Industry update: more on stadium development and sustainability

Find out more on the stadium development plans in the French Ligue 1 and Manchester United taking a next step for a more sustainable future

Development and Construction

• FC Lorient, part of the French Ligue 1, starts a thorough renovation for the Stade du Moustoir, with a current capacity of 18,500. Architectural design kicks off in 2022, whereas construction is scheduled to start in early 2023.

• Olympique Lyonnais has awarded a contract to design and build its proposed new arena to architectural firm and one of our corporate partners Populous and Citinea, a subsidiary of Vinci Construction. The targeted construction start date situates in the end of 2021, and project completion is scheduled for the end of 2023. In this new venue, with a capacity between 12,000 and 16,000 seats, OL Groupe hopes to host about 100 events per year.

Operations and Technology

• Fortuna Sittard reveals their plans to make intensify their use of technology. Data and algorithms will improve the decision making process in several fields, create a new stream of revenue and will strengthen the connection with the fans

Pitch management

• Our corporate partner SGL created the SGL Turfpod, an all-in one tool that makes monitoring technology accessible to everyone. The TurfPod is a small device containing six sensors that track the essential growing conditions above ground and in the soil. When pinned into the soil, the TurfPod operates automatically and shows the microclimate data in real time on the Portal.

Sustainability

• After 12 consecutive years of reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions, Manchester United will now work with Renewable Energy Group to explore ways of shrinking the clubs carbon footprint further. The goal is to make a difference in the fight against climate change, and the goal of developing a greener, cleaner planet.

General

• The Olympics 2032 will take place in Brisbane, after a successful edition in Melbourne (1956) and Sydney (2000).
• Stade Roland Garros is set to host boxing for the first time in nearly 50 years as the French Tennis Federation (FFT) seeks to enhance the venue’s multi-purpose claims.