|
Investments in training
| |
|
|
Smaller towns are set to gain from
the upcoming Euro 2012 games. Olawa in Dolnoslaskie voivodship is
one of them (wbj.pl)
|
The Euro 2012 competition is drawing
closer and host cities are preoccupied with the task of building their
respective stadiums. Neighboring towns are also likely to get involved,
by hosting teams, officials and fans. Lokale Immobilia takes a look at
some of the secondary sports and hotel investments aimed at accommodating
Euro 2012
During the Euro 2012 soccer championships, Poland's metropolises will
taste the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat alike. This is almost
a given for Euro 2012 host cities Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw -
with Krakow and Chorzow standing in reserve - but smaller Polish cities
are also hoping to get involved in the emotional event, luring fans and
participants with modern hotel and sports infrastructure.
Earlier this year, a total of 44 towns were recommended to UEFA as possible
locations to host national teams during the competition. The towns on
the list, which was prepared by the Polish Ministry of Sport, the Polish
Soccer Federation (PZPN) and PL.2012, a government company responsible
for coordinating preparations for Euro 2012, have three years to get into
shape.
To host a national team according to UEFA standards, a hotel has to have
at least 50 rooms of four- or five-star standard. The hotel has to be
no further than an hour's drive from an airport and there should be an
illuminated sports ground with three soccer fields located within 20-minutes
driving distance, which a team could use for training purposes.
This presents a challenge for local governments hoping to attract soccer
teams, their entourages and fans, and to benefit from their spending.
Smaller towns will also be competing to host official UEFA delegations,
especially since some hotel infrastructure suitable for that purpose is
already in place.
Strong southwest
Southern Poland is set to bloom thanks to the upcoming Euro 2012 games,
as Wroclaw will host games and reserve cities Chorzow and Krakow will
also get some attention. Among the 11 towns in the Lower Silesia region
recommended to UEFA, a number already boast the requisite sports infrastructure,
although they lack hotels.
One such town is Trzebnica, which has a soccer field that needs a little
renovation in order to meet UEFA standards and another field that will
be developed through a government-sponsored program. In Q4 2008, a private
investor will break ground for a new four-star hotel complex, Hotel Trzebnica,
which will feature 70 rooms, a restaurant, conference hall, spa and fitness
center. The fourth quarter will also see the start of the biggest investment
in the history of the local government.
"This will be a water-park complex, with indoor and outdoor pools
and all the modern water-park facilities, such as slides, saunas, sun-tanning
studios, a paddling pool and bar," Joanna Bebenek, chief architect
at TrzebnicaCity Hall, told Lokale Immobilia.
Zabkowice Slaskie is another small town interested in developing its Euro
2012 potential. Local authorities are trying to attract investors to build
a hotel on a 1,078-ha plot, close to an already under-construction sports
facility. "We always emphasize to investors that there is practically
no competition in terms of hotels in Zabkowice," said Krzysztof Kotowicz,
the town's mayor.
In Olawa, located 27 km southeast of Wroclaw, a new hotel is nearing completion.
The project is located just five minutes away from an existing sports
center and the local authorities are in negotiations with a private investor
to build yet another hotel there.
Finally, in the town of Milicz, authorities have been working since 2006
to develop 11 ha of land into sports infrastructure. A stadium and parking
facilities have already been completed. Another investment in Milicz is
a leisure and fitness center which comprises a four-star hotel and indoor
pool. The hotel complex, completion of which is planned for 2010, will
feature 65 hotel rooms - 58 standard rooms and seven apartments.
"We are in final talks with a partner to finance, build and manage
the future complex," said Tomasz Kasprolewicz, deputy mayor of Milicz.
Speculation on Silesia
According to media speculation, it is likely that UEFA will choose a city
in the Silesia voivodship, where Chorzow is located, to headquarter its
delegation during Euro 2012. The possibility has sparked excitement, but
local businessmen and facility owners will need to use the next three
years to improve their offers.
The Amadeus Hotel in Wodzislaw Slaski, for example, needs to be expanded
from the current 24 rooms to about 40 if it wants to court UEFA officials,
while the Orbis Aria hotel in Sosnowiec will be modernized. The famous
Piramida hotel in Tychy will be expanded and its owner, Tadeusz Ceglinski,
wants to add a conference center. He also has plans to build another hotel
in the city.
Rybnik, a city of 140,000 located near Chorzow, is a contender to host
the UEFA delegation. The city has worked hard to put its past as a mining
town behind it, earning recognition from Rzeczpospolita in 2007 as the
most effective Polish city in terms of acquiring EU funds for investments.
Adam Fudali, the mayor of Rybnik, boasts of developments like shopping
malls and the renovation of the central train and bus station.
Rybnik is preparing to compete for Euro 2012 visitors by renovating two
sports and leisure centers. One of these centers used to host Polish national
soccer teams in the 1970s and 1980s, and Rybnik would like to return to
its glory days.
Northern pride
Gdansk is the only northern Polish city to host Euro 2012 games and most
of the potential host towns are located to the south. But one northern
town on the list is Gniewino, located 73 km away from Gdansk, and it is
intensively expanding its hotel infrastructure. Within the next two years,
a four- or five-star hotel will be delivered, furnishing 50 double rooms,
11 suites and 10 luxury apartments. The new establishment will feature
a conference room and recreational facilities, including a swimming pool
and spa. The city has some existing sports infrastructure and a new sports
center is expected to open in 2010.
Even in areas where there is no hotel infrastructure at all, some towns
are trying to offer what they have best in stock. The Gdynia-Kosakowo
airport hopes to be a substitute for the Gdansk-Rebiechowo airport, for
example. The airfield is currently used by the military but has already
been partially adjusted for civilian use, according to its authorities.
The main remaining challenge is to build aprons to accommodate charter
planes which could drop off fans in Gdansk and then park elsewhere.
Gdynia-Kosakowo could also serve as an airport for emergency services,
smaller private jets and helicopters that would not have space to park
at the main airport. The landing strip would have to be improved for Airbus
and Boeing planes, however. "We would be ready to host 70 smaller
planes, carrying up to 50 passengers each, and 15 [larger] planes, carrying
around 200 passengers," said Janusz Stateczny, chairman of Gdynia-Kosakowo
Airport Company.
Preparations near Poznan
For their part, many towns near Poznan have been developing their tourist
infrastructure since before Poland won the chance to co-host Euro 2012.
In 2005, Jarocin launched renovation and expansion of its existing three-star
Hotel Jarota, which is located in the middle of an existing sports center,
for instance.
A 3,210-sqm sports and spa center is also currently under construction
in the city. Local authorities and Jarocin Sport, a city-owned company
overseeing sports and tourism investments, also plan to expand an existing
swimming pool and renovate a hotel, adding 10 four-star apartments. Construction
of a 1,000-sqm conference and banquet center is also planned.
Warsaw takes (nearly) all
In contrast to the other cities, there is not a lot of investment planned
for the area surrounding Warsaw. It seems that the capital has ambitiously
taken up the challenge of hosting players, fans and UEFA officials all
by itself.
A few towns are pursuing opportunities, however. Authorities in Piaseczno,
for one, have cooperated with the Stefan Kurylowicz architectural studio
to design a sports center with a hotel, water park and stadium. An offer
for investors should be ready by the end of the year.
Lodz plans to benefit from Euro 2012 by underscoring its proximity to
Warsaw and developing new hotels. A four-star Andels hotel will be opened
in spring 2009 and a four-star Hilton is scheduled for delivery in 2010.
Beyond the host cities
"It is likely that eight different national soccer teams will be
staying in Poland. Recommending 44 different sites was done to mobilize
and motivate local communities and it is now up to the local authorities
and private investors to face this challenge and use this opportunity.
More locations than needed were also recommended in case there were some
construction delays. The purpose is also to make UEFA Euro 2012 go beyond
the host cities, and into Poland," Andrzej Bogucki, vice-president
of infrastructure at PL.2012 explained.
In the end, of course, where they stay is up to the national teams themselves,
but according to Bogucki they are likely to stay in smaller towns during
the event. And long after Euro 2012 is gone, its effects will be still
felt. Those towns which make an effort to improve local infrastructure
- even if they don't attract major fare from the competition - will have
contributed to the overall modernization of the country.
WBJbj.pl,
17th September 2008
|
|
