From Order to Finished Arena

Project manager Walter Kochauf explains how the construction and commissioning of a skills.lab Arena – world’s most modern interactive assessment and training system for soccer players – works.

Many clubs operate their own skills.lab Arena, and in early 2025 the modern system from Anton Paar SportsTec will also be opened at Legia Warszawa's “Legia Training Center” in the southwest of Warsaw. Walter, as project manager, you are responsible for the implementation. How long will the construction take and what conditions must be met beforehand? 
Before we can build a skills.lab Arena, we need the appropriate infrastructure – basically a hall that meets certain requirements. This includes a concrete floor, an electricity and internet connection as well as fastening options on the roof. Once these are in place, it takes around four weeks from the bare concrete floor to the point at which all the components of the skills.lab Arena are in the right place. 

How does the installation work?
It starts with the mechanical aspects: the steel structure is assembled, at the same time the pitch floor is laid, and work begins on the electrical installation of the arena – i.e., the cabling and assembly of all the components, including ballthrowing machines, ball lifts, projectors, moving heads, cameras, etc. This is followed by a cold test of the electrical installation. Once the artificial turf has been laid and a total of 37 reference points have been measured, six tarpaulins are erected and ball protection nets are installed. At this point our R&D department takes over with the calibration and initial commissioning. Our team of trainers will then come to Poland to train the employees on site on the various training options. 

Does that mean the entire Anton Paar SportsTec team is involved?
Yes, exactly. A project of this magnitude affects our entire organization chart. However, I would also like to emphasize that we receive great support from Anton Paar GmbH, especially for administrative tasks. And without Anton Paar ShapeTec, it would be difficult to build a skills.lab arena. With its unique ball machines, it not only manufactures the heart of the skills.lab Arena for us, but also the ball lifts, ball trenches, mounts for laser scanners and cameras or sheet metal parts that are needed for the arena. 

How do you ensure that all skills.lab Arenas are the same?
The ballthrowing machines are aligned with a laser and fixed to the ground. During commissioning, the laser scanners are then aligned and the cameras are calibrated to the reference points and the projected images on the screens. So that the results can ultimately be compared with each other.