Football stadiums in accordance with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) standards, designed for more than 10,000 spectators, will be built in Vanadzor (Municipality in Armenia) and Ijevan (City in Armenia).
The FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held jointly by Armenia and Georgia in 2029 has led to the above decision.
Construction Work
Negotiations were held with the stadium design company ‘Venuera Holding’ LLC which has international experience in designing stadiums. The construction work will be carried out within 24 months and the stadiums will be ready by the end of 2028.
The ‘Venuera Holding’ LLC is an international sports venue design, engineering and technology consulting firm. The company specializes in the construction, development and modernization of the professional stadiums and arenas.
Stadia Project Details
‘escs.gov.am’ stated that the above decision was arrived at a meeting held by the Government recently. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan. She informed that the stadia project details were drawn up in tandem with the various departments.
Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body of football in Europe and is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations for association football consisting of 55 national associations.
Priority Basis
‘escs.gov.am’ further stated that the above decision envisages considering on a priority basis the procurement requirement for the construction/reconstruction of a football stadium in Vanadzor in accordance with the UEFA standards and the construction of a football stadium in accordance with the UEFA standards in the administrative territory of Getahovit settlement of the Ijevan community.
‘Urgent One-Person’ Procedure
The procurement process will be organized through the ‘Urgent One-Person’ procurement procedure. A number of features of the organization of the procurement processes as well as the urban planning expertise of the architectural and the construction projects have also been established.
The ‘Urgent One-Person’ procurement procedure is a fast-tracked, direct public-contracting method used by the Government bodies and Municipalities (notably in countries like Armenia) to quickly acquire the essential goods, services, or construction works from a single pre-determined or selected provider.
UEFA Category 4 Venues
“The above decision has been arrived at keeping in consideration the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held jointly in Armenia and Georgia in 2029 in which 24 teams will participate. It is being planned to hold 52 matches, half of which will be in Armenia. According to the preliminary plan, the matches to be held in Armenia are planned to be hosted in Yerevan (capital of Armenia), Ijevan and Vanadzor. For the proper organization of the Championship it is necessary to boast UEFA Category 4 venues designed for at least 10,000 spectators,” Minister Andreasyan noted informing that the Government has already adopted the relevant decisions regarding the design of the stadiums.
According to Minister Andreasyan, the Championship will be held in September-October 2029 and, as per the international requirements, the stadiums must be ready at least six months in advance.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for the FIFA Members’ Men’s national teams with players up to the age of 20.
Procurement Requirement
The Minister stated that the examination of the design documents, the final approval and the subsequent construction and reconstruction work are time-consuming for which it was necessary to consider the procurement requirement on an urgent basis and apply the procurement procedure from a single source.
Minister Andreasyan also informed that the UEFA is providing Armenia with professional advice in the entire exercise.
Potential Risks
According to the Minister, detailed discussions were held to manage the potential risks of the project and to provide appropriate solutions for the different situations.
Football Development
The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan observed that the institutional foundations for the development of football are finally being created in Armenia.
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