Lithuanian Champions – FK Žalgiris – have announced that an agreement to buy the former stadium of the now defunct FK Vetra, the LFF Stadium, from the Lithuanian Football Federation has been signed. LFF acquired the stadium back in 2010 after former owners filed for insolvency.
The A Lyga champions announced today that they have reached an agreement with the Lithuanian Football Federation for the purchase of the LFF Stadium in Vilnius. Remarkably, the club credited its fans for the initiative and the momentum needed to see the conversations between the club and the Lithuanian FA through to a successful conclusion. In October, fans and the club invited business representatives and anyone interested to join the campaign “Sugrąžinkime namus „Žalgiriui” (“Let’s return a home to Žalgiris”). The president of the federation, Edgaras Stankevičius, noted:
I would like to thank the Žalgiris fans, who were one of the main initiators of resolving this issue. They urged the club’s shareholders and the federation to find common ground so that the stadium would go to Žalgiris, the academy and remain used for football purposes. The federation was most afraid that the stadium would not be used for another purpose 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, fans and academy. That is what makes me most happy.
In purchasing the LFF Stadium, capacity 5067, FK Žalgiris will become one of the few clubs in the Baltics to own their own stadium. However, this is not the first time they owned their own home. From 1962 until 2008, FK Žalgiris called Žalgiris Stadium their home but had to sell it after the club declared bankruptcy and was forced to sell assets. The stadium has been demolished in 2016.
Their new home, the LFF Stadium, shares a similar history. Originally home to FK Vetra, it was sold to the Lithuanian Football Federation after Vetra filed for insolvency and ceased to exist. The stadium has since undergone a range of renovations to bring it up to UEFA Category 3 standard.
“This is a wonderful day that I have been waiting for for 15 years. We always had a dream to have our own home. As I always promised, after acquiring the academy, the next goal was the stadium. The club already has its own academy, a complete structure, and now – its own home. I want to congratulate the entire Žalgiris community, because this is a huge event,” said FK 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, only a few sports clubs in Lithuania can be proud of their own stadium.”
Source: https://fkzalgiris.lt/zalgiris-tures-savo-namus-sutarta-del-stadiono-isigijimo/