Depor training center heritage-rich design

Image: Populous

The Segunda División team Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (Spain) recently revealed plans for setting up a world-class training center to be designed by the global sports and entertainment practice Populous.

‘Populous’ stated that the new Dépor Training Centre will house the Men’s, Women’s and the Academy teams and is conceived as ‘the home of everything Deportivo’ symbolizing the proud club’s ambition to return to the top-flight of Spanish football – LaLiga. Cash injection will be to the tune of approximately €40 million and the development timeline will be for two to three years.

The Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as the Deportivo La Coruña or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional football club based in the City of A Coruña, Galicia (Spain) that competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system.

The 32,490-capacity Estadio Municipal de Riazor is an all-seater stadium in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, which is the home stadium of the Deportivo de La Coruña. Currently known as the Estadio Abanca-Riazor for sponsorship reasons its name derives from the nearby beach of the same name.

Populous is a global architectural and design practice with regional headquarters in Kansas City (US), London (UK) and Brisbane (Australia) specializing in the sports facilities, the arenas and the convention centers as well as in the planning and design of major special events.
 
‘Populous’ further stated that the new facility will include:

• Eight full-size pitches replicating the dimensions of the club’s home ground – the Abanca-Riazor Stadium;
• Three additional warm-up pitches;
• A 7,650 m² main building for the first team and Fabril (the B-Team) integrating the club offices to foster closer interaction between the players and the management; and
• Cutting-edge recovery and wellness spaces including a swimming pool, the rest areas and the facilities for sports medicine, physiotherapy, psychology, and nutrition.

 
The Real Club Deportivo Fabril, previously known as the Deportivo B, is the reserve team of the Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña. It is based in A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain). It currently plays in the Segunda Federación – Group 1 and holds their home games at the Cidade Deportiva de Abegondo in Abengodo, Spain, with a capacity to hold 3,000 spectators.
 

A Home for Sporting and Personal Growth

The state-of-the-art complex will be designed to meet the immediate and long-term needs of all the club teams while also serving as a hub for the development of the young players.

Explained Massimo Benassi, head honcho, Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, “The Youth Academy is the backbone of the club. It’s not just a sporting commitment but a long-term social, educational and economic investment. It’s the driving force behind our sustainability and our identity.”

The name ‘Dépor Training Center’ reflects this focus on the youth under the motto – ‘Onde Nace o Futuro’ (‘Where the Future is Born’).

Added Juan Carlos Escotet, President, Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, “This will be a place where talent takes root, where the dreams of the boys and the girls begin to grow, where every drop of sweat in training becomes the seed of tomorrow’s success.”
 
The complex will also feature:

• A 2,055 m² youth academy building with a gym, auxiliary changing rooms and a covered outdoor area for the events;
• A renovated 2,105 m² facility dedicated to the women’s team;
• A maintenance pavilion at the center of the site for easy access; and
• New social spaces where the families and the fans can watch Academy training and the matches.

 

Design and Sustainability at the Core

To ensure the design embodies the club’s spirit in a modern, authentic way, Populous has drawn on both local heritage using the expertise of its Populous España team alongside global expertise on the Elite Training center design.
 
Sustainability has been a guiding principle with measures including:

• Use of recycled and locally sourced materials;
• Photovoltaic (PV) panels powering a fully electric operation;
• Rainwater collection and stormwater management for irrigation;
• Sustainable drainage systems across the pitches and the car parks; and
• Infrastructure for electric vehicle and bicycle charging;

 

Collaboration for the Future

Commented Jorge Betancor, Architect and Managing Director, Populous España, “We are proud to collaborate with Deportivo on this project which will play a key role in the club’s return to the top tier of Spanish football. The Dépor Training Center has been designed to meet the demands of the next generation of footballers while providing the best possible working environment for the coaches, the staff and the visitors alike. It reflects the local expertise of our Populous España team and the global experience we bring from designing hundreds of high-performance centers around the world.”

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• Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña
• Spain

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