The salient and most important points of FC Barcelona's new Espai Barça project
The future of the new Espai Barça, or Barça Space, hinges on the referendum scheduled for April 5 of this year. In order to facilitate information regarding the project for voting members, the Board of Directors has established a Consultant Committee, composed of five FC Barcelona Club members selected by lottery, and set an intensive informational tour with 40 meetings inside the span of 30 days.
What is Espai Barça?
The Espai Barça project goes well beyond the reconstruction and remodeling of the Camp Nou. In addition to increasing the capacity of the current stadium to 105,000 and completely remodeling the current structure of the Camp Nou, the Espai Barça project entails building a new Palau Blaugrana with a capacity of 12,000, an additional court with a capacity of 2,000, an ice rink, a new Social Area, a new Commercial Area, revamped Club offices, La Masía and adding 5,000 parking spaces.
Here’s a conceptual visualisation of what the new Espai Barça will look like.
The cost of the Espai Barça
The project is certainly ambitious but in equal measure it is financially viable and realistically achievable. According to Javier Faus, FC Barcelona Economic Vice-President, the project to remodel the Camp Nou will cost no more than 400 million euros. As a whole the project will “be the most important sports project in Europe and the world. No city can boast a project like ours.” The overall cost of the entirety of the project is estimated to be approximately 600 million euros.
It’s important to note that the Espai Barça project will not, according to Faus, “put the Club’s professional teams at risk.” Additionally, the project will not force a cost increase in season tickets for Club members.
The Economic Vice-President added that the name of the stadium may very well have a surname attached to the legendary Camp Nou moniker. “We will never lose our name, the Camp Nou, but the Board of Directors will have to select the best offer,” said Faus in regards to the possibility of acquiring an additional 150 million euros for Club coffers if the decision is approved by the Assembly on April 5.
Espai Barça timeframe
In order for the members to be quite sure on what they are voting for when the referendum comes around, the Club will go to an extraordinary effort to inform the fans about the proposed new Espai Barça project. Faus also insisted that this is just a proposal rather than a definitive project, and if members voice their approval, plans will need to be fine-tuned. There will be conversations with local residents and then the project will be submitted for international tender. Once the architect has been selected, work will be able to commence in 2017 and should end in 2021.
In conclusion, the Espai Barca project will only go forward with the approval of voting members in the General Assembly, which is scheduled to convene on 5 April. The Club will facilitate any and all information regarding the financial burden to the Club and the projected benefits that derive from the Espai Barça project. The Club is committed to holding more than 40 informational meetings in the span of 30 days regarding the project. In addition to the meet-and-greet sessions, Espai Barça information will be posted with regularity on fcbarcelona.com.