Gibraltar plans to build 8,000-seat stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, July 10^th, 2018

Image: GFA

Gibraltar has submitted plans to build a new 8,000-seat stadium, which would finally allow the British territory to host international matches, for public consultation, according to media reports.

Since being admitted into the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2013, the lack of suitable facilities has meant Gibraltar have played home international fixtures at a 30,000-seat stadium in Faro, Portugal, located some 400 kilometres away.

Gibraltar’s Victoria Stadium, which currently has a 2,500-seat capacity, had been ruled out by UEFA as it failed to meet their requirements for international matches regarding capacity and facilities for media and visiting teams.

Last year, Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) bought the stadium from the government of the British territory so as to build a new venue on the site and this month it submitted the design for the project to the development and planning commission for a public consultation, AFP reported.

“All being well, construction of the new stadium is expected to start during the first quarter of 2019 and will take two years to complete,” the GFA said in a statement.

“The project will be phased in such a away to ensure that football will continue to be played at the facility right through the construction period, with minimum disruption envisaged.”

The project is expected to cost around £30 million ($39.5 million), with about half of that used to buy Victoria Stadium. It will be financed using UEFA and FIFA infrastructure funding.

The GFA looked into building a stadium in other locations in the rocky enclave on Spain’s southern tip but the plans encountered public resistance.

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