Modernization of the Poruba Sports Centre is now complete

The project was implemented in two phases. The first part of the new sports centre was opened to the public in May 2022. The second phase of the project brought more extensive changes; it was launched in February 2022 and completed in September of this year.

"The total cost of the project’s second phase was 166 million CZK, funded from the City of Ostrava’s budget in the form of an investment subsidy to the City-owned SAREZA sports management company, which owns and operates the complex. The project was designed by the CHVÁLEK ATELIÉR studio, and the building contractor was Zlínstav.

Ostrava’s Mayor Jan Dohnal explained the project’s importance: “This is another sports facility that will offer people an excellent opportunity to pursue constructive leisure activities. The modern amenities can be used by registered athletes, sports clubs, and also members of the general public who enjoy sport and active recreation. There’s a workout area and a children’s playground for the youngest visitors. Supporting sport is a key priority for Ostrava, and this brand-new complex continues to expand the range of sports facilities in the city. The complex was originally built in 1974, and the reconstruction was very extensive and thorough, because after fifty years of valuable service the facilities really deserved an upgrade. I’d like to thank everybody who has been involved in the project.”

The second phase of the modernization involved creating a new grass football pitch and a 400-metre athletics track plus areas for field disciplines, as well as seating for 1 000 spectators, a grass training pitch, a multi-purpose pitch with a synthetic surface for handball, volleyball, tennis or streetball, four workout areas with gym/exercise equipment, and a children’s play area. The second phase of the project also included construction work for a new entrance building with changing rooms, refreshment facilities and an outdoor terrace, plus storage and technical facilities. Asphalt and paved roadways and walkways were laid, and new fences were built. Jaroslav Kovář from Ostrava’s SAREZA sports management company gave more information: “Phase 2 of the modernization project in Poruba was the final step in a challenging three-year process. All the sports facilities – whether pitches, courts, the running track or the areas for field disciplines – meet the criteria for competitive events, and I’m confident that our local teams will once again achieve some great successes here. Thanks go to the City of Ostrava and to everybody who has been involved in this ambitious modernization – particularly the CHVÁLEK ATELIÉR studio, which designed the project, and the main building contractor Zlínstav.”

The first part of the modernization created new playing areas and upgraded the tennis changing room facilities. Work on this phase began in December 2020, but it was hindered by the pandemic and also by poor weather, which prevented the artificial surface from being laid as scheduled (the installation was originally planned for the end of 2021). The newly reconstructed part of the complex was opened to the public in May 2022. The cost of the first phase was 57 million CZK, which was funded from the City’s budget. A certified playing area with artificial grass (Astroturf) was created on the site of the former cinder pitch, and it is marked out with lines for American football. The architect Martin Chválek from CHVÁLEK ATELIÉR summed up his studio’s role in the modernization: “We’ve been involved in this project for seven years in total. We appreciate the opportunity to participate throughout the entire process, from the planning stage to the implementation. In other words, our first input was in the initial conceptual study, and we were then involved during all the phases of the detailed planning process, culminating in our supervision of the construction work itself.”

Lucie Baránková Vilamová, the Mayor of the Poruba Municipal District, described the benefits of the complex: “Not only registered athletes, but also members of the public who enjoy recreational sport have been eagerly awaiting the re-opening. Now, Poruba has a modern, fully-fledged sports amenity that we have been lacking for so long. The opening will be a cause for great celebration – for Poruba itself, and also for the entire city.”

Ostrava’s chronicler Martin Juřica recounted the complex’s history: “The original sports ground in the old village of Poruba was closed in the 1950s to make way for the new town that was being built there. A temporary sports ground was created near Skautská Street. The changing rooms and showers for home and away teams and referees were located in a youth centre that was around 300 metres from the cinder playing field. In 1959, work began on a new sports complex with pitches and courts for football, handball, volleyball, tennis, and field athletics disciplines. Temporary changing facilities were built using huts from construction sites where they were no longer needed, and cold-water plumbing was installed. The complex gradually expanded. For example, in 1965, as part of a voluntary work programme, seating was added around the playing areas, with a total length of 1440 metres. The sports complex at Skautská Street was enlarged again in 1974 as part of another voluntary work programme, funded by the Czechoslovak Physical Education Association, Ostrava’s city council, and the Poruba district council. In 1987–1988 the complex was expanded further when new tennis courts and changing/shower facilities were built.”