Argentine Primera División football club Newell’s Old Boys has announced the start of construction work to expand the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.
The Rosario-based club said that the work will focus on a second tier for the north stand and increase the stadium’s overall capacity from 42,000 to 49,000.
Estadio Marcelo Bielsa is named after renowned coach Bielsa, who started both his playing and coaching career at Newell’s. The stadium first opened in 1911 and underwent a major renovation in 1997, taking its capacity to 42,000.
In November last year, Newell’s presented plans for the complete redevelopment of the stadium. The project, which was drawn up by architect and Newell’s fan Mario Corea, will be carried out in four stages, with the ultimate vision of expanding the capacity to 65,000 within four years.
Work on the expansion of the north stand has now begun, and other elements of the project are set to include a circular roof covering all stands and four floors of corporate boxes in the east stand. The project is expected to run beyond the tenure of the current Newell’s leadership group, with the foundations instead being set for future executives to take on the venture.
The first stage of the work is set to be completed by the end of 2024. Newell’s will continue playing at the stadium while the work is carried out.
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