© E. Žaldario
On February 12, the general members' meeting of the "TOPsport A Lyga" took place, during which the new President of the Lithuanian Football Clubs Association's A Lyga was elected. Businessman Gintaras Staniulis replaced Jan Nevoina and his candidacy was approved by the club representatives.
A new position of Vice President was established in the "TOPsport A Lyga" - Jan Nevoina will work in this position, remaining as a member of the Executive Committee of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF). After the previous general members' meeting, G. Staniulis did not become a member of the Executive Committee.
LFF President Edgaras Stankevičius expressed his delight that they managed to attract a well-known figure from the Lithuanian business world to the "TOPsport A Lyga."
"I have mentioned in the press more than once that beside the federation, the second product we are nurturing and investing financial and human resources into is the creation of the A Lyga product. I have always said that we want a strong and energetic person from the business world beside us. The person who was elected and confirmed as the new President of the 'TOPsport A Lyga' has experience, understands sports, and does not need to be explained what football consists of and how it is played. It is pleasant and reassuring that Gintaras Staniulis decided to participate in the elections and trust in this idea."
"We have good examples of what one person coming from the business sector can achieve through their network, desire, financial side, and capital. Gintaras met all these criteria. I am pleased on behalf of the federation and the clubs that we managed to convince him to join the ranks of the A Lyga and become the new president," summarized E. Stankevičius.
The new President of the "TOPsport A Lyga", G. Staniulis, plans to communicate with the representatives of each club in the near future and share ideas on how to help them.
"New challenges are always interesting and responsible. I thought for a long time before the decision was made to accept this challenge because the football community in Lithuania is large and strong. Perhaps there is a lack of some results to bring back spectators to the stadiums, but, of course, infrastructural solutions are needed."
"I never follow the logic that I will come now and do something immediately. You need to delve into the situation and step by step, communicating with the clubs, work towards goals. Whether the club is a champion or on the verge of collapse, you need to communicate, contact, hear their problems, and try to help as much as possible. In the near future, within two weeks, I plan to meet with clubs, hear their problems, and help with my abilities," said the new President of the "TOPsport A Lyga."
Speaking about the upcoming season, G. Staniulis highlighted a significant number of intrigues in the fight for top positions: "Previously the champion was clear before the season, now we see that many clubs can compete for the title of champions, prize winners, and opportunities to play in European tournaments - that's interesting. Competition and these battles both encourage and promote progress. In my opinion, an interesting championship awaits us. If there are strong clubs, there is a strong national team."
E. Stankevičius has no doubt that close cooperation between the "TOPsport A Lyga" and the LFF will continue to be nurtured.
"The federation also contributed a lot in seeking a new general sponsor. All marketing and television broadcasting rights, broadcasts, etc., remain the same. I believe that the synergy that the federation had with the A Lyga will be maintained with the new president. The joint work will be even further strengthened," said the LFF President.
The 2024 season of the "TOPsport A Lyga" will start on March 1, Friday.
