By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 29 – Poland’s I Liga, the second tier of the country’s professional football league, is pushing local clubs to upgrade their stadiums with the aim of securing a new broadcasting rights deal. Starting in the 2015/2016 season, the sides will be required to install lighting at their sports facilities to enable evening matches.
The move is related to the plans by the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) to secure a new I Liga broadcasting rights deal for the forthcoming season.
“With the end of the current season, the contract with Orange Sport is scheduled to end. The clubs have been complaining the [deal] is generating small revenues,” said Lukasz Wachowski, director of the league competitions department at the PZPN. “Only installing lights … enables HD broadcasts. With this implemented, I think that the new broadcasting partner will provide more funds for the clubs.”
Currently, nine of the 16 clubs which compete in the I Liga operate stadiums which were not fitted with lighting, and as such they will need to be modernised by the sides ahead of the next season.
With tender procedures for works underway in several of the cities, in the 2015/2016 season, seven of the clubs are expected to have their facilities upgraded and compliant with the new requirements. These include Termalika Bruk-Bet Nieciecza, Olimpia Grudziadz, Dolcan Zabki, Stomil Olsztyn, Chojniczanka Chojnice, Bytovia Bytow and Pogon Siedlce.
Meanwhile, rival club GKS Tychy is building a new stadium designed to replace its current stadium. For troubled football club Flota Swinoujscie, another side whose stadium requires an upgrade, the decision on stadium is yet to be taken, as the club is struggling to stay financially afloat.
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