A new era for Petržalka football

Football has long ranked among the most popular sports with the largest fan base. Nevertheless, as many as 11 football pitches have disappeared from Bratislava’s Petržalka over the past 30 years. Bratislava’s oldest football club, FC Petržalka, is also aware of the lack of training areas for football players and has had to repeatedly address this issue in recent years and do so despite the fact that it is a truly large club, with the status of an academy with more than 500 children in 17 boys’ and 4 girls’ categories, and with all youth categories of boys and girls playing in the highest Slovak competitions.

The situation for the club was even further complicated when the Petržalka municipal district decided to build a new multifunctional sports area at the Pankúchova Primary School. This was an area that had been leased by FC Petržalka for over 20 years and which it had completely rebuilt for training purposes. Even though a reduced football pitch remains on the grounds, its condition and the terms of use set by the municipal district no longer meet the club’s needs. What’s more, starting this year the pitch has also been used by another football club, as well as schools and the public. This significantly worsens the quality of the pitch and has a negative impact on training schedules, as children have to train here even late in the evening.

Bratislava City Hall has lent a helping hand in this situation. After discussions with FC Petržalka, the city is offering the club a lease agreement for land at Janíkov dvor, adjacent to the end of the new tram line. This is currently unused land that covers a total area of 53,924 m2. The proposed rent is a “symbolic” 0.25 €/m2/year. Young footballers would gain temporary additional training areas here, which will also be very accessible, thanks to the new Petržalka tram. This would not, however, necessarily be the end of the land use. From a long-term view, and after the necessary change to the territorial plan, the ultimate interest of FC Petržalka and the capital is the construction of a new football stadium along with a larger training centre, which could also be used for sports other than football and would be accessible to the wider public at designated times. The club also wants to pay special attention to children from low-income families, to whom it already offers a social football scholarship.

Said Marek Mojto, president of FC Petržalka:

“This is exceptional news for our entire football family – fans, parents and above all for our talented children. We greatly appreciate that we have found a partner in the capital city, which has shown that it truly cares about sports while also valuing the dedicated work of sports clubs. Despite the long-term difficult situation with sports infrastructure, this is clear proof that dreams can be fulfilled through combined efforts. We sincerely thank the capital city for providing the space that opens a new chapter for FC Petržalka."

Concluded the mayor of the capital, Matúš Vallo:

“I have long said that a happy city is a city that plays sports. Here at city hall, we support the modernisation and creation of new sports facilities, as evidenced by the many projects we have carried out in this regard. I am equally pleased when a city district manages to build and open a new sports facility, such as the new multifunctional sports facility in Petržalka. I consider it important, however, that clubs that have been here for years, that achieve results and have raised generations of successful national players, can also continue their activities. That’s why I believe that the city council will also be able to find support for our intention and help for the longest-running football club in Petržalka."