Images: Real Betis
Real Betis has given a fresh look at the future Estadio Benito Villamarín, with the LaLiga football club’s president, Ángel Haro, answering criticism of the project relating to its multi-purpose remit and premium seating offering.
Speaking at the club’s general shareholders’ meeting, Haro stressed the idea that the new stadium must be managed optimally 365 days a year, which will give a “qualitative and quantitative leap in income”.
Betis is planning a complete overhaul of the Benito Villamarín, with the project forming a key part of its 2022-26 strategic plan. Rafael de la-Hoz and Gensler landed the contract to design the stadium last year, and detailed designs for the 60,721-seat facility were presented in June.
The project has already been met with opposition from neighbourhood organisations, with one of the areas of concern being the potential impact of non-football activities at the new-look stadium. Haro stressed that the project is not being designed to be a major concert venue, unlike the business model taken by Real Madrid, which has encountered challenges staging entertainment events at the revamped Estadio Santiago Bernabéu that have ultimately seen such activities suspended.
Haro said the activities planned for the adjacent building will include a hotel, a clinic and a centre related to well-being and healthy activities, ruling out the possibility of a shopping centre and stating concerts will be limited to several events in the month of June.
He continued: “It is not a second Bernabéu and concerts will be limited to two or three in June . It is not a shopping centre either. There will be a hotel, a clinic and a centre related to well-being and health. None of these activities generates the visitor numbers of a shopping centre, which was one of the complaints of the neighbours.”
Haro added: “We continue to listen to the different groups, but we do not tolerate criticism based on falsehoods.”
Haro also said the planned level of premium areas for the new stadium, whose seats will make up 6% of the total, is below the norm for such projects.
He added: “This 6% will generate 20 or 25% of the revenue from tickets and will make the project viable. The important thing is the remaining 54,600 who will be able to see their team in a better venue.
“The beneficiaries will be the rest of the fans, who will be able to see their team in a more comfortable, covered stadium, with better acoustics and better services. The stadium has been built with Betis and the Betis fans in mind. We are improving our home for, and with, the benefit of everyone.”
In September, Betis received €125m (£103.3m/$131.2m) to restructure its debt as part of an agreement with Goldman Sachs that will support the financing of its stadium redevelopment project.
Betis said the deal, which the club struck in collaboration with its financial advisor Bibium Capital, will enable it to restructure its debt from short to long term under “very favourable conditions” with a maturity of 10 years.
The refinancing deal was announced after Betis recently completed a capital increase of €42.9m, which the club said has helped balance its books so it can pursue projects such as the stadium overhaul.
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