Due to the replacement of the stadium roof, ice sports in Jihlava will face limitations

Jihlava - Due to the planned roof replacement of the Horácký Winter Stadium in Jihlava, restrictions on ice sports, including the extraleague hockey club Dukla, are likely to take place next year. Starting in spring, athletes will have to train at other sports venues or possibly limit their activities. Deputy Mayor Radek Popelka (ANO) stated this to reporters today. According to a static assessment, the sports venue with the old roof can operate until August 2019. The city will have a new assessment done to see if its lifespan could be extended.

Repairs on the winter stadium, according to Deputy Mayor Vratislav Výborný (ČSSD), will begin next year in any case. If the static experts allow for a sufficiently extended lifespan of the roof, the first works might involve, for example, the cooling system. "In any case, we have to go into the winter stadium," he said. The Horácký Winter Stadium in Jihlava was opened in 1956, and the roofing dates back to the 1960s. The city owns both the stadium and the hockey club.

The city hall is currently planning that the first major investment will be in the stadium's roof. It is preparing to select a company that will take care of choosing its supplier. According to previous estimates, the new roofing could cost around 50 million crowns. "Unfortunately, these extensive construction modifications cannot be completed during the usual summer break," said Popelka. The work will likely affect the end of the extraleague season or its new beginning. The deputy stated that besides the Dukla hockey players, about 250 children, hobby teams, and similar groups come to the stadium for sports. It will be necessary to find a place for them at other winter stadiums in the region, which are heavily booked, or to temporarily limit their activities.

The estimated costs for renting another ice surface, providing transportation, losses in revenue caused by the departure of Dukla fans, limitations on advertising space, and similar issues amount to around 20 million CZK. Although Jihlava built a smaller hall for winter sports next to the Horácký Winter Stadium five years ago, all the facilities are available to athletes at the large stadium. Therefore, among the city's planned investments is also the construction of changing rooms for the newer winter hall.