Stadium Industry Updates 24 July
Portugal’s national stadium to be renovated
The Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal is set to undergo renovation work after an agreement was signed between the Municipality of Oeiras and several national sporting bodies. The stadium, which is also known as the Jamor Sports Complex, has a capacity of over 37,000 and hosts the annual Portuguese Cup final. It is also used to host rugby union and athletics events, as well as music concerts. The Municipality of Oeiras, where the Estádio Nacional is based, signed a cooperation agreement with the Portuguese Football Federation, which owns the venue, with a view to renovating the stadium.
Read more at:https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/07/17/portugals-estadio-nacional-set-for-revamp/
SGL expands its sustainable grow lighting product line with the LED120
After last year’s introduction of the LED50, SGL now adds another energy efficient LED lighting unit to its existing product line. The development of the LED120 aligns with the company’s goal to provide clubs with the right tools to maintain a high-quality playing surface in the most sustainable way possible. During the Masterclass in March 2023 (SGL's yearly customer only event), attendees got a sneak preview of the LED120 prototype and were asked to give feedback on the grow lighting unit. With the help of their input, the LED120 is now ready for purchase and available for delivery from September 2023. Arsenal FC, Hampden Park and the San Francisco 49’ers are among the first customers to adopt the LED120.
Read more at:https://sglsystem.com/EN/news/1234/unfolding-the-future
Quiet Rooms to be introduced at Women’s World Cup
FIFA has announced that three venues during the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be fitted with Quiet Rooms, marking a first for the tournament. The rooms, which will be made available for fans with sensory processing difficulties, will be introduced at Auckland’s Eden Park, Sydney’s Accor Stadium and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. The rooms have been designed to create a comfortable and calming environment to help individuals regulate their sensory input and reduce sensory overload. They will offer a range of sensory equipment and resources, such as weighted blankets, noise-cancelling headphones and calming lighting.
Luton Town forced to postpone first Premier league home game as Kenilworth Road work continues
Luton Town has been forced to postpone its first home match in the Premier League as Kenilworth Road undergoes a range of improvements to meet top-flight requirements.
Luton had been due to host Burnley on Saturday, August 19 but the extent of the upgrades means that the club could not “absolutely guarantee” that any future unforeseen issues would not cause any delay that would potentially impact the fixture. In a statement, Luton said that it had “reluctantly requested” the postponement of the Burnley match. A new date will be shared by both clubs at the earliest available opportunity.
Read more at: https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/38010805/luton-town-forced-postpone-first-premier-league-home-game-stadium-fears
BW Linz opens new stadium
Austrian Bundesliga football club BW Linz officially opened its new-look Hofmann Personal Stadion on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat against PSV Eindhoven. The new-look stadium, which has a capacity of around 5,500, has been built on the site of the former ground of the same name. Work on the project commenced in September 2021.
Read more at: https://www.breakinglatest.news/sports/new-stadium-of-bw-linz-officially-opened/
Arena to provide Paris 2024 with temporary infrastructure
Event solutions provider Arena has been unveiled as an official temporary infrastructure supporter of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Under the deal, Arena’s Overlay and Event Management Services division will provide temporary infrastructure design and implementation services for at least 13 competition venues that will be used during the Games next year. Some of the facilities covered by the deal include the Stade de France, Golf National, Centre Aquatique, Paris La Défense Arena, Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne, Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines and Arena Paris Nord. Arena will supply modular structures such as bungalows and containers, temporary stands, scaffolding, tents and interior fittings, with Paris 2024 having committed to organising the Games with 95% of the facilities being existing or temporary. Of the temporary structures, 90% will be used again, with 10% being recycled.
Read more at: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1139021/arena-temporary-fixtures-paris-2024
Louth GAA Stadium construction halted
Emergency talks have taken place at Dublin’s Croke Park after the Gaelic Athletic Association’s (GAA) Central Council instructed Louth GAA to halt plans to start construction work on a new stadium. The directive was issued due to concerns surrounding the required funding for the 14,000-capacity stadium outside Dundalk. Construction was due to commence on Monday of this week. Concerns have been raised surrounding a potential budget shortfall of about €7m in the development of the facility, with the GAA having written to the Louth Management Committee in June to warn against signing letters of intent with contractors until confirmation that the necessary funds were in place, the newspaper added.
Read more at: https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41183812.html
Sevilla FC considering IDOM stadium renovation
Spanish LaLiga football club Sevilla is leaning towards a renovation of its Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium that would increase the famous facility’s capacity to 55,000, according to reports in the country. Sevilla is reported to be favouring the plans put forward by engineering, design and consultancy firm IDOM to add more than 10,000 seats to the stadium’s current capacity as it considers future plans for the venue, which opened in 1958.
A report by Relevo stated that Sevilla has opted to study IDOM’s proposal closely before sending back suggested revisions as soon as possible.
Read more at: https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/07/19/sevilla-studying-idom-stadium-revamp-proposal/
Karlsruher SC opens new BBBank Wildpark
German 2.Bundesliga football club Karlsruher SC officially opened its revamped BBBank Wildpark on Wednesday with a 4-2 friendly defeat against Premier League club Liverpool.
BBBank Wildpark, which has served as the club’s home since 1955, has undergone a major redevelopment project that commenced at the end of 2018. The project to transform BBBank Wildpark was given a budget of €123m with the new-look stadium having a capacity of 35,000. Work was originally due to be completed in the summer of 2022, but the delivery date was postponed by a year.
Read more at: http://stadiumdb.com/news/2023/07/germany_bbbank_wildpark_almost_ready_opening_on_wednesday
Updated plans unveiled for Villa Park expansion
Premier League football club Aston Villa has unveiled updated plans to redevelop the North Stand at Villa Park, with a series of amendments submitted as part of a revised planning application to Birmingham City Council. The amendments include minor changes to the North Stand itself, along with new plans for the club’s existing academy building. Villa is also continuing to explore “exciting and dynamic” concepts across the stadium site, in addition to other functional buildings and spaces on the footprint of Villa Park. The redevelopment will increase the capacity of Villa Park to over 50,000, with the club hoping to transform the stadium into a “world-class” entertainment venue capable of hosting international sports tournaments and other events.
Read more at: https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2022/august/25/aston-villa-unveils-new-cgis-of-villa-park-redevelopment/
Etihad Stadium expansion likely to be approved
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium expansion project appears poised to be given the green light after Manchester City Council’s planning committee recommended that the plans should be approved. The recommendation comes ahead of a meeting that is due to be held on July 27. The English Premier League football club in April submitted a planning application to the Council for a proposed expansion of the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium and a 3,000-capacity City Square fan zone. The club also released the first CGI renderings of the plans after concept designs were unveiled in February.
Read more at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-citys-massive-etihad-stadium-27360483
Bologna FC presents plans for temporary home
Italian Serie A football club Bologna has presented plans for the stadium that will be its temporary home whilst redevelopment work is carried out on the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Bologna initially revealed details behind its temporary stadium project after presenting plans to the Municipality of Bologna back in July 2021. The venue is set to be situated on land owned by the Municipality surrounding the Agri-Food Centre of Bologna (CAAB), a site which also houses FICO Eataly World, dubbed the world’s largest agri-food theme park.
This is said to be an ideal setting as it can take advantage of the proximity of already existing car parks and is infrastructurally equipped. The stadium is expected to have a capacity of over 16,000 seats, more than 2,000 of which will be covered, and its €12m (£10.4m/$13.3m) construction will be financed entirely by Bologna Stadio, a company formed by the club in February 2020 to oversee the Dall’Ara redevelopment.
Read more at: https://www.bolognafc.it/en/bolognas-temporary-stadium-project-presented-to-the-mayor/