Ekstraklasa Stadiums 2021/2022 Ranked
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Shady Skonto stadium buyer, a Russian businessman, believes he was cheatedLatvijoje Skonto stadiono kompleksas parduotas už €35 milijonus.
https://jauns.lv/raksts/bizness/70175-s ... a-nopirkts
As reported, the President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Čeferins, will visit Latvia on September 21 and 22, meeting with government representatives and Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis to discuss cooperation between the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) and local authorities in the construction of a football stadium in Riga.
The lack of a football stadium has been a sore point for years. Latvia is the only country in Europe that does not have its own football stadium that meets the highest UEFA requirements. For some time, the home of the Latvian national team was the "Skonto" stadium, built in 2000, but in the last ten years it has not been modernized in accordance with international requirements, and for more than five years it has not been possible to play UEFA competitions without asking for exceptions.
Since 2018, the Latvian national football team also has access to the renovated "Daugava" stadium, which is close to the UEFA 4th category in terms of requirements. However, it is the only national team stadium in Europe where the vast majority of spectator seats are not sheltered, and one of the few where spectator stands are so far from the playing field.
The project dedicated to the centenary of Latvia "Creation of a Culture and Sports Quarter in the vicinity of Grīziņkalns" was implemented by the "Daugava" stadium in cooperation with the Riga City Council's Transport Department. The project was implemented from the available European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds, which were supplemented by co-financing from the state and local government budget. The LFF has also made significant investments in the improvement of the stadium, such as the care of the square and the construction of a roof over part of the first level of the central grandstand.
LFF is undoubtedly pleased with the availability of the "Daugava" stadium and its openness to the Latvian national football team and clubs, but at the same time, the clear desire of the LFF and the entire domestic football community is to provide fans with an experience appropriate for the 21st century - the opportunity to watch the game under the roof without worrying about the weather, and to see domestic and sometimes even world-wide stars at a respectable distance, and not as tiny as the luminaries of the sky in the night sky of August.
The LFF management has achieved the support of UEFA and FIFA in negotiations with its international partners and is ready to co-engage in financing the construction of a new football stadium. However, the implementation of the plans also requires the support of the state and local government. Contrary to the opinion sometimes found in society that a football stadium in Latvia is needed only for football players alone, in reality the emergence of such a modern building in Riga would be a valuable benefit for a much wider range of society.
It is worth recalling that the "Skonto" stadium has hosted not only football matches with world stars, but also gathered tens of thousands of music lovers at concerts. At the "Skonto" stadium, such musicians as Joe Coker and Elton John, "Depeche Mode", "Metallica", "Aerosmith" and the association of domestic musicians "Brainstorm" have given their performances. In 2003, a dance concert performance of the General Latvian Song and Dance Festival was also held there, and for other years various events related to the Song and Dance Festival were held there. Also, football halls in Riga have hosted ice hockey world championships twice, as well as other mass events and their rehearsals. The National Stadium would be one of the country's calling cards, which is able to gather together our compatriots, uniting them in a single song, as well as increase the growth potential of tourism, entertainment and sports.
In the autumn of 2018, UEFA President A. Čeferins already visited Latvia, discussing with government representatives the results of a study conducted by UEFA GROW. The aim of the study was to analyse data that would allow to accurately assess the impact of football on the Latvian economy and social environment. Latvia was only the third country in Europe to complete such a study. The data obtained in the study showed that investing in football brings significant funds to the country's economy – for example, creating new jobs, and at the same time allows the state to save millions in health care, crime fighting and other essential segments.
"I'm really touched by how many people have publicly expressed that they would love to see a modern stadium in Victory Park. Moreover, it is surprising that such an opinion has also been expressed by those who are not related to sports. To be honest, I personally really liked the idea that in that particular location nothing could be more beautiful than a place where there is a reason to regularly chanting a common "Latvia! Latvia!", and I, too, really cannot imagine an even better solution in the territory of Victory Park. At the same time, my priority as president of the LFF is a modern stadium in Riga. Clearly, ideally, I would like to have the best possible traffic infrastructure near the stadium, which would allow people to easily access the territory and just as conveniently get out of it after a mass event, but the choice of the exact place is not within my jurisdiction. I am open to discussions and ready to cooperate with state and municipal authorities in order to find the best possible solution for all parties involved. The choice of the appropriate place is in a sense a public decision, it can be discussed, different opinions and arguments can be heard, but the very need for a modern stadium in Latvia, in my opinion, is not in doubt. Everyone will benefit from this." says LFF President Vadim Lyashenko.
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Since 2017, LFF's investments in the improvement of football and sports infrastructure amount to six million euros – construction of more than 30 fields with synthetic pavement, improvement of the "Daugava" stadium in Riga, provision of field care equipment, construction of automatic watering systems and implementation of other projects of the LFF football infrastructure support program.
Also, the ambitious program of construction of closed football halls has been successfully launched, which provides for the installation of seven such football houses in different places of Latvia in cooperation with local authorities. The first has already been opened in Rezekne, the second will open its doors in Liepaja this month, and the third is planned for next year in the territory of the "Daugava" stadium in Riga.
- Currently, work is underway on the foundations of the sports hall facility, their advancement is about 70 percent. In the near future, it is also planned to start installation works in this area and reinforced concrete works of foundations for the stadium - informs Magdalena Skorupka-Kaczmarek, a representative of NDI to contact the media. "At the end of the year, we plan to start assembling prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, and at the end of the first quarter of next year, we plan to start prefabrication of the steel structure of the roof, which is to be installed in full by the third/ fourth quarter of 2023.KaŽkur 60–63 milijonų projektui (pirmas fazei), kai buvo planuota 52–54 milijonai eurų.