Meanwhile, regional politicians decided that instead of creating better conditions for local children to play sports, a new ice arena should be built. The people of the region do not understand the changing winds in the Klaipėda district municipality and call it a political decision not based on community needs, according to a statement sent by the Gargždai “Banga” club.
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“This is a low blow. For so many years we were promised humane conditions for hundreds of boys and girls, men’s and women’s teams to play sports, and now they say the plans are changing and an ice hockey arena will appear in Gargždai. How, who, why – just blowing smoke, we don’t know what lies behind it,” says Robertas Vėževičius, sports director of the Gargždai “Banga” football club, frankly.
Gargždai’s football traditions are among the deepest and strongest in Lithuania, and the Gargždai “Banga” club, which makes the city famous, celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. During this time, the club has become a place where several generations of footballers have grown up, and the chant “Who will win, who will win? Gargždai ‘Banga’!” is probably one of the most well-known among all Lithuanian fans.
While footballers are fighting for top places in the Toplyga this season, and club leaders strive to provide the best conditions for the development of young players, everyone eagerly awaited the renovation of the main city stadium and the appearance of an indoor arena.
This would help solve the training problem during the cold season, when Gargždai footballers usually have to travel to Liepaja (Latvia) to train. The Klaipėda district municipality promised several years ago that the stadium would be renovated, and all processes are already moving forward. However, recently news spread that the Klaipėda district municipality plans to build a new facility – a multifunctional ice arena. Municipal and state funds would be used for this. The football community immediately raised a justified question – whether this new step would take away plans to renovate the stadium, as it is hard to believe that financially this would become a manageable burden for the Klaipėda district.
Due to this situation, the Charity and Support Fund “Gargždai Supporter” is organizing a picket.
It will take place on Thursday, August 20 at 9:30 a.m. near the Gargždai Cultural Center (Klaipėdos St. 15), where the Klaipėda district municipality council will vote on financing the new ice arena. The Gargždai “Banga” club plans to join the most loyal fans and members of the football community.
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“Last April, we signed a cooperation agreement with the Klaipėda district municipality regarding infrastructure renovation. We all know the conditions in which men’s, women’s, and youth teams play. We were promised that money would be allocated for the stadium. Half a year passed and suddenly a new ice arena project appeared,” said Pavel Kozlov, head of “Banga” youth development programs.
The initiators of the new arena promise that footballers will also be able to train in the planned ice arena. However, “Banga” representatives do not believe that such different sports could be combined in one building based on such experience.
“I think such political statements are made so that we calm down,” said P. Kozlov.
According to the “Banga” representative, if funding is allocated for the new arena, the municipality will not be financially able to undertake other major infrastructure improvement projects for the next 5-10 years.
The planned reconstruction of the Gargždai stadium was to be implemented in several stages. The first stage was to build a smaller indoor arena on the current stadium grounds, and the second to renovate the stadium itself by laying heated turf and installing covered stands.
“Now in Gargždai we have a field and stands built next to it to look like a stadium. We want a football stadium, but we hear that our project is being pushed aside. Because of this, we intend to participate in the picket with fans, supporters, young footballers, and their parents. We want to show that we have a voice and that politicians feel responsibility towards the protesting community,” emphasized P. Kozlov.
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The Klaipėda district municipality has issued a permit for a picket of up to 200 people.
