New performance center for sports talent in St.Gallen
The St. Gallen City Council has given the Netzwerk Sport association the green light for a five-year interim use of the Gründenmoos tennis and leisure facility. The association is planning the "Sport Zentrum Ostschweiz" there for the longer term - a sports campus with national appeal.
The Netzwerk Sport association, which consists of exponents from sports and business, has ambitious goals: On the outskirts of St. Gallen, on the former site of the Migros facility in Gründenmoos, a performance center for young athletes from eastern Switzerland is to be built in the long term - in the sense of a campus with national appeal.
With the recent decision of the St. Gallen City Council to make the Gründenmoos tennis and leisure facility available to the association for a five-year interim use, the realization of the planned "Sport Zentrum Ostschweiz" is moving closer. The city council has declared its intention to let the club use the site in the long term - but for a definitive commitment, the framework conditions must be clarified by the end of 2023. According to the preliminary planning, the performance center is only part of the overall concept - a "national sports center with integrative offers and services around sports" is planned, says Adrian Krüsi, president of the association Netzwerk Sport. The detailed implementation of the "Sport Center Eastern Switzerland" is in the works.
As regional media report, the Sport Center Ostschweiz requires the approval of SwissOlympic, the Federal Office of Sport and cooperation with sports associations. In addition, the financing must be clarified; whether the city and/or the canton of St. Gallen will participate is still open.
The opening of the existing sports facilities is planned for October, provided that the situation regarding the Covid 19 pandemic allows it then. For the time being, the area is to serve popular sports - current courses are to be continued alongside tennis operations, if possible. "We will open the tennis facilities and also want to develop an attractive gastronomy concept," says Krüsi.
In addition to the monthly rent to the city, the association assumes all operating and maintenance costs. According to the city council, the concept of the Netzwerk Sport association is in line with the community sports facility concept (GESAK), which is currently in progress, as well as the city council's Vision 2030, according to which St.Gallen is to develop into a city with national and international appeal for sports and culture. (bw)
