In Ostrava, the first stage of the renovation of the city stadium has concluded

Ostrava - The Municipal Stadium in Ostrava-Vítkovice has completed the first phase of reconstruction, which cost 466 million crowns excluding VAT. The most visible change is the new eastern stand with a capacity of 5,020 seats, including those for disabled individuals. It also includes social facilities and snack bars, said Deputy Mayor Martin Štěpánek (ODS) to reporters today.
    The renovation is the largest construction intervention at the sports facility built in 1939, which will primarily serve for athletics and from the 2014/2015 season, it will also be used by the first league football team Baník Ostrava. Their stadium at Bazaly does not meet the requirements of the football association.
    The Vítkovice stadium has received a new polyurethane surface for the athletics track, sectors for technical disciplines, and grass for the playing field. The modernization of the area included the construction of new ticket offices, and the artificial lighting has also been reconstructed. "The first phase of the reconstruction took approximately two and a half years. The most significant structure is the new eastern stand, but practically half of the costs are underground, meaning in the infrastructure," noted Štěpánek.
    The first test of the stadium is expected on June 9 during the Moravian and Silesian championship in youth athletics. The real stress test will then take place on June 27 at the Golden Spike Ostrava, for which mobile stands are already being installed. The total capacity should be 15,000 spectators.
    Work on the second phase of reconstruction is expected to begin in September. It will include the construction of the northern and southern stands and modifications in the western part of the area, as well as facilities for journalists. The estimated costs are 448 million crowns, part of which the city will cover from budget surplus, and it is also once again counting on a subsidy from the Ministry of Education, which contributed 44 million crowns to the first phase. The city now aims to secure a fifty-million subsidy. The complete renovation is planned to be finished by September next year. "From the beginning of the project, we have consulted the use of the sports facilities with the end users, meaning with football clubs and the football and athletics associations, so that we have broad usage, both for national championships and international meetings," said Štěpánek.
    In the future, Baník will also play in Vítkovice, which will likely not sit well with fans who consider Bazaly to be their traditional venue. "I hope that fans will understand. In any case, I feel for them because if you have been going to your home ground for thirty years or even longer, it’s not going to be easy," said the vice chairman of Baník's board, Libor Adámek. He added that the club's goal will be to return to Bazaly. "How we will feel isn't all that significant. We can be glad that we have a place to play and at a certified stadium," noted Adámek, who anticipates that Baník will be in Vítkovice for at least five years.
    However, Štěpánek did not rule out that the first league might permanently move to the municipal stadium. The city, which has become the owner of the Bazaly area, does not have the money for necessary repairs costing hundreds of millions of crowns.