The National Center for Football Training, Research and Training will be established in Otwock. The center will consist of a functional stadium and a swimming pool complex. It is to be a modern training center for football players in Europe.
On Saturday, Minister of Sport and Tourism Kamil Botniczuk signed a list of projects recommended for support under the “Programme of investments of particular importance for sport”. The National Center for Football Training, Research and Training will be established in Otwock.
💥 Minister @KamilBortniczuk announced a strategic investment for the development of Polish sport! 💥
❗️ W #Otwock creation of the ⚽️ National Center for Football Training, Research and Training @pzpn_pl @LaczyNasPilka. For the implementation of this investment, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism will allocate… pic.twitter.com/4k3D7SKIWE
— Ministry of Sport and Tourism (@SPORT_GOV_PL) October 7, 2023
– The local center will be the most modern football training center in Europe. This will be the “home” of all national football teams to provide them with the best possible conditions for training camps, said the Minister of Sport.
In addition to members of parliament and local government authorities, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Polish Football Association, including president Cezary Kulesza and national team selectors – men’s team Michał Probierz and women’s team Nina Patalon.
The National Center for Football Training, Research and Training will be established in Otwock
Construction in 2024-2027
The investment is worth over PLN 400 million. Construction is scheduled for 2024-2027. At the National Football Training, Research and Training Center, located on 12 hectares of land in Otwock, in the first stage, eight pitches (ultimately twelve) with grass and artificial surfaces, as well as a full-size covered pitch (hall) will be built. In addition, there is a specialized futsal hall, two beach soccer pitches (one of them covered) and a medical center. Additionally, a hotel and a dormitory for male and female athletes will be built for training purposes at the Sports Championship School. Ultimately, the accommodation base will consist of 250 places.
The football center will be complemented by a modernized athletics stadium and a swimming pool complex. – This is where athletics meetings will be held, and youth football teams will play their matches – announced the mayor of Otwock, Jarosław Margielski.
Training center for coaches and referees
– The creation of a national center is a necessary condition to realistically think about regular competition for the most prestigious trophies in football. Last season, three of our national teams advanced to the final tournaments of the European Youth Championships, which has never happened before in one year. Infrastructure development will certainly contribute to ensuring that such situations are not the exception, but the norm – noted Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish Football Association.
The center will also be a training place for coaches and referees. The National Center for Football Training, Research and Training will also conduct research on the development of football and coordinate the implementation of modern methods and solutions in the area of sports training.
– The center in Otwock will certainly be able to compete with the best of the Dutch, English and French federations – summed up the secretary general of the Polish Football Association, Łukasz Wachowski.
Main photo source: Visualization