The Serie B club Venezia FC recently submitted a proposal to the Venice City Council Committees seeking management of its new stadium as part of the Bosco dello Sport (Sports Forest) complex in Tessera, Venice, Italy.
‘VENEZIATODAY’ stated that the above venue is expected to be ready by early 2027 and will accommodate up to 18,500 spectators. The club is seeking a 40-year concession and is ready to invest €121 million which includes €33 million for the upgrade works.
The Venezia FC is an Italian professional football club based in Venice (Italy) that currently plays in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football.
The 12,048-capacity Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo is a multiuse stadium in Venice, Italy. It is the largest sports facility in Venice and the home ground of the Venezia F.C.
The Venezia FC is planning a new 18,500-capacity stadium as part of the ‘Bosco dello Sport’ (Sports Forest) master plan in Tessera (a small neighborhood in Venice, Italy). This project aims to create a multifunctional sports and cultural hub in Northern Venice integrating sport, social life, education, and well-being. The stadium, designed by Populous, will be a flexible venue capable of hosting football, rugby and cultural events.
‘VENEZIATODAY’ further stated that if the City Council approves the above proposal (contained in a resolution that also includes the 10,000-seat arena and the sports hall on Via del Granoturco – street in Venice) it will be followed by the public tender floating exercise which the Venezia FC hope to win.
The club proposes to transform the new stadium into a 360-degree entertainment facility in the line with the chic football stadia around the globe. The plans include a fitness area, restaurants, a museum, giant screens, theatrical effects, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), shops, as well as state-of-the-art locker rooms and a spiffy playing field. The facility will also be able to host concerts and events and the stadium will come armed with a photovoltaic (PV) roof keeping the sustainability factor in mind.
Investment Concerns
The City Councilors are concerned over the club deciding to invest €121 million which includes the annual fee (set at €340,000 plus the Italian National Institute of Statistics [ISTAT] revaluations), the ordinary and extraordinary management costs as well as investments in projects such as the restaurants and gyms for which the operator will collect rent. The Councilors’ concern is whether the club can carry out the investment management process hitch-free.
The ISTAT revaluation refers to the annual revision of the basket of goods and services used by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) to calculate the consumer price indices.
Rome (Italy)-based the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) is the primary source of official statistics in Italy. The institute conducts a variety of activities including the Population Census, the Economic Census and numerous social, economic and environmental surveys and analyses.
Andrea Rogg, Venezia FC’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), who represented the club on the committee, allayed the Councilors’ concerns and stated that this type of facility serves to make the investments sustainable in the medium and long term for a club which is focused on returning to the Serie A (the highest level of the Italian football league system) fold. The club has a history of fluctuating between Serie A and Serie B
The draft agreement with the Municipality also includes a “profit-sharing” clause in the event of the club’s coffers jingling than is expected in certain seasons. The draft agreement arrived at, however, estimated the costs assuming 60 percent of the seasons in Serie A and 40 percent in Serie B.
The Venezia FC which is firm on returning to the top-of-the-heap in Serie A has stated that for the fans arriving from Central Venice and the islands agreements will be made with the Venetian Transport Consortium Company (ACTV) as is currently the case to ensure easy connections with the Tessera bus network. Regarding sponsorships for the stadium name and the type of events hosted the profit will always be shared with the Municipal offices.
The Venezia FC’s contract of playing at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo expires in 2030.
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