‘One of the top five experiences in Europe’ – Atletico Madrid exec reveals museum and fan plaza plans for new stadium
by Matthew Campelli | 28 Sep 2016
A senior executive at Spanish football club Atletico Madrid has lifted the lid on progress being made on its new 66,000-capacity stadium, which will include a fanzone, museum and videomapping facade.
Javier Martinez, the club’s managing director, global business development, said he wanted the stadium to be among the “top five experiences” in terms of football stadiums in Europe.
He gave delegates at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester a snapshot of progress being made, revealing photos of the stadium’s almost complete structure ahead of its opening in time for the 2017/18 season.
The Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos-designed venue will be able to accommodate “top-class football” and concerts. Renderings revealed by Martinez also showed capacity for hosting other sporting events such as tennis and baseball.
Martinez said the structure was “totally technologically driven”, demonstrating this point by revealing the three jumbo screens and videomapping facade on the exterior of the stadium. Those attributes, he added, would be crucial in developing the fan experience – an important factor in “winning over” supporters who “love” the Atletico’s current Vincente Calderon stadium.
The fan plaza will be open on matchdays, and include music, entertainment and interviews with notable club figures, and a retail megastore being opened with commercial partner Nike will be among 16 commercial outlets.
Martinez added that the site would include a “top-notch interactive” museum.
Inside, the stadium will have 79 VIP boxes and 7,000 VIP seats, and fans will also benefit from an 850-space car park.
Atletico Madrid football La Liga Spanish football stadium
Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos have designed the stadium Credit: Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos
Martinez reveals images of the stadium's current state for Soccerex delegates
A senior executive at Spanish football club Atletico Madrid has lifted the lid on progress being made on its new 66,000-capacity stadium, which will include a fanzone, museum and videomapping facade. Javier Martinez, the club’s managing director, global business development, said he wanted the stadium to be among the “top five experiences” in terms of football stadiums in Europe. He gave delegates at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester a
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