Milan clubs to partially retain San Siro

Article posted by Coliseum, May 12^th, 2020

Image: Populous and Manica/Sportium

Italian Serie A football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan wants to build a new stadium and a sports and entertainment district on the site where their present residence sits – the San Siro. The club has unlocked fresh details in this regard.

Serie A is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system.

The proposal envisages setting up a new all-seater stadium boasting capacity of 60,000 and a multiuse complex. A part of the San Siro Stadium will be retained.

The San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, which is the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan. It can sit 75,923 spectators making it one of the largest stadiums in Europe, and the largest in Italy.

Plans has it that a major part of the historic stadium will be pulled down, though a part is incorporated into both of the designs presented recently.

A preparatory document for the feasibility project has been submitted by the clubs to the Municipality of Milan. This follows constructive dialogue between the clubs and the Municipality in keeping with the 16 conditions provided by the Municipality and the City Council in November last year.

A statement sent out by the clubs read, “AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano have submitted to the Municipality of Milan a preparatory document for the feasibility project for the creation of a new world-class stadium and a Sports and Entertainment District in the San Siro area.”

In January this year, the clubs presented new plans for the future of San Siro laying stress on the fact as to how the facility would be modified into a destination for sports and entertainment events.

Earlier, the clubs had maintained that they were ready to work on alternative proposals for San Siro but were not open to the idea of retaining the stadium as a venue for professional sports if a new facility is developed.

In October last year, the city council gave a “conditional yes” to plans for a new arena, with assurances needed on regeneration plans for San Siro before the proposal is greenlighted. The development came after the two clubs announced in September that renowned design practices Populous and Manica/Sportium had been shortlisted to design a new 60,000-seat stadium that both AC Milan and Inter Milan would share.

The new concepts conceived by Populous and Manica/Sportium provide for the retention of a part of the current San Siro within a new retail and sports district that could be used the whole year through. The district would comprise about 106,000 square meters of verdant space and would also feature retail, sports, cultural and leisure activities, including a running track, cycle path, outdoor gym, skateboard park, five-a-side football pitch and sports museum.

For people of Milan and those living in and around the stadium, the majority of the sports services would be free. In a joint statement, the clubs said that both the Populous and Manica/Sportium concepts would deliver an “innovative district dedicated to the next generation”, with the space to create a new meeting place for social and entertainment activities in the neighborhood.

The statement added, “FC Internazionale Milano and AC Milan believe it is essential, especially in light of the current situation, to commence a project that represents more than one billion euros of private investment, which will generate thousands of new jobs and serve as a cornerstone for the future development of the city of Milan and Italian football.”

“Both concepts would deliver an innovative district dedicated to the next generation, cutting edge for its low environmental impact and high sustainability, creating a new meeting place for social and recreational activities in the neighborhood,” the statement added.

The present 75,000-seater San Siro ground began construction in 1925, and has been formally named after Italian legend and soccer giant Giuseppe Meazza since 1980.

The San Siro Stadium first opened its doors in the year 1926 and has undergone several reconfiguration works since, the notable one being Italy’s staging of the 1990 FIFA World Cup™. AC Milan has called the stadium home since it went on stream, while Inter Milan started using the San Siro in 1947.

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