Investments in training
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 Wrocław will host games and reserve cities Chorzów and Kraków 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 Bębenek, chief architect at TrzebnicaCity Hall, told Lokale Immobilia.
Ząbkowice Śląskie 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 Ząbkowice," said Krzysztof Kotowicz, the town's mayor.
In Oława, located 27 km southeast of Wrocław, 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 Chorzów 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 Wodzisław Śląski, 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 Cegliński, 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 Chorzów, 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
Gdańsk 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 Gdańsk, 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 Gdańsk-Rębiechowo 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 Gdańsk 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 Poznań
For their part, many towns near Poznań 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 Kuryłowicz 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.
Łódź 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.
