Millions flow

“Project of the century” for Sturm is now on track

SK Sturm can expand its training infrastructure.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Soccer champions Sturm are taking an important step with the planned construction of a new training center for the Styrian Football Academy and the women's teams in Graz-Puntigam - now the state has also given the green light.

The aim of the project is to bring the infrastructure up to date and provide optimum training conditions. Sturm is receiving support - the champions are investing millions themselves - from the provincial government, which has approved a grant of 4.8 million euros for the construction of the new training center. The Styrian Football Academy will continue to be run by Sturm together with the Styrian Football Association and HIB Liebenau.

At the moment, the promotion of young talent is carried out as a soccer academy at the HIB Liebenau site. The three women's teams train on the grounds of Post SV Graz. This no longer meets the requirements for an adequate training infrastructure - at the same time, license requirements are no longer fulfilled. The move was virtually unavoidable. With the construction of a modern training center in Puntigam, the women's teams and young players will soon have a new home.

The project

Three soccer pitches (1 natural turf, 1 artificial turf, 1 smaller training pitch) are to be built on a total area of 32,000 square meters in Graz-Puntigam, along with the necessary parking areas and, above all, a functional building that will house eight team cabins, coaching and referee cabins, rooms for the medical department, a gym, three offices and meeting rooms. The City of Graz will grant the club a super-ground lease and guarantee a right of use for at least 15 years to ensure long-term planning security.

"This decision has created the essential financial basis for a project of the century for SK Sturm - a showcase project for the whole of Styria," says Sturm President Christian Jauk. A formal decision by the city of Graz is still pending. "The new training center is an investment in the future of Styrian soccer and our up-and-coming talents," said Styrian Governor Christopher Drexler.