A huge sports project in Bratislava

The land on which the huge sports complex is to be built is located on the southern shore of Zlaté Piesky Lake. Currently, it is an unused, overgrown area with several illegally built buildings, which devalues this popular recreational area alongside Bratislava’s Zlaté Piesky. At the same time, this is a compact city parcel intended for sports, leisure and recreation, which also meets the conditions for appropriate transport accessibility. The upcoming project will make the environment much more attractive and will naturally expand the existing city health complex. In particular, this area will finally be able to serve what it is intended for, namely sports.

Said Matúš Vallo, mayor of the capital city:

“I’m glad that we can present this important project today. This is an exceptional matter not only for the entire large football community, but also for many other athletes, fans and, above all, for our talented youth. Despite the long-term demanding situation with sports infrastructure, this is clear proof that dreams can be fulfilled through common efforts. I thank the partners who decided to join this project. This effort of ours and the agreement are also confirmation that Bratislava is a city of possibilities, in this case, sporting possibilities, for a truly huge group of Bratislavans."

One part of the new sports complex will be a youth football centre, the building of which will be handled by the largest football club in Bratislava, ŠK Slovan, or rather its football academy. It will contain as many as 7 football pitches, a grandstand and, of course, technical facilities, changing rooms and accommodation capacities. The investment will also include the building of network infrastructure. The capital city, after approval by the city council, will provide a long-term lease to the club for the land on which it will be able to build a campus.

This is yet another significant boost from the capital city for football, which has long been one of the most popular sports with the largest membership base. The capital has previously provided land to the Bratislava’s oldest football club, FC Petržalka, saved the football pitch and club in Vajnory, and assisted the football club in Vrakuňa.

Said Samuel Slovák, director of the ŠK Slovan academy:

“This project is very important for ŠK Slovan and our youth. The new academy will allow us to create quality conditions for hundreds of children – young footballers and the footballers who train with us every year. We believe that this will be a project with great benefits for the development of youth football and sports in Bratislava."

The capital city wants to invest the funds obtained from leasing the land in the further development of the Zlaté Piesky Health Complex. In addition, as part of the transaction, the city will acquire the TJ Rapid training grounds, which ŠK Slovan currently uses in Prievoz, and will in turn provide them to the FK Inter Bratislava football club with the aim of developing youth football. This means that 5 football clubs will have received help and support from the capital city as part of the football infrastructure development programme.

Said Ján Palenčár, co-owner of FK Inter Bratislava:

“I’m grateful to the representatives of the local government, especially to Mayor Vallo and Mayor Chren, for lending a helping hand to the Inter Bratislava Football Club and to our 420 footballers. The insufficient sports and football infrastructure is the biggest obstacle to the development of our children. After acquiring the premises in Prievoz and its subsequent reconstruction, we will ensure sufficient and high-quality training grounds, above all for our youth. We are also discussing the use of the stadium in Ružová dolina for the needs of our A-team, which would end our long-standing period of ‘homelessness’, and we would be able to responsibly represent Bratislava and Ružinov across Slovakia."

Added the mayor of the Bratislava-Ružinov Municipal District, Martin Chren:

“As mayor, I greatly appreciate these projects, which will contribute to the development of sports infrastructure in the Ružinov area – the building of new football pitches and multifunctional or athletic sports facilities, and the return of the ŠK Rapid complex to municipal hands. The role of cities and municipalities is to support both sport as a lifestyle – that is, mainly to build publicly accessible sports facilities for residents – and children’s and youth sports. It doesn’t matter if your heart as a Bratislava resident is blue or yellow-black, or whether your child goes to training at Domino or at FC Ružinov – the development of football pitches, which have been disappearing in Bratislava for decades, will benefit everyone. In Ružinov, we are likewise fighting for the preservation and development of playgrounds and sports grounds. We invest more than a million euros in them every year. For example, we bought the football complex in Ružová dolina and saved it from development – and today’s agreement will lead to the creation of hectares of new sports areas in Ružinov."

The plans for the land on the southern shore of Zlaté Piesky do not end with football, however. The city’s next plan is to cooperate with the Slovak Athletics Federation on the creation of a city athletics stadium that meets World Athletics standards for international youth athletics competitions. The stadium should contain a full-fledged 400 m track with 8 lanes, a 100 m sprint track, infrastructure for technical athletics disciplines, a grandstand with a building below it, where a sprint tunnel should be located, as well as technical rooms and sanitary facilities.

Said Peter Korčok, president of the Slovak Athletics Associatio:

“Slovak athletics is going through an extremely difficult period in the capital. After the closing of the track at the legendary Inter stadium, Bratislava was left without a single full-fledged stadium with an 8-lane track that would meet the standards for talent development and the organising of international events. Therefore, we see the upcoming project at Zlaté Piesky as a breakthrough, and we are ready to fully support it professionally so that the emerging sports venue meets the criteria of World Athletics. This is not just about concrete and tartan; it is about returning dignified conditions to the ‘queen of sports’ and creating a space where a new generation of the successors of Ján Volko can grow. Partnership with the capital is a priority for us, and I believe that a modern 400-metre track will soon become a reality that Bratislava’s athletes and the public deserve."

In the next phase, the capital city is interested in searching for other partners, particularly among the relevant sports federations and their Bratislava clubs, thanks to which a multifunctional pitch for football and mini-football could be created in the vicinity of the athletics stadium, as well as a multi-sports city arena, especially for indoor sports. This should have dimensions that satisfy the standards for several indoor sports and their international competitions.

The embankment in the affected area will, of course, also be revitalised as part of the intended city sports complex. This further opens up space for the construction of a comprehensive infrastructure for running, skating or cycling along the entire shoreline of the natural swimming site of Zlaté Piesky. A large part of the shore is not the property of the city, however. City management is therefore interested in communicating this project with individual actors, so that these sections of the lake can also be made accessible to Bratislava residents so that they can use them to the fullest.