V. Venslovaitienė: 'This is a wonderful day I have been waiting for 15 years'

2024-12-28 08:45 © E. Žaldario

The football club "Žalgiris" will have its permanent home after a long break – a contract has been signed for the acquisition of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) stadium located in Liepkalnis. The deal was officially presented at a press conference held at the stadium on Friday.

The representative football club of Vilnius, with a 77-year tradition, lost its home, the "Žalgiris" stadium, and training base several years ago and was close to extinction.

The club's director, V. Venslovaitienė, recalled that 15 years ago, on Christmas Eve 2009, the future of "Žalgiris," which sought to be revived, was decided in a meeting at the Vilnius city municipality. Shortly after, in February 2010, the municipality became a shareholder of the club through a council decision.

The re-established team played for a short time at the "Žalgiris" stadium, which was later demolished, temporarily having to play its home matches in Marijampolė and Kaunas, and at the end of 2011 began competing at the renovated stadium in Vilnius Liepkalnis.

"This is a wonderful day I've waited for 15 years. We have always dreamed of having our own home. As I always promised – after acquiring the academy, the next goal was the stadium. The club already has its academy, a complete structure, and now – its own home. I want to congratulate the entire "Žalgiris" community, as this is a huge event," said "Žalgiris" director Vilma Venslovaitienė. "Knowing that this is the only stadium in Vilnius that meets the licensing requirements for A league and UEFA men's football matches, it was our duty to preserve it for "Žalgiris" and the city of Vilnius. Today, very few sports clubs in Lithuania can boast of their own stadium."

LFF president Edgaras Stankevičius noted that the initiation of the deal was supported by "Žalgiris" fans, whose request to transfer the stadium for the historical football club’s activities was accepted positively.

"I thank "Žalgiris" fans, who were among the main initiators in resolving this issue. They urged the club's shareholders and the federation to find common ground so that the stadium would belong to "Žalgiris," the academy, and remain used for football purposes. The federation was most concerned that the stadium would not be repurposed in the future. Before the New Year, I am calm that football will definitely remain here; this will be the home of the "Žalgiris" club, its fans, and its academy. That is what brings me the most joy," said E. Stankevičius.

"Žalgiris" fan community member Tadas stated that it is hard to believe, but everything started six months ago from a simple message on social media that "Žalgiris" needed a home.

"Now we have it. It's very important for the fans that we will finally have our place and won't feel like guests. Thank you to LFF for keeping its word that the stadium could belong to "Žalgiris." It happened. A wonderful day. We hope that this stadium will gradually become our home. Thank you to everyone who contributed, and thank you to the media for publicizing this issue," said an active team supporter.

In October, fans and the club invited business representatives and anyone willing to join the campaign "Let's Bring Homes Back to 'Žalgiris'."

According to V. Venslovaitienė, although this campaign did not turn into significant financial support for the stadium acquisition, the support received encouraged the search for alternative ways, and the ultimate goal was still achieved.

"I want to thank all the entrepreneurs and fans who joined the campaign. The attention of all fans was evident. We had a lot of enthusiasm, but time was too short. This was the impetus that made our shareholders seek another solution towards our goal of nurturing a young football generation under home conditions. As we mentioned, regardless of how the campaign turned out, we will still aim to purchase the stadium with our own funds, while the support received is earmarked for the academy's needs. That has been accomplished," said V. Venslovaitienė.

Considering the club's limited financial capabilities at this time, the stadium acquisition was financed by the club's shareholders – V. Venslovaitienė and the company "Ollex," represented by Oleg and Edvinas Radionovai.

"We have been with 'Žalgiris' since the club's restoration in 2009. We believed in this idea from day one. It’s very nice that we can participate in this event. I believe that in a few years, we will be able to tell our children that we were here too. I am confident that with its own home, "Žalgiris" will be able to take one step forward even faster," said "Žalgiris" shareholder "Ollex" representative E. Radionovas.

In the near future, the "Žalgiris" club administration and staff will relocate to the stadium, where conditions will be created for academy students' training, and the fan community will also find its place.

According to "Žalgiris" management, the right to the stadium's name will be offered to sponsors, and possible stadium renovations are a matter for the future, as the available financial resources are focused on acquiring the stadium, and development directions will also depend on the national stadium project in Šeškinė.

"We are very much looking forward to the national stadium. The people of Vilnius deserve it. Once it arrives, the stadium in Liepkalnis should become the club's training base and the home of the academy. Until then, we plan to move in here, tidy up, and will see what to do next, as the main men's team will continue to need to play official matches in Lithuania and Europe in this stadium," said V. Venslovaitienė.

The opening ceremony is planned for January 6, to which the entire "Žalgiris" community is invited. The main men's team will also begin preparations for the new season that same week.