Featured image credit: Empoli FC
Italian Serie A club Empoli has detailed plans for a major redevelopment of the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
The project is expected to take 29 to 36 months to complete and will see the stadium’s capacity increase from 16,100 to over 18,600. Empoli will continue to play at the stadium while the work is carried out.
Empoli said the project will cost around €45m (£37.8m/$49m) and will result in the complete reconstruction of three of the stadium’s four stands. Stadio Carlo Castellani’s athletics track will be removed, bringing fans closer to the pitch, while an auditorium will be built along with a car park with over 1,300 spaces.
It is hoped the new stadium will compete with Italy’s main sports venues and stage events of “national importance”, while providing the city with a venue that can host non-sporting entertainment events.
Empoli said the stadium will be “highly sustainable” from an environmental and energy perspective, with the design calling for a carbon-neutral venue.
Luigi de Siervo, chief executive of Lega Serie A, said the project will include the gradual rebuilding of the two ‘curva’ stands and the construction of a covered grandstand, the capacity of which will be 4,300. The project will be discussed by the city council during meetings on July 18 and July 29.
Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi said: “We have been working on the redevelopment of the stadium for years, looking for the best solution from every point of view. We have developed a sustainable intervention, a solid project, which transcends the sporting aspect and brings benefits to the entire area.
“A project in stages, which we are carrying forward thanks to the support of the institutions, with the Ministry for Sport and Youth that will accompany us on this path with the tools made available to the sports clubs. The redevelopment of the stadium is a gift that we want to give to the community, providing the club and the city with a structure that is in step with the times, functional and of high quality.
“A stadium that will be lively seven days a week will be a place of aggregation and constant reference for the city. We are ready to begin this journey with the municipal administration, to listen to the requests and proposals that will be made, with the aim of giving Empoli a unique and innovative work. It will be an intense journey but I am convinced that this redevelopment will bring great benefits to the city over time and increase the value of our club.”
The official name of the stadium is ‘Stadio Carlo Castellani – Computer Gross Arena’ as part of a sponsorship deal with computer products manufacturer Computer Gross.
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