Southern Poland has been hit by severe flooding, with towns in the Opole region, including Głuchołazy and Prudnik, suffering extensive damage. Among the destruction, sports infrastructure in both towns has been severely impacted, with two football stadiums left underwater.
GKS Głuchołazy Stadium Completely Flooded, Club Faces Uncertain Future After Devastating Damage
In Głuchołazy, the stadium of local football club GKS Głuchołazy, which competes in the Opole district league, was completely flooded. Early on Sunday morning, the floodwaters submerged the entire facility, including locker rooms, club buildings, and sports equipment. The damage is extensive, with initial estimates putting losses in the hundreds of thousands of PLN. The club, which had already played eight matches this season, now faces an uncertain future as it will likely be a long time before they can host another home game. In the face of such devastation, football has become a secondary concern for the town as it grapples with the broader impacts of the disaster.
“This is what our stadium looks like. We have nowhere to play and nothing to play in… all the infrastructure, our entire facilities have gone under water. The situation looks dramatic,”
GKS Głuchołazy wrote on Facebook.
Floodwaters Destroy Prudnik’s PLN 29-Million Stadium Project, Leave Basketball Hall in Ruins
In Prudnik, the situation is equally tragic. The town had been working on a major modernization of its football stadium, a project worth PLN 29 million, with the aim of unveiling a state-of-the-art facility by early 2025. The new stadium was designed to include a natural grass pitch, artificial lighting, an athletics track, and covered stands, as well as a modern clubhouse with complete infrastructure for athletes. However, the floodwaters have wiped out much of the progress, devastating the nearly finished complex. Just days before the disaster, Mayor Grzegorz Zawiślak had proudly promoted the project as one of Prudnik’s largest investments. Now, the town faces a massive financial setback as its dream of a modern sports venue has been all but destroyed.
In addition to the football stadium, Prudnik’s basketball hall, home to second-division basketball club Pogoń Prudnik, was also heavily damaged by the flood. Water inundated the hall, ruining the wooden flooring and damaging the building’s facilities, adding to the town’s growing list of losses.
😭😭😭#2lkosz #1lkosz pic.twitter.com/RceUiGOHzZ
— KS Pogoń Prudnik (@kspogonprudnik) September 16, 2024
Southern Poland Devastated by Floods
The floods, which have wreaked havoc across much of southern Poland, including the Opole, Lower Silesian, Silesian, and Lesser Poland regions, have displaced thousands and left a trail of destruction in their path. As recovery efforts begin, it is clear that restoring both the towns of Głuchołazy and Prudnik, along with their damaged sports facilities, will be a long and difficult process.
Read more: Flood Disaster Strikes Football Stadiums in Głuchołazy and Prudnik