Kamil Góral: AUTONA UNION’s Promotion to METALKAS 2. Speedway League Saved the Club

AUTONA UNION Tarnów has had a successful season, crowned with a victory in the National Speedway League. However, it was long unclear whether the team would financially cope and compete in the backup of the PGE Speedway League. Ultimately, the club was saved, and as President Kamil Góral admits, the key factor in continuing sponsorship support for the team was precisely the promotion.

The Tarnów team returns to the tracks of METALKAS 2. Speedway League after three years of absence. In the final of the National Speedway League, AUTONA UNION defeated START Gniezno, confirming that speedway in Małopolska is rising from its knees. What will the preparations for the season as a newcomer be? – For now, everything is ahead of us. We know that we will organize a short camp for the players, but more for integration rather than sports. We have new players, so we want everyone to get along, and hopefully, it will help us in the fight to stay in METALKAS 2. Speedway League – says AUTONA UNION President Kamil Góral.

The team has contracted four seniors so far. They are: Timo Lahti, Marko Levishyn, Matej Zagar, and Mateusz Szczepaniak. However, we still do not know the name of the under-24 speedway rider. – We are in talks with two players. We care a lot about one, and I hope we will finalize the discussions soon. I won’t hide, they are tough because we had enormous financial problems, which the players know about, and now that we have managed to sign an agreement with the Małopolska region, I hope that in the players’ minds, we have grown to the rank of a reliable payer because cooperation with the region is not only an honor but also an assurance of funds. Who, then, can we expect in the squad of AUTONA UNION? – We are talking with two Poles. One has performed so far in the National Speedway League, and the other in METALKAS 2. Speedway League – explains the official.

Recently, the club announced a new agreement with the Małopolska region, which will allow the Tarnów stadium to be slightly refreshed. – The funds from the region are divided into two structures. One goes to the city hall and will be an amount of five million. From this, the office will finance a minor stadium renovation, involving the purchase of barriers, the construction of linear drainage, or the renovation of lighting. We will also be forced to purchase a tarp to protect the track from rain, and if some funds are left, we will think about what to do to reach out to the fans – Góral continues.

Is this one of the busiest winters for AUTONA UNION in many years? – I think so. I’ll be honest, the sports promotion saved the club because from what I’ve discussed with sponsors and the region, they wouldn’t have been willing to support us in the National Speedway League, and the promotion gave us room to negotiate. The region trusted us, so we want to represent Małopolska with honor – claims the club president.

One of the solutions aimed at ensuring the financial stability of the team is the creation of a new project, ‘Swallow 100 Speedway Business Club’. Who is it targeted at and what will it involve? – We thought before the season about what to do to somehow gather those financial resources. I won’t hide, it’s challenging in Tarnów because speedway is just getting back on its feet and creating this project helped us with that. I hope it will attract sponsors, which in turn will bring two million zlotys to the club, which will be a huge part of the entire budget. Unfortunately, we also don’t have a sponsor like the former Grupa Azoty, so at this point, it is better to have money from a hundred sponsors than to wait for one, because in case of any financial perturbations on the other side, we will never be left in the cold.

What goals does the club president set for the team for the next season? – We approach everything with a cool head. We are aware that we must endure this season to maintain our position. Our squad is made up at reasonable costs, but it is ambitious, and I hope that if everything works out, we will make a mark in the league like Poznań did last year – concluded Kamil Góral.

Let us remind you that on January 25, a presentation of the entire team is planned before the start of the season at the Mościce Art Center.

AUTONA UNION will play its first match in 2025 in Leszno, where it will face FOGO UNION (13.04). In the second round, they will host ARGED MALESA Ostrów Wlkp. (19.04).

Marcin Rusewicz