A Prague-based company, Tarespa was founded by Michael Řezáč with the idea of bringing a new product with a touch of art to the football merchandising environment.
“I played football but at the age of 25 I was forced to stop my career. At the time, I was living in Germany, near Frankfurt, and after a match I had just attended, I went to the club shop. There were a lot of things there, but like everywhere else: scarves, jerseys, cups and lots of other different gadgets. That’s when I realized something was missing; something that conveys the emotions felt at the stadium. And since no one was making anything like this, six months later we started making our first stadium models. »
Michael Řezáč (right) with the Sparta cup|Photo: Tarespa
Despite complicated beginnings, the activity developed to what it is eight years later, each model, handcrafted in the Czech Republic, can now be considered an object of art. A situation with which Michael Řezáč, who welcomed us in the workshop located in the 5th district of Prague, says he is “very satisfied” today:
“When you look at what models looked like when we started and what they are today, the evolution is notable. I’m not afraid to say that we produce jewelry. Whether it’s race cars or stadiums, our models and products are magnificent and we have collectors all over the world. This is precisely what we want: to make much more than just models. When someone installs a model in their living room in the colors of their favorite club or when a club displays a model of its stadium for everyone to see, it must be a source of both pleasure and pride, because it This is a valuable item. »
The stadium model in Qatar|Photo: Tarespa
Michael Řezáč claims to have quickly felt this pleasure and pride in the eyes of club managers and supporters, the driving force behind Teraspa’s activity:
The first model of the Dynamo Dresden stadium|Photo: Tarespa
“When we undertook our first tour of Germany in 2015, from Dortmund to Munich via Frankfurt, we were received by sixteen clubs in four days, only by going door to door and without yet having the slightest plan of development. We were just presenting the prototype we had at the time and which was very far from resembling the models we have today. Very quickly, we felt that our production interested people and that our activity had good development potential. To be honest, we lost money on our first orders for Dynamo Dresden and Sparta Prague because it was then still difficult for us to estimate the production cost and time spent to make a model. But it didn’t matter. When I saw that in Dresden, the 200 models that we had supplied to Dynamo all sold for 200 euros each in the space of a few weeks, I said to myself that it would be a shame not to continue . »
The making of the Dynamo Dresden model|Photo: Tarespa
Proof of the success over time of these models and their development potential, Michael Řezáč explains that on the occasion, this year, of the 15th anniversary of the reopening of the new stadium in Dresden, Tarespa is currently working with Dynamo on the manufacturing an improved version, called “Black & Gold”, of the first model, which the club will then put on sale to its many supporters.
Tomáš Rosický avec le modèle d’Arsenal|Photo: Tarespa
The fact remains that, whatever the countries in which they are located, cooperation with clubs, without operating licenses and authorizations from which the reproduction of logos and names is impossible, is not always so simple. In the cases of Arsenal and Chelsea, for example, the stints in the relatively recent past of Tomáš Rosický and Petr Čech, two former great Czech internationals, strongly contributed to the success of the negotiations and the distribution of the thousand models manufactured. However, Michael Řezáč notes that, on this point, cooperation with the biggest clubs on the continent, things tend to evolve positively:
Petr Čech (centre) and Michael Řezáč (à droite)|Photo: Tarespa
“People are starting to know where Central Europe is. On the other hand, many do not yet know that beautiful stadium models are made there and that they can obtain them. We have been investing for seven years so that people understand that our models are not intended for children, but that they are truly a gem. So far, we have cooperated mainly with two big clubs for whom we have produced 1,000 models. The big clubs are our target, but we had to analyze the reasons why these 1,000 models did not sell straight away. Was it the fault of Covid or because the clubs’ marketing was not good enough? Today, I know that clubs like Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain have the potential to sell these 1,000 models in a few days, but they still have to do what is necessary to do so. »
The model of the Bayern stadium|Photo: Tarespa
However, as Tarespa wants to cooperate with as many clubs as possible in Europe, it is better for the company to produce slightly fewer models. Michael Řezáč explains why:
“Making a basic model takes six to eight hours of work, which means it takes 8,000 hours for 1,000 models. However, we had to train our employees and we do not want all the company’s staff to work only on a project for a single club for two to three months. This is why we have evolved our economic model: from now on we only manufacture a maximum of 500 models for a single club. Our goal is not only to be active all over Europe, but also to satisfy collectors, because we have customers all over the world who buy all the models, even when it is for example the stadium of a Czech club . These collectors are more and more numerous and are waiting for our new series of models each time. »
The model of the Chelsea stadium for Petr Čech|Photo: Tarespa
In France, agencies representing Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco have expressed their interest to Tarespa for models of the Vélodrome and Louis II stadiums. And if the discussions were ultimately unsuccessful, according to Michael Řezáč, it is mainly due to the commercial margins for a product whose production cost is already relatively high. As a result, Tarespa prefers to negotiate directly with the clubs and their owners. This is how the 237 models manufactured for Sparta Prague were sold at prices ranging from 200 to 1,100 euros. But before even considering selling it, work lasting several weeks is necessary to develop models that can be custom-made according to the requests of clubs and customers:
“The first thing we do is look at an aerial view of the stadium. As our models are not very large and our goal is first and foremost to ensure that our models arouse emotions and are beautiful to the eye, we do not reproduce all the details and therefore do not need the plans of architect. We then prepare a 3D model based on which we then refine the details. It is only when we are sure of the final result, of the colors, that We Let’s start working on the more technical aspects like lighting. But as we have already manufactured more than 130 model prototypes, many elements are repeated and the work goes relatively quickly. This allows us to add new materials and other elements specific to each club. In total, I would say it takes us about six weeks from concept to finished product. »
The model of the Juventus stadium|Photo: Tarespa
The dream of a traveling exhibition
While around ten people work in Prague on the development of the models, as for the manufacturing itself, Tarespa cooperates with Kaden, a company based in Náchod, in Eastern Bohemia, specializing since 1950 in the production of models of the legendary Tatra trucks, old Škoda cars or even tractors and other military machines.
Ambassador Tony Adams with model of Highbury Stadium|Photo: Tarespa
Ultimately, stadium models are offered in three categories: “standard”, “premium” and “deluxe”; a category that Michael Řezáč refers to as “football jewelry”. A category which includes for example the models of the Juventus Stadium, made of crystal, or of Highbury, the former enclosure of the Arsenal Gunners, in the composition of which there is a light base, gold components or even the brand Swarovski.
Jakub Voráček and Michael Řezáč|Photo: Tarespa
Building on its success, but also the investments of the former goalkeeper of the Czech football team Tomáš Vaclík and the former hockey player Jakub Voráček, who played nearly fifteen seasons in the prestigious North American league NHL, Tarespa now sees bigger still. Just after welcoming us, Michael Řezáč flew off for a two-week tour of the United States, a sports market that he believes is even “more promising” than the European one. A market also where the next Football World Cup will be held in 2026. Larger, therefore, but also further away until 2030:
The model of the Chelsea stadium|Photo: Tarespa
“I would like about half of the big clubs in Europe and America to be on our commercial map. I believe we are capable of producing stadium models for the most prestigious leagues in all sports anywhere in the world. But I also have another dream: I would like to create a traveling exhibition with all the models that we have created and each of them would allow you to virtually visit the stadium. Just imagine: each visitor to the exhibition, in the space of an afternoon, could discover and immerse themselves in all the stadiums of their choice. We could also imagine this exhibition being installed in Prague and, continent after continent, it would allow us to take a tour of all the stadiums that we have created through our models. »
The model of the Sparta stadium|Photo: Tarespa
2024-03-02 00:01:30
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