Plans have been revealed for a new stadium for Pro League football club Sporting Charleroi as part of a major development plan for the Belgian city.
The stadium forms part of the Sambre Ouest masterplan, which has been divided up into four distinct elements for the redevelopment of the historic part of Charleroi by 2035.
The facility, which will have a capacity of between 20,000 and 25,000, will be located in Marchienne-au-Pont on wasteland that is currently part of steelworks and mining developments. The multi-functional stadium was part of the plans revealed by the City of Charleroi, with the club having last month stressed the need for a new home as it unveiled its ‘Horizon 2024’ vision.
The club has played at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi since 1939, with the stadium having been heavily redeveloped to be a host venue for Belgium’s co-hosting of UEFA Euro 2000 with the Netherlands. Its capacity was 30,000 for the tournament, but this has since been scaled back to 15,000.
The new stadium is projected to cost €60m (£52.5m/$66.3m). Sporting Charleroi managing director, Mehdi Bayat, said of the club’s current home last month: “The stadium as we know it no longer meets the requirements of the club as we see them for the future. We decided it was time to leave this stadium, and to go to a new site to build the Charleroi stadium of the future.”
Speaking at the unveiling of the city’s masterplan, Charleroi’s Mayor, Paul Magnette, said: “This is what will allow us to adopt the major options for the reconfiguration of this part of Charleroi. Much has been developed in the city centre and we had made it clear that the current legislature… would also be the year in which we invest in other districts. This is a very large and very complex project that aims to (re)create a city centre in the city.”
Image: City of Charleroi
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