Stadium Industry Updates 11 July 2023
RCD Mallorca partners with LG and Telefonica for stadium redevelopment
Spanish LaLiga football club RCD Mallorca has agreed deals with Telefónica and LG Electronics to support the redevelopment of the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
The three-way agreement is designed to advance the digital and multimedia capabilities of the revamped stadium. The club was given the go-ahead to revamp the stadium back in April 2022 after initially presenting plans earlier in the year. The venue opened in 1999 and RCD Mallorca has previously stated the need for the stadium to evolve and adapt to “changing times”. The initial phase of the project cost €5.4m and centred on a new structure in the lower part of the south stand. The wider project, which is slated to be finished by 2024, is expected to cost around €20m.
Lorient appoints Chaix et Morel to lead stadium redevelopment
The Municipality of Lorient has appointed Paris-based architecture firm Chaix et Morel as the project manager for the redevelopment of Stade du Moustoir, home of French Ligue 1 football club FC Lorient. The project is set to take place across three phases and will be completed in 2028. According to the Le Télégramme newspaper, the total cost of the project will reach €41.27m
Read more at: https://www.letelegramme.fr/morbihan/lorient-56100/voila-a-quoi-ressemblera-le-futur-stade-du-moustoir-a-lorient-6383623.php
FC Barcelona to reduce Espai Barca budget
FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that the Spanish LaLiga football club is planning on reducing its investment in the wide-ranging Espai Barça project from €1.1bn to €960m. The transformation of Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou is central to Espai Barça, with a new Palau Blaugrana arena to also be built for the club’s handball and basketball teams. Espai Barça also includes the Campus Barça development.
Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/07/03/barcelona-to-reduce-budget-for-espai-barca-project/
Liverpool FC to apply for safe standing license at Anfield
Premier League football club Liverpool has announced that it will be applying for a safe-standing licence at Anfield following a successful trial of rail seating in sections of the stadium. Liverpool will expand the phased rail seating installation programme on a permanent basis moving forward. The club will apply for the safe-standing licence following a review of the effectiveness of rail seating in relation to fans’ safety at the end of the trial period.
Read more at: https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/lfc-completes-successful-rail-seating-trial-and-will-apply-safe-standing-licence
Catalan Football Federation presents plans for new sports city
The Catalan Football Federation (FCF) has presented plans for a new sports city that would be anchored by a 1,500-capacity stadium. The district would be located in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, close to the Collserola Natural Park and a short distance from Barcelona-El Prat Airport. The sports city would span more than 68,000 square metres and also include a new headquarters for the FCF, 11-a-side and seven-a-side football pitches, and a multi-sports hall for futsal and beach football.
Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/07/04/catalan-football-federation-presents-plan-for-new-sports-city-stadium/
Warsaw presents plans for Nowa Skra
The City of Warsaw has announced that locally-based Bujnowski Architekci and ATJ Architekci have won a design competition to develop a new athletics stadium and arena on the site of the Stadion RKS Skra. The competition marks the second stage of modernisation and expansion of the Skra, with the winning firms now invited to the negotiated procurement procedure. The design envisions the development of a stadium with a capacity of over 25,000, while paying tribute to the original shape that resembles an elongated horseshoe.
Read more at:https://polanddaily24.com/a-new-athletics-stadium-and-arena-on-the-site-of-the-stadion-rks-skra/sport/26615
Venice development projects to receive financial boost
The proposed Bosco dello Sport stadium and arena project in Venice has taken a big step forward after Italy’s central government committed €93.5m of public funds towards the development. The project suffered a major setback in April when the European Commission confirmed that Italy had been barred from directing almost €150m of COVID-19 recovery funds towards two stadium developments including projects in Venice and at Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. Whilst the Fiorentina stadium project is still in limbo from a financial perspective, the funding shortfall in Venice appears to have been resolved. Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro expressed his delight by praising the efforts of Italy’s central government, including President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa.
Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/07/05/funding-boost-for-venice-stadium-and-arena-project/
Wimbledon uses VR headsets for visually impaired
New 5G-powered headsets that let visually impaired fans watch live sport are being trialled by Vodafone at this year’s Wimbledon tennis championships. Live footage is streamed from local TV cameras over Vodafone 5G to the GiveVision headsets. They then enhance the footage to suit the person’s specific sight profile, by bringing it closer to their eye to stimulate the photoreceptor cells in the retina (cells that respond to light), which means a degree of sight can be regained. It is the first time this 5G technology has ever been used in tennis.
Read more at:https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/07/wimbledon-to-trial-5g-headsets-for-visually-impaired-tennis-fans
Everton FC presents latest hospitality concepts for new stadium
Everton has introduced the next phase of its ‘ALL’ matchday experiences ahead of the opening of the club’s new stadium. Launched last summer, ‘ALL’ delivers what the Premier League club considers a re-set of traditional football hospitality through the incorporation of a multitude of bars, restaurants and experiences at Everton Stadium. Packages range from fine dining and casual restaurants to sports bars, traditional pubs and tapas-style social spaces.
Read more at: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-new-stadium-corporate-hospitality-27266803
London Stadium to install solar membrane
A giant solar membrane is set to be installed at London Stadium, the home of English Premier League football club West Ham United, after City Hall approved a multi-million-pound loan for the project. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which is driving the project, said it would “help drive savings of up to £350,000 a year” through cutting-edge solar technology. The installation is expected to cost about £4m, according to the LLDC. However, the exact loan value from City Hall’s £500m Green Finance Fund will be confirmed when the tender for the work is awarded. The membrane, made from photovoltaic material, will span some 6,000 to 7,000 square metres.
Read more at:https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/olympic-stadium-west-ham-solar-membrane-loan-city-hall-b1092143.html
English FA presents “playing for the future” sustainability plan
The Football Association has unveiled a five-year sustainability strategy that will include a focus on reducing resource consumption at Wembley Stadium, the home of English football. The FA’s ‘Playing for the Future’ initiative, which will run until 2028, includes a long-term pledge to invest more than £35m in achieving net-zero carbon emissions through the organisation by 2040. The focus on saving resources will include embedding sustainable practices across the organisation, Wembley and the FA’s main training centre at St. George’s Park, as well as minimising waste through procurement choices, identifying reuse opportunities and maximising recyclability.
Read more at: https://www.thefa.com/news/2023/jul/06/new-five-year-sustainability-strategy