Italian club Cagliari Calcio has finalised plans for its new stadium with the project set to be signed off by local authorities within months.
The Serie B second-tier team has presented the Definitive Project to the Municipality of Cagliari for its new 25,000-capacity stadium, which will be built on its former Sant’Elia stadium and adjacent to its current home, Unipol Domus (Sardegna Arena). The Sardinian club said the path foresees that within the next six months there will be the arrival of the Definitive Project in a Municipal Decision-making Services Conference, aimed at obtaining the declaration of public utility of the work.
After that, there will be a public tender procedure, with an international tender for a maximum duration of 90 days aimed at being able to start the works and assign the 50-year management concession.
The plan adds that once the demolition of the club’s historical ground, Sant’Elia, has started and finished, the time schedule still foresees a construction period of about 25 months, until the inauguration of the new stadium which is likely to be in time for the 2025-26 season.
Club president Tommaso Giulini said: “In such a particular historical moment, in which the international economy suffers the increase in the cost of raw materials, transport, energy and the influence of an ongoing war conflict, thanks to an always fruitful dialogue with the institutions and our partners we were able to work hard to arrive at the presentation of the Definitive Project, a step that we strongly wanted.
“This is a crucial page of our journey, for Cagliari and for Sardinia as a whole, to which we want to make available something unique and strongly anchored to the territory, capable of contributing to the sustainable growth of the city from an economic and social point of view.”
The club – relegated from Serie A last season – has been working with the Costim Group, industrial partner of the project, David Manica and Sportium as well as Monitor Deloitte and Chiomenti. The club said the economic-financial plan supporting the project has been certified by Unicredit.
Costim and Cagliari recently signed a new agreement, after one agreed in May 2021 which sanctioned the choice of Costim as general contractor and industrial partner. This provides for the joint investment needed to commence construction, through a new company that will be established in the event of the award of the public tender.
The newco will be 60% controlled by Cagliari, with Costim holding the remaining 40% stake. The total cost of the stadium, which will be expandable to 30,000 seats, is currently being projected at between €125m (£103.8m/$138.7m) and €130m.
Cagliari has been playing at the temporary Sardegna Arena since the 2017-18 season after the Stadio Sant’Elia was closed with a view to being demolished and completely rebuilt. Cagliari in June received backing from the city council to proceed with plans for its new stadium, which will be delivered by Sportium and Manica Architecture.
In July 2020, Cagliari partnered with Istituto per il Credito Sportivo to aid the financing of its stadium project. The Istituto operates in the credit sector for sport and culture projects and carries out consultancy work for public and private developments. It was appointed to attract investment to the Cagliari project, which includes the stadium and associated development of the surrounding area.
Image: Sportium
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