RSC Anderlecht is exploring the development of a new stadium with a target site in mind, according to the Belgian Pro League football club’s chairman, Wouter Vandenhaute.
Based in the Anderlecht municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, the club has played at its current home, the circa 21,500-capacity Lotto Park, since the stadium first opened in 1917.
Speaking to Belgian media outlets, Vandenhaute said Anderlecht is currently weighing up its options, while admitting that the standard of its current means it can afford to take its time. He told Het Laatste Nieuws: “We want to build a new stadium. We are currently investigating various potential locations.”
Anderlecht’s investigations have already come up with a preferred site for a stadium, land in Anderlecht that is currently occupied by a Cora outlet. The supermarket chain announced last month that it would be closing all of its outlets in Belgium.
“Our current stadium is the perfect stadium for where the club is today,” Vandenhaute told Het Nieuwsblad. “We have a waiting list of 4,500 people, but not 20,000 people. We want to grow. If Anderlecht wants a new stadium in the long term, we would be better off thinking about it now than starting in five years.
“We have already brainstormed about it. Cora is an ideal location because it is in Anderlecht. However, it is a very complex story for all kinds of reasons. We have been on top of it for three years and now we will have to see whether it is even feasible. We cannot just assume that at the moment.”
He continued: “We want to do the exercise quietly. We are going to define the project completely first and then we will see. We have a fantastic shareholder base with Marc Coucke, Geert Duyck and myself. Anderlecht as a club does not have to invest in it. The shareholders do.
“The fans can rest assured: it will not be a financial millstone around the neck of Anderlecht. If we combine the network of Geert Duyck, Marc Coucke and myself, we will already come a long way.
“We would prefer to stay at Anderlecht, but there are a number of other options that are being considered. Staying where we are now will be very difficult if we want to continue to grow. But we are looking into it. We have the advantage that we can work on a new stadium in silence. Our current stadium is still fantastic.”
A timeline for a stadium project has not been outlined, nor has a potential capacity, but a multi-use facility with the potential to also host Belgian national team games is being targeted.
Vandenhaute said: “Football is one of the few connecting things in society, but it is expensive to come to the stadium today. We want to build a big stadium where a lot of people from Brussels and the wider periphery, who do not have the means to come to a stadium now, can come and watch.”
The potential for a new stadium has also received backing from Fabrice Cumps, Mayor of Anderlecht. He told HLN: “I have been aware of the club’s interest in the Cora site for some time now.
“It would be positive if the club stays on our territory. That has always been our wish. The Cora site is really ideal. I think it’s a good idea to build a stadium from scratch. Of course, there have to be safeguards, such as respecting the potential nuisance for local residents. Since the intention is to build a multifunctional stadium, jobs may also be created.”
