.

Last year, the city leadership discussed the extent of the stadium's repair, considering whether to repair the roof or carry out a complete renovation. Therefore, they were exploring the possibility of grants, which have not yet been obtained, leading them to divide the extensive modernization into stages. The city will likely use a loan for its implementation. Kladno is expected to manage a budget of 1.7 billion crowns this year.