Roma Nuoto makes move for Stadio Flaminio

Swimming and water polo club AS Roma Nuoto has entered the first formal proposal to redevelop the Italian capital’s Stadio Flaminio.

According to Il Messaggero, Roma Nuoto’s vision is to conduct a restoration and renovation project that would bring the facility back to its original state, while also introducing new elements. This would include the installation of a new structure sitting above the current playing surface, which could be assembled and disassembled according to the usage of the stadium.

The number of seats would remain unchanged at 24,973, with the main changes concerning work underneath the pitch. This would see the introduction of an Olympic swimming pool with a 500-seat grandstand, a supermarket, four padel courts and a skating and ice hockey facility.

Fourteen community-focused offerings would be placed under two of the stands, seven for each, including retail outlets, bars, restaurants, gyms and a sports medicine facility. An estimated €55m (£46.5m/$59.5m) has been budgeted for a 750-day project that intends for the Flaminio itself to be a hub for Rome and Italy’s women’s football and rugby union teams.

The venue was designed by renowned Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi and was built ahead of the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, initially serving as a football ground before hosting matches played by Italy’s rugby union team from 2000 to 2011. The stadium has been closed since 2011, with the Municipality of Rome, its owner, seeking ways in which to bring it back to life.

Roma Nuoto’s proposal has been filed ahead of an impending deadline for projects to be entered with the Municipality. SS Lazio has been strongly linked with using a redeveloped Flaminio as a new home stadium and the Serie A football club’s president, Claudio Lotito, is reportedly set to meet with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Monday to discuss the feasibility of such a scheme.