Stadium Industry Updates 06 June 2023

Lille, Marseille and Lyon to host Six Nations Games with Stade de France unavailable.

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has announced that stadiums in Marseille, Lille and Lyon will host Six Nations matches next year, with the Stade de France to be unavailable in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Paris. The Stade de France is the traditional home of the French rugby union team but it was announced in February that it will not be available for sporting and entertainment events for the entirety of 2024 heading into the Olympics.

The news left the FFR seeking host venues for next year’s Six Nations and the governing body has now confirmed plans to play at Marseille’s Orange Vélodrome (pictured), Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy and Lyon’s Groupama Stadium.

Read more at: https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/2023/05/29/france-to-play-2024-guinness-six-nations-matches-away-from-paris/

Final works of Roig Arena given go-ahead

The final construction phase for Roig Arena, a new 18,600-capacity arena being developed in the Spanish city of Valencia, has been given the go-ahead by the city council.

Spanish billionaire Juan Roig is bankrolling the project through the Licampa 1617 holding company, which has been granted a licence to complete construction, according to the EFE news agency. The decision paves the way for the third phase of construction, focusing on the completion of the arena and the nearby car park, to be carried out. The licence also approves the scheduled opening of the arena next year. The arena, designed by HOK and local architecture practice ERRE Arquitectura, will serve as the home of Valencia Basket. It will have a maximum capacity of 15,600 for basketball games but will be able to accommodate up to 18,600 spectators for concerts, which would make it the largest arena in Spain ahead of Madrid’s WiZink Center.

Read more at: https://licampa1617.es/

Stamford bridge to host “Game4Ukraine”

Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea, will host a charity match for Ukraine ahead of the new Premier League football season.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced the Game4Ukraine in a public address , revealing that Chelsea will host the special match in west London on August 5. The game will be held in support of Zelenskyy’s UNITED24 initiative, raising funds for the reconstruction of the Mykhailo-Kotsiubynsky Lyceum in Chernihiv Oblast, a school struck by missiles during the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The game will kick off at 6pm local time and see two sides – Team Yellow and Team Blue, representing the national colours of Ukraine – competing at Stamford Bridge, captained by former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and current Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who are past and present Ukrainian internationals, and ambassadors for UNITED24.

Read more at: https://www.chelseafc.com/en/game4ukraine

Lithuania’s new national stadium receives construction permit

The project to deliver a new national stadium for Lithuania in the capital city Vilnius has entered its next stage with the award of a construction permit. Located on the Šeškinė Hill site, the multi-functional complex will be anchored by a 15,000-seat stadium, with 15 other sports facilities due to be provided including an athletics track, six basketball courts, three football training grounds, handball, gymnastics and boxing halls.

The new complex will include a sports museum, cultural and educational centre, library, as well as a kindergarten, which has been identified as a pressing need for Vilnius. The permit that has been issued is for the construction of the stadium, plus the sports museum that will be located within it.

The construction of the stadium and museum is the first phase of the project, with work on the cultural centre, associated sports facilities and kindergarten due to start at the end of the year. All aspects of the venture are due to be delivered at the same time in 2025.

A park is also due to be developed around the stadium, which along with community benefits is envisioned to help suppress noise from the venue.

Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/05/31/construction-permit-issued-for-lithuanias-new-national-stadium/

Work commences on transformation of Camp Nou

Work has officially started in earnest on the transformation of Spotify Camp Nou, with FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, stating that the new-look stadium will be “a collective dream for all Barça fans”. The LaLiga football club on Sunday played its final game at the Camp Nou before its temporary switch to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca. Barcelona brought forward some of its planned renovation work at the Camp Nou to take advantage of LaLiga’s winter break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. A partial demolition project was completed in November, but the wider revamp is now set to begin.

The start of work has been preceded by the symbolic burying of a time capsule under the pitch, with a ceremony attended by a host of club dignitaries, local officials and key partners behind the project. Laporta was the last person to fill the box, placing inside the Barça and Catalan flags and giving a short speech in which he restated the importance of having a stadium located in Barcelona, in the Les Corts neighbourhood, where the club has played since 1922.

Read more at: https://www.barcelonayellow.com/fcb-football-sports/147-new-camp-nou-stadium

Atlético de Madrid introduces new 5G experience

Spanish LaLiga football club Atlético de Madrid and telco Telefónica have piloted a new initiative to deliver a 5G-powered virtual-reality experience for fans at the Cívitas Metropolitano. The project debuted during Atlético’s recent match against Osasuna and was offered again during Sunday’s game against Real Sociedad. The experience allows fans to watch the match from different angles via tablets or Meta Quest Pro VR glasses that receive real-time images captured by 360-degree cameras located around the stadium.

Fans will be able to sample views from each stand, as well as the tunnel area as teams walk out onto the pitch. Three pre-recorded scenes will also show the changing room, a stadium light show, and the atmosphere in the lead-up to Atlético’s 120th anniversary celebrations.

Read more at: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023/05/29/telefonica-and-atletico-madrid-develop-immersive-5g-experience/

Real Valladolid stadium project put on hold

Plans to expand the Estadio José Zorrilla, home of Spanish LaLiga football club Real Valladolid, have been put on hold by the city council. The council said the decision has been made to ensure “democratic neatness” following the recent election process. Acting Mayor Óscar Puente has left the decision in the hands of Mayor-elect Jesús Julio Carnero, who has proposed a project that is not in line with the club’s vision. In March, the council approved a new concession deal with Real Valladolid that would cover the redevelopment of the José Zorrilla and the expansion of the club’s sports city project.

Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/06/01/real-valladolid-stadium-project-suspended/

Atalanta enters final stage of stadium redevelopment

Atalanta has announced that work will commence on the final phase of the redevelopment of Gewiss Stadium following the conclusion of the 2022-23 Serie A football season this weekend. Atalanta takes on Monza at Gewiss Stadium on Sunday, after which the bulldozers will move in to the venue. The city council in Bergamo gave the club the go ahead to proceed with the work back in August, with the last step of the multi-year project set to focus on the reconstruction of the Curva Sud Morosini, the away fans sector and the Distinti Sud, as well as construction of the adjacent underground car park and all urbanisation works envisaged in the implementation plan.

Read more at: https://www.atalanta.it/en/gewiss-stadium-renovations/

ESSMA partner Arena Group joins forces with KMSK Deinze for the rental of Le Canonnier stadium

The football stadium 'Le Canonnier' in Mouscron has a rich history. The city of Mouscron, ACA Football Partners and The Arena Group are now working on a new chapter. After the bankruptcy of football team Mouscron, the stadium gets a new destination. From now on it will also be a place that you can rent completely: from the changing rooms to the sacred green turf. “This is the first football stadium in Europe that can be fully privatized for a corporate event, a concert, a football internship or a regional match... the possibilities are endless,” says Michiel Vanderheyden of The Arena Group.

Read more at: https://kmskdeinze.be/nieuws/2023/6/kmsk-deinze-slaat-de-handen-in-elkaar-met-arena-group-voor-de-verhuur-van-le-canonnier/

Plans for Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski stadium redevelopment presented

The Polish city of Gorzów has detailed plans for a major renovation project at the home stadium of football club Stilon Gorzów Wielkopolski. The project will increase the capacity of the Stadium at ul. Olimpijska from 5,000 to 10,000 and ensure the venue is capable of hosting top-flight Ekstraklasa football in the future. Gorzów currently plays in the III Liga.

The city has commissioned a design concept for the project, which will be carried out in phases. As a result, work will be carried out on each stand separately to enable the stadium to remain open throughout the process. The reinforced concrete elements of the stands will be built in a way that will enable a steel-structure roof to be installed in the future. The project will also include upgraded team facilities and media areas, as well as a VAR room.

Architect Michał Heck has designed the renderings of the reimagined stadium. No timeline has been set for the project.

Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/05/30/gorzow-presents-plans-for-stadium-redevelopment/