Poland allocates sports funds to add civil defence shelters under sports fields and halls

Civil defence integration in sports facilities

Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism Jakub Rutnicki appealed to local authorities across Poland to incorporate underground civil defense shelters beneath newly constructed sports facilities. Speaking at a press conference at an Orlik pitch in Ciasna, Lubliniec County, Rutnicki requested that municipal governments include basement-level shelters when planning sports complexes, school pitches, sports halls, and public swimming pools. Under the ministry's plan, these minus-one level spaces would serve daily sporting purposes such as gyms, shooting ranges, and training rooms for combat sports including boxing, karate, and judo. The ministry pointed to a pilot project currently underway in Jerzykowo, located in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, which features an Orlik sports pitch built directly above a designated underground shelter. Rutnicki stated that dedicated state funds are available to support local governments in developing such dual-purpose infrastructure.

My request to local governments applies to Orliks, especially those located near schools, as well as sports halls and swimming pools.

Modernisation grants for Silesian sports pitches

During his visit to Ciasna on 2 October 2026, Rutnicki announced 10 million PLN in funding distributed among 23 local governments across the Silesian Voivodeship. The financial support is targeted at the renovation, modernization, and expansion of existing Orlik sports complexes, some of which have been operating for 18 years and require refurbishment. Upgrades funded through the program will add new fitness equipment along with tennis and padel courts. Within the regional package, the city of Myszków received the largest municipal allocation of 1.5 million PLN, while the Myszków county administration obtained 1 million PLN to add courts to its local facility. Rutnicki noted that approximately 30% of municipalities in the Silesian Voivodeship currently lack Orlik facilities, urging local leaders to apply for upcoming rounds of state construction programs.

Academic investments in Krakow

Earlier the same day, Rutnicki visited Krakow to confirm 25 million PLN in government co-financing for the Pontifical University of John Paul II to construct a new sports hall. The facility will be built adjacent to the university's campus on Ruczaj, with university authorities estimating construction will take approximately three years. Ground-level spaces are planned for team sports including football, volleyball, and basketball, while the underground level will house strength-training rooms that convert into crisis shelters. The university noted that the initial 25 million PLN grant covers half of the estimated project cost, requiring the institution to secure an additional 25 million PLN before completion. Rutnicki also presented 590,000 PLN to the Bronisław Czech Academy of Physical Education in Krakow to modernize covered tennis courts and adapt them for athletes with disabilities.

A war is underway beyond our eastern border and we Poles want to feel safe. Let us hope that we will never have to use these spaces, but we must be ready.

Project timelines and municipal expansion

Following the grant announcements, the Pontifical University of John Paul II announced that consultations with project architects would begin immediately, ahead of public procurement tenders. Chancellor of the Academy of Physical Education Paweł Potoczek confirmed that the tennis facility upgrades would benefit both enrolled university students and local sports clubs. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism confirmed that further tranches of funding will target areas lacking basic athletic facilities. Rutnicki reaffirmed that combining everyday sports usage with emergency shelter readiness remains a core objective of Poland's forthcoming national sports infrastructure investments.