Martin Mikš, General Director of STAREZ – SPORT. Photo: STAREZ.
Overseeing an extensive network of sports venues in Brno, STAREZ – SPORT attracts close to 1.5 million guests annually. The General Director, Martin Mikš, discusses the necessity of going beyond mere construction, detailing the efforts to cut overhead costs and highlighting the major projects currently reshaping the city’s sports infrastructure.
STAREZ manages eighteen sports facilities. What determines whether they can attract the public, clubs, and event organisers in the long term?
STAREZ currently manages 18 sports facilities in Brno and the Jasenka leisure centre near Zubří. Its assets are worth approximately CZK seven billion, and the company employs 200 staff members, plus an additional 500 temporary workers depending on the time of year. We operate in a highly competitive leisure sector that extends far beyond aquatic centres. Despite this, our annual attendance continues to rise, now reaching nearly 1.5 million guests. The key factors are the quality of service, affordable prices, and an excellent team. This success is reflected in our feedback; we receive only about ten to fifteen complaints annually, which is vastly outweighed by the number of compliments. The City of Brno invests hundreds of millions of Czech crowns a year in sports infrastructure. As a result, Brno ranks among the best in the Czech Republic in terms of the number of sports facilities, their condition, and the development of new projects. Clubs can focus on sporting activities without worrying about operations, repairs, or investments. We offer organisers professional facilities and a turnkey service.
Which investments do you currently consider to be the most important, and how do you balance service quality, energy savings, and economically sustainable operations in these projects?
With its new 25-meter pool, the Lužánky site is now among the top swimming facilities in the country. We have also created elite venues for large-scale events by upgrading the Vodova halls and adding a third one. Meanwhile, work is progressing on the Srbská stadium. Since taking it over in poor condition in 2025, we have been preparing a major renovation to keep it in use alongside any future football stadium projects. We are also involved in the development of a public sports ground behind Anthropos, a velodrome with an athletics hall behind Lužánky, the refurbishment of the outdoor swimming pool in Starý Lískovec, the indoor swimming pool behind Lužánky, and new facilities at Riviéra.
We are not only addressing investment issues, but also operational costs and energy efficiency. At the Kohoutovice Aquapark, we have installed technology for the purification and recovery of pool water, which has yielded savings in the region of millions of Czech crowns in its first year. We are also planning to install the same technology at the swimming pool behind Lužánky.
What expertise does STAREZ share with the city when preparing new projects?
Every two years, we update the development strategies for each of our centres. We participate in new ventures from their inception, starting with initial studies. This process involves close cooperation with the Brno City Council, the Office of the City Architect, and various sports clubs and associations. While architectural design is important, long-term operational and financial sustainability are paramount. Our goal is not to create prestigious landmarks, but to build practical facilities for the public and athletes for decades to come. The new pool at Lužánky has made the entire complex profitable and allowed us to attract major international competitions. Similarly, the third hall at Vodova has significantly boosted its financial performance. In fact, demand is now so high that we are forced to decline many event requests.
