A new lawn will be laid at Darius and Girėnas Stadium

2024-12-17 11:32 © EF

This August, due to not being able to revive the grass for sporting events at Darius and Girėnas Stadium because of concerts and the resulting inconveniences for both the Lithuanian men's football team and its fans, additional measures are proposed after the concessionaire consulted with professionals in the field. On Tuesday, the city council approved the amendments to the concession agreement, so next spring, the existing grass will be replaced with roll hybrid grass. This decision would ensure the current needs for the full-fledged use of the facility.

This will not cost the city extra

"When constructing the stadium, UEFA and the International Association of Athletics Federations standards and recommendations were followed. This year, we have seen that it successfully serves not only for sports events – more and more large-scale concerts are also taking place there. Next year alone, a whole series of world-famous stars are lined up: Justin Timberlake, 'Guns N’ Roses', Robbie Williams, and others.

In order for all of this to 'fit' in this space and sustain over time, a different type of grass is inevitably needed, which would not only be more resilient but also easier and quicker to maintain. This decision is essential and simply unavoidable, given that Kaunas continues to be the only city in Lithuania with a stadium of this size. It is important to emphasize that this will cost the city budget nothing extra – the work will be carried out by the concessionaire at their own expense," explained Tadas Metelionis, the director of Kaunas city municipality's administration.

The Kaunas municipality signed a concession agreement with UAB "Kauno arena" for the management of Darius and Girėnas Stadium and the Sports Hall on February 19 of this year. The agreement allows for changes to the conditions and stipulates mandatory investments.

Upon starting operations, the concessionaire found that part of the required mandatory investments would actually not be necessary. From additional outdoor bars on the stadium terraces to reinvestments in foldable chairs in the hall, because they could last significantly longer – more than 13 years. Instead of these measures, it was decided to acquire new grass as a mandatory investment.

The existing conditions were unsatisfactory

This summer, amidst an undesirable situation where the grass could not be prepared for the Lithuanian men's football team matches against the Cypriot national team after several large-scale concerts, the concessionaire took the initiative to propose appropriate solutions. Even after stabilizing the situation, in October, after UEFA Champions League matches, football players noticed the condition of the grass.

The existing hybrid grass is "stitched" with structural threads 20 cm long using special technology. When damage occurs, it takes a little longer for it to regenerate.

When specialists started practically working with the current grass, it became clear that there was too much topsoil and clay in the layers below it. This hindered the grass from firmly rooting down and obstructed quality drainage – water would pool on the surface. At that time, the upper layer of the covering became too soft, slippery, and easily damaged.

This type of grass did not provide sufficient flexibility for the stadium to be intensively used for different public needs – both for football and for concerts or other events.

More events and sporting action

On Tuesday, following the city council's approval, the existing covering will be replaced with a new one – a different technology called "Mixto" "Lay & Play" grass. It can be grown, rolled into rolls, delivered, and laid within a few days. Simultaneously, changes to the grass base are also planned.

"We want to use the stadium more intensively and ensure that it can host as many different events as possible. We see how much joy this brings to the people who come here, and at the same time provides added benefits to the city.

Roll grass is used in many stadiums in European cities. With such technology, we could prepare the grass for football matches just a few days after a concert. We consulted with experts who work with UEFA on stadium grass installation and maintenance. Assessing the use of the mandatory investments in the concession agreement in practice, we proposed to allocate part of the investments for roll grass. With the city council supporting this decision, in the spring, the stadium will green with grass imported from Italy," assured Saulius Balnanosis, the director of the company "Kauno stadionas."

Taking into account the technical specifications, the new grass should be more resilient, durable, better vegetating, more permeable to water, and less dependent on external factors – natural elements, intensive football play, or greater loads during concerts. Additionally, it would provide more "flexibility," as specific damaged areas or even the entire field's grass can be removed and replaced on-site.