Before the ball can roll in a skills.lab Arena, precise planning, thorough preparation, and an optimally coordinated infrastructure are required. Walter Kochauf, project manager from the Anton Paar SportsTec engineering team, is a key figure in this process. With his extensive experience from several projects of this kind, he oversaw the construction of the new skills.lab Arena at the Legia Training Center, which went into operation at the beginning of 2025.

In the interview, Walter provides insights into the necessary prerequisites, the assembly process, and how the entire team works together to successfully complete a project of this scale.

Legia Warsaw commissioned a skills.lab Arena for its “Legia Training Center” in the southwest of Warsaw. The opening took place in early 2025. Walter, as project manager you were responsible for implementation. How long does such a construction take, and what prerequisites need to be in place?

Before we can set up the skills.lab Arena, the client must provide the required infrastructure – essentially a hall that meets certain requirements. These include a concrete floor surface, electricity and internet connections, roof fixtures, as well as measures to ensure constant humidity and temperature. Once this is in place, it takes about four weeks from the bare concrete floor to the moment when all the components of the skills.lab Arena are in the right place.

What does the assembly process look like?

About three weeks before assembly begins, we create a daily schedule specifying who does what. We plan this precisely to make the assembly efficient and fast. The start is mainly mechanical: the steel structure is erected, the pitch floor is installed, and work on the arena’s electrical installation already begins – wiring and installation of all components such as ball machines, ball lifts, projectors, moving heads, cameras, etc. Then comes the cold test of the electrical installation. After laying the artificial turf and surveying a total of 37 reference points, six panels are mounted, and protective nets are installed. Our R&D department then takes over calibration and initial commissioning. After that, our coaching team traveled to Poland to train Legia staff on the various training options.

So the entire Anton Paar SportsTec team is involved?

Exactly, a project of this size involves our entire organizational structure. I also want to emphasize that we received great support from Anton Paar GmbH and Anton Paar ShapeTec. Purchasing, Legal Services, and Finance ensured we could focus on our strengths. Without Anton Paar ShapeTec, it would be difficult to build a skills.lab Arena. They not only manufacture the unique ball machines – the heart of the skills.lab Arena – but also ball lifts, ball pits, mounts for laser scanners and cameras, and sheet metal parts needed for the arena.

How do you ensure that all skills.lab Arenas are the same?

During construction we check every step – if one part is inaccurate, it can trigger a chain reaction and lead to inaccurate data. The ball machines are aligned with a laser and fixed to the floor. During commissioning, the laser scanners are aligned, the cameras are calibrated to the reference points, and the projected images on the screens are adjusted