Dario Hrebak, Mayor of Croatian city Bjelovar, has detailed plans for a new 3,800-capacity football stadium that will feature an underground shooting range.
The Arena Bjelovar project will cost €8m (£6.7m/$8.2m), with construction expected to begin in the autumn. A tender for the development of the stadium is set to be launched by the city later this week.
The stadium would be capable of hosting a top-tier HNL football club in the future.
The incorporation of a shooting range into the stadium design comes amid heightened interest in the sport in Bjelovar. Miran Maričič, a Bjelovar native, picked up a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the men’s 10m air rifle discipline.
The shooting range would be the first of its kind in Croatia to allow small-calibre rifles and pistols.
Images released by Mayor Hrebak depict a sustainable stadium design, with trees lining two ends of the facility.
The current Gradski stadion Bjelovar will also undergo renovation work to ensure it can continue to host matches involving local football clubs NK Bjelovar and NK Mladost Ždralovi.
