Featured image credit: Simone Daino on Unsplash
Italian Serie A football club AC Milan has reportedly appointed the CAA Icon agency to support its efforts as it considers building a new stadium without cross-city rival Inter Milan.
CAA Icon will assist Milan as the club gauges fan opinion on a new stadium, according to Calcio e Finanza. The two parties have launched a survey to better understand fans’ match-day habits and preferences.
Last month, it was reported by Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that Milan, under its new US ownership group RedBird Capital Partners, had elected to split from Inter and pursue its own stadium project.
The two clubs have been working on the joint Nuovo Stadio Milan project, but ongoing delays concerning this venture, coupled with uncertainty surrounding Inter’s ownership situation, are said to have prompted Milan to explore plans for its own stadium. The new joint stadium would be built on the same plot of land occupied by the two clubs’ current home, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (pictured), more commonly known as San Siro.
Gazzetta identified three alternative sites as potential homes for a dedicated stadium for Milan: Sesto San Giovanni, a commune located north of Milan; San Donate, a commune southeast of Milan; and La Maura, an area closer to the Meazza which is currently home to equestrian and horse racing facilities.
According to Calcio e Finanza, Milan favours the La Maura site and the club has engaged CAA Icon as it further explores the project. The survey launched by Milan and CAA Icon quizzes fans on seasonal stadium attendance, transport to the stadium, parking, in-stadium seating arrangements, food and beverages, hospitality services, and Wi-Fi.
The survey also raises the possibility of a multi-purpose stadium that could host concerts, national team matches, women’s games, American football and other sporting events. Calcio e Finanza said that there is currently no “complete and defined” model of the stadium, with Milan looking to establish parameters for the project.
CAA Icon has overseen planning, design and construction for several major venues around the world, including Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, The O2 in London and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
After it emerged that Milan was considering a separate stadium project, it was reported that Inter had identified an area of private land in the city for its own potential stadium. Last week, it was reported that Inter had chosen the town of Assago as its ‘Plan B’ site, which it will pursue if the shared stadium with Milan does not come to fruition.
In August, RedBird Capital Partners formally concluded its takeover of Milan touting its “track record” in sports stadium developments, with Yankee Global Enterprises (YGE) coming in as a new minority owner.
RedBird’s takeover of Milan was initially announced in June, with the club changing hands between American owners. The deal with US investment management group Elliott Management valued the reigning Serie A champion at €1.2bn (£1.06bn/$1.28bn).
The Municipality of Milan in January called on Milan and Inter to make key amendments to their new stadium proposal, along with exploring the potential for the Meazza to be granted protected status.
Following a public debate process that ran last year, some of the suggestions that were put forward, and voted on by the City Council in December, were officially incorporated. Milan and Inter have been asked to update their feasibility study to incorporate a number of requests.
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