Italian Serie A football club Bologna has appointed Fincantieri Infrastructure, a subsidiary of shipbuilding company Fincantieri Group, to design and develop the revamp of its Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
The appointment was made by Bologna Stadio, a new company formed by the club in February to oversee the redevelopment. The venture will be led by the club, the city of Bologna and Fincantieri.
Bologna said in a statement: “At a time in which football, as with other industrial sectors in Italy, requires investments and strategies to make a new start, this cooperation represents an important initiative to deliver the club and the city of Bologna a modern and functional infrastructure to meet the current needs of the audience and the business partners.”
Further details were not revealed, but local newspaper il Resto del Carlino said the 15-month project is now expected to cost around €100m (£89.5m/$113.4m). The redevelopment is likely to commence in the summer of 2022, at which point it is said that Bologna will look to move to a temporary 15,000-seat stadium in the city that will cost between €8m and €10m to develop.
Bologna first revealed its vision for the redevelopment of the stadium in January 2019. As part of the plans, the capacity of the Dall’Ara is set to be reduced from 31,000 to 27,000, with room for expansion to 29,000. The stadium first opened in 1927 and the new-look Dall’Ara will be completely covered by a roof, with the stands located closer to the pitch.
Bologna’s fellow Serie A club, Cagliari, has also been playing at a temporary stadium, Sardegna Arena, as it seeks to develop a new home.
Image: Bologna FC
