Calcio venue rejig work reaches halfway mark

Article posted by Coliseum, November 9^th, 2022

Image: Spezia Calcio

The Serie A club Spezia Calcio announced on October 25^th that it has filed the Economic and Financial Plan (hereinafter PEF) and the Feasibility Study for continuing the exercise of revamping the top-flight’s Alberto Picco Stadium in La Spezia, Italy, whose design was entrusted to the company GAU Arena, with the objective of creating a modern, sustainable, safe, and suitable facility keeping in mind the needs of the La Spezia City, and a venue where fans can enjoy to the hilt.

‘Spezia Calcio’ stated that the multiyear project, which saw in the first phase the redecoration of the ‘Curva Piscina’ work on which started in September 2021 and is over leading to a capacity rise of 3,176 seats. The entire venue repurposing work will be completed in the Summer of 2024. Overall, the facility will be lent a futuristic and plush look where fans can spend the most treasured moments of their lives.

The Spezia Calcio is a professional football club based in La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. In 2020-2021, they started playing in Serie A (top of the Italian football league system) for the first time in their history, after promotion to the top tier via playoffs in the 2019-2020 seasons. Spezia hosts matches at the 10,336-capacity Alberto Picco Stadium.

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The Alberto Picco Stadium is the main football stadium in La Spezia, Italy. Since 1919, it is the home ground of Spezia Calcio. The stadium holds 11,466 spectators.

The Platek family – owners of the club – aims to deliver a state-of-the-art stadium to Spezia Calcio and the City.

The American investor Robert Platek and his family who are from New York took over the reins of the club from the Italian entrepreneur Gabriele Volpi in February 2021.

The renovation work of the Alberto Picco Stadium has been entrusted to the GAU Arena company of architect Gino Zavanella whose forte lies in designing futuristic sport structures with the sustainability quotient kept high.

Stadium Revamp Project in a Nutshell:

Capacity expansion so as to reach the minimum capacity of 12,000 seats;
Creating new hospitality spaces, sky boxes and field boxes, as well as a media zone;
Creation of new hospitality areas;
The venue will come armed with multifunctional spaces that can provide the cream of services to visitors even on a non-matchday; and
High on the sustainability quotient, digitization and a concrete fan engagement strategy in place.

Redecoration Timeline:

June-September 2021 – Work over on reconstruction of the Curva Piscina;
November-December 2022 – Completion of work on the spruced-up Curva Piscina through the creation of new “corners” on the sides of the structure built in 2021 and refurbishment of the toilets in the Distinti Sector;\
Summer 2023: Renovation and modernization of the Main Tribune with the following changes:
- Construction of a new building located behind the Tribune which will enjoy the media areas and a hospitality area on the first floor;
- Restructuring of the changing room floor to make them compliant with the required infrastructural criteria;
- Installation of new seats throughout the Tribune;
- The replacement of the seats in the entire Distinti Sector and the refurbishment of the toilets of the Curva Ferrovia; and
Summer 2024: Construction of the Curva Ferrovia roof.

‘Spezia Calcio’ further stated that the PEF pegs the total price tag of the project at Euro 12.2 million, which includes value added tax (VAT), to ensure the sustainability of the project and the medium and long-term economic-financial balance, in addition to the company’s own resources and the use of possible financing, a contribution from public bodies has also been taken into consideration.

The club extended its gratitude to the Municipality of La Spezia for being instrumental in rolling on the repurposing project of the stadium that not only aims to create a venue suitable exclusively for sporting needs, but from which the entire community stands to benefit, hosting extra football events for the entire La Spezia area to partake in and enjoy.

The club also thanked all the consultants and collaborators who worked on the first phase of the project – the Gau Arena for the design phase, ICS Advisory and Piredda & Partners for the advisory and consultancy part of the PEF and Avv. Pier Giorgio Leoni for the support provided during the legal assistance phase.

Once the entire redevelopment work is over, the club wants a spiffy stadium in place which would make the Spezia Calcio fans proud as these supporters deserve nothing but the best.

In the coming months, if the declaration of ‘public utility’ is issued by the Municipality of La Spezia based on the presentation made on October 25^th, the Spezia Calcio will present the final project report and will carry out all the other necessary formalities required by the current legislation in order to be able to complete the total makeover of their home ground.

The rehabilitated Alberto Picco Stadium will meet all the infrastructural requirements that are needed of a Serie A championship and will provide a riveting and exalted experience to the fans.

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