Betis home in on seven firms for home rejig

Image: Real Betis Balompié

The LaLiga club Real Betis Balompié are considering seven different proposals to revamp their home venue, as they look to begin work on the Benito Villamarín Stadium in Seville, Spain, in the next 18 months.

‘Football ESPANA’ stated that Betis have narrowed down to 30 proposals for their ‘Project New Stadium’ and further to seven (7), and will continue to consider the proposals until June 15th, the deadline for those companies to submit further details.

Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia (Spain). Founded in 1907, it plays in LaLiga. It holds home games at the Benito Villamarín Stadium to the South of the City with a 60,721-seat capacity.

The Benito Villamarín Stadium is a stadium in Seville, Spain, and the home of Real Betis since its completion in 1929. It has a capacity of 60,721.

The Real Betis want a futuristic stadium where activities can be held 365 days in a year on matchdays as well as on non-matchdays and is high on the entertainment quotient. The overall scheme of things also includes cutting-edge technology and, of course, the sustainability factor.

‘Football ESPANA’ further stated that proposals have arrived from the United States, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Betis are planning on building a new main stand, and renovating the other three sides of the Benito Villamarín Stadium. It is not yet clear whether they will include a sponsor in the name of the renovated stadium.

Betis say they want the comfort quotient to be high in their revamped venue that doubles up as a second home for fans, and is open the whole year through. They also stated that they want the new Villamarín to be a must-visit place in the tourists’ list with varied entertainment and leisure options.

Depending on each proposal, the length of the work will differ. It no doubt helps that Betis could use the empty 60,000-capacity La Cartuja Stadium in Seville while the renovation work of their home arena is on. ‘Los Verdiblancos’ are following a general trend of the top-flight clubs that are trying to turn the area around their stadiums into mixed-use/entertainment districts where fans can come and let their hair down 365 days in a year.
 

The firms that make up the seven candidates are as follows:

1) AFL Architects (UK) + Ayesa (Spain)
2) Fenwick Iribarren Architects (Spain) + MC2 (Spain) + SBP (Germany)
3) IDOM (Spain) + SV60 (Spain)
4) L35 (Spain) + KSS (UK) + Argenia (Spain) + Ines Ingenieria (Spain)
5) Lamela (Spain) + EDDEA (Spain) + Buro Happold (UK)
6) Populous (US) + HCP (Spain) + Ideam (Spain)
7) Rafael de la Hoz (Spain) + Gensler (US)
 
The above design studios were apprised of the criteria which the revamped home of Real Betis will have to meet.

Javier Doña, Director of the New Stadium Project, explained the conceptual model of the new venue, and stated that the rejig work will have to be completed by June 2026 – “We want a top-class redecorated facility that boasts an inviting ambience to be able to attract fans. We want a stadium which remains open 365 days in a year. The design needs to showcase the Betis brand, making it a landmark for the City, a venue swarmed by visitors.”

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