Debate over new Latvian national football stadium continues

86 million euros – that's how much the new national stadium could cost. This figure was mentioned by the President of the LFF Vadims Ļašenko a few weeks ago during a meeting with controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino, which was also attended by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List).

However, the quoted amount lacked many important details, which Ļašenko has now outlined in an interview with Latvian Radio. 

"The purchase of the existing 'Skonto' stadium is included. The costs are for designing the stadium, the costs for each seat, because currently, according to rough calculations and negotiations with potential builders, one seat could cost around 4,500 euros. 

"We should also have a bit of, let's say, motivation to build at least one like the stadiums in Lithuania or Estonia. And so we are currently thinking about a stadium with a capacity of 15 thousand /people."

Financial and economic return calculations are also continuing, and should finally be ready in the coming weeks. The LFF is ready to participate with its own co-financing, but in order to actually implement the project, it will certainly need state and municipal money. 

"The federation is currently ready to co-finance 11 million. Of course, if it is, let's say, the Skonto option, which is more understandable to us, we can look for additional funding. In my opinion, the most logical thing would be live football and a stadium right here," believes Ļašenko. 

Location, location, location? 

At the end of last week, the chairman of the Riga City Council's City Development Committee, Edgars Bergholcs (United List), proposed the Skanstes Street area as the best location for a new stadium, where it could be built on land owned by the state and the municipality. 

"The communications that are necessary also go there or nearby. Plus, that area is developing very well, but we hardly need that many offices in Riga. Therefore, this could be a very good anchor object for this particular place, so that hotels, shops and all kinds of commercial things that are necessary can be developed around it. Plus, there is the [city] centre, which is not far away, and, I think, is very important. And finally, next to it is "Arēna Rīga", which has already brought sports (such as basketball and ice hockey) to this particular place," believes Bergholcs. 

Sports infrastructure expert Guntars Indriksons emphasizes that any stadium needs good public transport access, preferably rail transport, but the locations discussed so far do not provide this. Consequently he has suggested an alternative site on the other side of the River Daugava, next to Torņakalns station.

"It's [also] next to the Academic Centre of the University of Latvia, because - what does a stadium need? The stadium needs public transport and good access for spectators, and that's what is provided at that location. Plus, you can get on a tram on one side of the Daugava at any time, cross over, and there are four trams that regularly go across the bridge. And then we take the most critical thing for the stadium, which is the railway to Jūrmala, Jelgava, Tukums, even Liepāja. Everyone can come there directly by train," the expert points out. 

Previously, Lucavsala island in the middle of the Daugava was much discussed as a potential location for the stadium, but now it is no longer being considered. The decision was made back in the summer, when the Riga municipality wanted to clarify what was happening with this land in Lucavsala, namely whether the federation plans to build a stadium there or not. In the end, after a mutual meeting, the parties decided that Lucavsala was not the priority location for the stadium, although it remains a fallback option, and it cannot be ruled out that Lucavsala will appear on the agenda again.

Currently, the two main locations being discussed in the context of the stadium are the current location of the current Skonto stadium and the aforementioned Skanstes Street area, not far away. 

In the case of the Skonto stadium, the federation must acquire the rights to the land on which the stadium is located, and the organization is currently negotiating this. The plan is to dismantle the existing structures there, including the stadium itself and adjacent sports hall, and start again. 

The federation has already held preliminary talks with builders and designers who have a vision of how such a 15,000-seat stadium would fit into the urban environment and also in the specific area. A stadium of this size can be accommodated there, and ideas are also being considered for the creation of various commercial spaces so that the stadium can have a wider use outside of events. 

While Latvians ponder, Lithuanians build 

Public statements in recent weeks have sparked fresh debates on social media, but while the eternal disputes continue in Latvia, the Lithuanians have once again outpaced us – they have already built a modern stadium in Kaunas. 

"Ten years ago we had exactly the same problem, and public opinion was similar to that in Latvia. Sports results are not a prerequisite for a normal stadium. The Prime Minister once even said 'If you bring Real Madrid or Barcelona to Lithuania, we will build a stadium. Now, in my opinion, the situation is completely different," says Roks Sušļavičs, a sports journalist for the Lithuanian public media. 

"For many years, we were ashamed to host teams like England, Portugal or Switzerland in our stadiums, which were in very poor condition. But we have finally come to the point where we recognize that Lithuania needs quality stadiums regardless of the results of the national team. Currently, the performance of the Lithuanian football team is very poor, almost reaching a historical low point," says Rokas Sušlavičius, a sports journalist for Lithuanian public media LRT. 

The Lithuanians have observed that a modern stadium also attracts larger crowds of visitors, and are now building another major sports complex in Vilnius. 

The central facility there will be an 18,000-seat stadium, complemented by several football training fields, an indoor arena with a capacity of over five thousand spectators, and an athletics stadium with three thousand seats. It is being developed by one of Lithuania's private real estate developers in cooperation with the state and the municipality. 

"People have seen the quality of modern stadiums. For example, after the opening of the renovated Kaunas stadium, everyone could appreciate the difference - spectators can sit under a roof and the rain doesn't fall on them. This is exactly the opportunity that was lacking for many years in the small stadium in Vilnius, which was the main stadium in the country for a long time. It was also problematic from the point of view of journalists. I remember the times when the Portuguese national team with Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad played in Vilnius, as well as the English national team. Journalists from these countries came to us, but the temperature in the press conference room where they worked was only about ten degrees. They had to work in a coat and gloves. It was embarrassing. 

"We don't want to go back to those days and we understand that high-quality stadiums are needed," Sušlavičius says. 

The Lithuanian journalist also points out that in Vilnius, like Rīga, the issue of the stadium was politically painful, because the place where it is now being built has been home to a project that had been underway for several decades, but was not completed, so one of the tasks of the municipal leadership was to bring this matter to a conclusion once and for all.

The Latvian Football Federation does not lose hope that a new stadium could be opened in 2030, but the next steps will be taken when the financial and economic calculations are in.