Swiss firm AIL to ‘energize’ Lugano new digs

Article posted by Coliseum, October 3^rd, 2023

Image: FC Lugano & AIL

The Swiss Super League football team FC Lugano recently struck a deal with the local energy company AIL to sponsor its new venue which is all set to go on stream in 2026. The naming rights deal will last for at least five years starting July 1^st, 2025, and has been reached following 15 months of negotiations. There is a clause in the deal which allows the naming rights agreement to be extended for another five years.

‘fclugano.com’ stated that in the coming months, a working group set up by the AIL and FC Lugano will focus on operational issues relating to the implementation and realization of the naming rights negotiated as part of the deal.

The FC Lugano is a Swiss football club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The club plays in the Swiss Super League, the top tier of the Swiss football league system. The Cornaredo Stadium serves as their home ground.

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The Cornaredo Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Lugano, Switzerland. It is used mostly for football matches. It is the home ground of FC Lugano. The stadium is able to hold 15,000 people and was built in 1951. The stadium has 5,000 seats and 10,000 standing places. During the 1954 FIFA World Cup™, it hosted one game.

The Aziende Industriali di Lugano (AIL) SA is a Swiss corporation that produces, transforms, transports, distributes and markets energy, drinking water, water for industrial use, and raw materials for energy production.

‘fclugano.com’ further stated after 11 years of feet dragging and the completion of legal and financial procedures, the construction work of FC Lugano’s new 10,000-capacity venue in Switzerland begun on July 3^rd. The construction of the venue is being planned in three phases and will replace the Cornaredo Stadium which has served as the top-flight’s digs since 1951. The price tag of the new arena stands at CHF374m (£337m/€389m/$414m).

During this initial phase, the construction of the stadium (2023-2025) and the Palazzettodello Sport (2024-2026) will be carried out. Between 2025-2028, the second phase of construction will start with the construction of two towers, service building, general car park, and the main external public spaces. Between 2026-2029, the third phase will begin, focusing on private facilities: The West building for housing and the private outdoor areas.

The Polo Sportivo e degli eventi (PSE), a modern stadium for 10,000 spectators and a multipurpose hall for up to 4,000 spectators is finally coming to fruition. As part of a public-private partnership (PPP), four apartment buildings and two towers for the City administration and municipal enterprises will also come up in the Cornaredo district. And the rest of the district will also be totally redesigned.

The PSE Lugano project consists of four sub-projects: The Arena Sportiva (stadium for 10,000 spectators), the Palazzetto dello Sport (hall for 3,000 spectators for sports events, 4,000 for events), an investor project P2 for administrative facilities and commercial space, and an investor project P3 for residential space.

The mixture of urban living and office and commercial space plays a key role in the steady transformation of the New District of Cornaredo (‘NQC’) and will find a worthy conclusion with the football stadium. As a meeting place, the Palazzetto dello Sport fits seamlessly into this environment.

The AIL energy company will enhance the brand quotient of FC Lugano’s new state-of-the-art home arena.

Averred Andrea Prati, head honcho, AIL, “We are happy with the naming rights deal which will bring us closer to FC Lugano and with the Lugano Sports and Events Centre. We will help to set up the photovoltaic roof of the new facility.”

Maintained Martin Blaser, Vice-President and Delegate of the Board of Directors of the FC Lugano, “The naming rights deal is the result of a longstanding relationship which we enjoy with the AIL based on the pillar of trust. The AIL lending the naming rights to the Lugano new venue is a milestone moment for us. On behalf of F.C. Lugano SA and the entire organization, I would like to thank AIL for the trust it has placed in us and we are sure that with AIL by our side, we will be able to face the challenges which will come our way during the venue construction phases.”

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