March 12, 2020 - The city of Zagreb plans to demolish the existing Dinamo stadium in Maksimir and build a new one with 30,000 seats, with an auxiliary stadium of 3,000 - 4,000 seats, and athletic fields and various outdoor courts alongside the pool complex.
Gol.hr reports that the head of Zagreb's Office for Strategic Planning and Development, Sanja Jerkovic, said Wednesday at the presentation of a public urban-architectural competition program for SRC Svetice that matches at all European and world standards could be played at the new Dinamo stadium, which has not been the case so far.
"As this is an extremely important city facility, it is a priority to embark on the construction of a new stadium systematically. Delaying such a decision has led to a disrupted static state of the stadium and an inability to bring any changes to the standards required by FIFA and UEFA, that is why it is inevitable that we must demolish the current stadium and design a new one,” Jerkovic told reporters.
Asked if Zagreb would be a partner to Dinamo in the construction of the new stadium, she said that "Dinamo and Zagreb are inseparable" and she cannot say anything about the value of the project.
The meeting is one of the last to prepare a call for proposals for an urban-architectural solution for the entire Svetica zone, covering about 23 hectares in the narrow area and 32 hectares in the wider range.
"A new football stadium is planned along with ancillary grounds and office space, and a large athletic grandstand with athletic fields and various outdoor courts will be planned in addition to the pool complex," Jerkovic says.
Because it is one of the most demanding competitions, it will last six months, and Jerkovic believes that by the end of the year, there will be known results. Construction on the new stadium should begin in 2022.
Asked about the planned construction of the football stadium in Kajzerica and Blato, Jerkovic said that these were other projects related to the construction of the national football stadium.
GNK Dinamo President Vlatka Peras recalled that on March 9, the Dinamo Assembly unanimously adopted a decision to demolish the existing Maksimir Stadium structure.
When the Maksimir stadium is demolished, Dinamo will play on Rujevica or at the stadium in Osijek, if it is built by then.
"We are looking forward to a partnership and a new stadium," Peras said, adding that they would like the stadium built as soon as possible, but they can't speculate on whether it will open in 2023 or 2024.
When asked how they would finance the construction of the Dinamo stadium, she said that they had to negotiate a partnership with the City, but they still needed to define it.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
