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Euro 2012

Pete Hayman looks at how Poland and The Ukraine are preparing for the surge in sports tourism for the big event, as well as stadia investment

Published in Sports Management 2012 issue 1

With just six months until the UEFA European Football Championships get underway in Poland and Ukraine, the two countries are already benefiting from hosting the tournament. More than 20 years after emerging from Communist rule, CNN Go has jointly named the two countries as one of the top places to visit.

Poland and Ukraine were chosen to host UEFA’s flagship international tournament in April 2007, despite “limited experience” in organising major events. It isn’t the first time it has been held in Eastern Europe (Yugoslavia 1976), but it’s a step change for a tournament traditionally held in the West during its 52-year history.

UEFA’s decision has presented the two countries with a catalyst to invest in its stadia, as well as improvements to infrastructure. In hosting Euro 2012, significant economic and sporting benefits will be realised for both countries.

Projected impact
UEFA president Michel Platini believes taking tournaments to new locations, such as Poland and Ukraine, is important: “We can go back to Germany, Italy and England all the time. Then there will be no problems, and things will come right. But this way won’t do. Football must be developed in other regions.”

TSE Consulting worked on developing the bid strategy – building around a message that this was a chance to “make a big difference”. Securing the event has led to not just enhanced sporting infrastructure, but transport and guest accommodation too.

A 2010 report into the impact of Euro 2012 in Poland revealed a total planned investment of PLN110bn (£21.9bn, EUR26.3bn, US$34.7bn) – a significant slice of which was for road, rail and air transport improvements. This programme is replicated in Ukraine.

The upgrade of Poland and Ukraine’s infrastructure has been crucial to the ability to transport supporters. UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said: “We estimate that about 1.6 million fans will visit Poland and Ukraine next June.

“More importantly, the tournament will give Poland and Ukraine the chance to make names for themselves around the world, by increasing their appeal as tourist destinations to potential visitors in the medium to long-term.”

Football facilities
Eight stadia – four in each country – will be used during Euro 2012 and all have either undergone a refurbishment or are new-build venues. Warsaw’s National Stadium, which opened on 29 January, is the largest of Poland’s stadia and will stage the opening ceremony and first match.

Gerkan Marg and Partners (GMP); Schlaich Bergermann and Partner and JSK Architekci worked on the design of the PLN1,915bn (£378m, EUR440m, US$604m) stadium, which seats 55,000 fans. A notable design feature is an 11,000sq m retractable membrane roof element, unfolding from a ‘needle’ above the centre of the pitch.

Hightex worked with steel manufacturer Cimolai of Italy and Poland-based Mostostal Zabrze to develop the roofing system, with a radial cable system supporting the 55,000sq m fixed outer portion of PTFE/glass membrane. The retractable element comprises a PVC/polyester membrane and is suspended at 960 points above the stadium floor.

Among the contractors responsible for delivering Warsaw’s National Stadium was Alpine, which was also involved with the construction of Gdansk’s 44,000-seat PGE Arena. Designed by RKW, the complex has a facade consisting of polycarbonate panels, with modules becoming more translucent towards the top of the venue.

Also in Poland, Alpine worked on a complete overhaul of Poznan’s Stadion Miejski (City Stadium), completed in 2010. Home to Lech Poznan, the facility has a roof area of 52,000sq m of Mehler Texnologies PVC-PES with double weldable PVDF Type IV FR1400. The skeleton was constructed from 7,000 tonnes of steel.

Poland’s fourth Euro 2012 venue is the Stadion Miejski (Municipal Stadium) in Wroclaw. JSK Architekci devised a concept for the complex that has seen a glass fibre mesh coated with Teflon envelope the entire arena. The venue also has two LED video screens installed by Mitsubishi Electric with Shadok Audio-Visual.

The Euro 2012 final will be hosted at Ukraine’s flagship stadium – the NSC Olimpiyskiy (Olympic Stadium). Designed by GMP, seating capacity for the tournament will be reduced by 2,000 to 68,055. Hightex has provided the facility with a 48,500sq m suspended roof comprising translucent PTFE/glass membranes.

The NSC Olimpiyskiy will be a centrepiece of Euro 2012 and is the largest stadium in terms of capacity on the roster. It is one of three in Ukraine – along with Lviv and Donetsk – to offer AG’s cashless payment solution.

Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv is the second of two venues in the Ukraine to undergo renovations. Work included new stands to the south and east. The DCH Group-funded work also involved seating solutions from Figueras International Seating and Elcon. The new roof can withstand an earthquake measuring up to 8 in magnitude.

Two new-build venues complete the line-up of Ukrainian stadia to be used. The first – Donbass Arena in Donetsk – was designed by ArupSport and was the first UEFA five-star complex to be built in Ukraine. Built by Turkey-based ENKA, it boasts a glazed facade with nearly 2,500 panes covering the whole stadium.

The second new facility is Arena Lviv, designed by Austria-based Albert Wimmer and costing around UAH875m (£68.7m, EUR79.7m, US$109.3m). It was built by Altkom and has a capacity of nearly 35,000. Seating has been laid out to maximise the view of fans and ensure no ‘dead zones’ are left in terms of visibility.

A lasting legacy
The opening of Warsaw’s National Stadium signalled the last of the eight Euro 2012 venues to be completed. Poland’s tournament director, Adam Olkowicz said: “As of now, all of the venues in Poland and Ukraine are ready and we are working hard to prepare them for this big festival of football.”

Both countries now have state-of-the-art football facilities, offering an early legacy from Euro 2012. More can be expected as tourism numbers increase and infrastructure improvements provide a substantial boost across hospitality and transport sectors, standing the two economies in good stead for the future.

Pete Hayman is a Leisure Media journalist

FORUM SEATING

Forum Seating, part of the Grupa Nowy Styl, has played a significant role in preparations at the four Euro 2012 venues in Poland. One of the installations was at Poznan’s Stadion Miejski, which has a total capacity of more than 43,000 – down to 42,000 for the tournament – and has seen three Forum products installed.

The standard Sigma chair constructed of polyamide; the Sigma Plus made of polyamide with a durable upholstery padding; and the Oscar VIP armchairs in the Presidential Box have all been installed as part of Forum’s work at the venue. The company also worked at Warsaw, Wroclaw and Gdansk.

Forum seating has supplied seats to the stadia hosting the tournament
Forum seating has supplied seats to the stadia hosting the tournament

Pitching It Right

Building the new or improved stadia for Euro 2012 has been a main area of focus for Poland and Ukraine. Along with striking architecture and spectator facilities, a crucial consideration in creating high-quality venues is ensuring a playing surface that meets the expectations of an international sporting event.

UK-based STRI has had great success working at three venues in Ukraine – Donetsk, Kiev and Kharkiv – to create pitches poised to impress this summer. Operations director Richard Hayden has been involved with that work and explains how a new STRI system has helped deliver some positive results.

“Pitches at the three venues are absolutely perfect at the moment,” says Hayden. “We have temperatures of -20oC and this system – In Situ Air Sparging (ISASS) – allows us to grow and maintain grass at -20oC and even -30oC. This has been proven to work very effectively and we’re coming out of the winter season with perfect pitches.”

Although STRI has deployed the solution at Donetsk, Hayden says that it was the modification of facilities already installed and Kharkiv is where the system is being showcased. “[Kharkiv is] the one we are focusing on due to the fact that we did the full design and maintenance from start to finish.”

ISASS allows for venues to grow grass through pressurisation and heating – or cooling – the surrounding area to create a micro-environment. Hayden is very optimistic about its potential: “To design something that goes from -30oC to +40oC is a big challenge and it’s as difficult a design challenge as we’ve ever had.

“Usually, you’re engineering for either very cold or very warm weather. That is why we’re excited about the ISASS concept, because we think we’re onto something huge. We believe we will be in a position in the near future to have shown that we can grow grass anywhere with this technology.”

Hayden is in no doubt that Ukraine – together with Poland – will confound any critics: “Two years ago, everybody was talking about infrastructure not being ready,” he said. “But Ukraine has four fantastic stadia and three fantastic pitches. The world will come away with a positive impression.”

Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) created the pitch at the Metalist 
Stadium in Khartiv, Ukraine
Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) created the pitch at the Metalist Stadium in Khartiv, Ukraine

Getting connected

With technology continuing to evolve through the advent of mobile connectivity, stadia are now becoming as much a forum for communication as the workplace or the home. Warsaw’s National Stadium has embraced this trend with the installation of Cisco’s Connected Stadium solution, a network offering wired and wireless access.

It can be used across operational activities, from security to ticketing and allows fans to share experiences. Dariusz Fabiszewski, general manager of Cisco Poland, says: “Modern stadiums no longer serve as a backdrop for sports events, but are offering more engaging experiences for visitors.

Meanwhile, organisers in Poland have created a first for a Euro event – the Polish Guide, which provides overseas supporters with information detailed in six languages. A smartphone version is also due to launch in advance of the tournament. Details: www.polishguide2012.pl

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