Barcelona unveil Camp Nou renderings, and they look gorgeous
Barcelona will undertake an extensive renovation to the Camp Nou that will expand capacity of the famed stadium to roughly 105,000 as part of their continued attempts to keep pace with the big money flying around world soccer. The plan has been in the works for nearly a decade, but the club have finally given the go-ahead on the design and construction, having hired an achitecture firm and chosen a design for the ground.
The Catalan club first proposed an expansion and renovation to the 99,354-seat ground in 2007 and a design with a $275 million was chosen, however the economic collapse put that work on hold. When Barcelona revived their interest in changes to the Camp Nou they also considered building a new stadium, but that was later dismissed and they decided to focus on a renovation.
In addition to an expanded capacity, the new stadium will have a roof covering all of the seats, new concourses and a completely redesigned exterior. The plan is to have all of the work completed by 2021, with more details to be released in the coming months.
The Camp Nou will get changes inside and out.
Barcelona have been working to increase the club's revenue for years. Their formerly plain shirt, considered sacred space even as the rest of the world's clubs had long been featuring sponsors, was changed in 2006 to feature UNICEF, as part of a goodwill gesture to support the organization. By 2011 the club began putting the Qatar Foundation on the front of the kit, and ever since 2013 Qatar Airways has been their shirt sponsor in a lucrative deal for the club.
In recent months, club president Josep Bartomeu has spoken publicly about the Premier League's new TV deal that will net English teams many more millions in revenue and how it will make things more difficult on Barcelona. He highlighted the need to increase revenue at the club to remain competitive, and the stadium renovation should do that. Not only will capacity increase, resulting in more ticket sales, but the premium seating and sponsorship opportunites should also improve.
Nikken Sekkei, along with Joan Pascual-Ramon Ausio Arquitectes, will design the stadium. Their selection comes after a long process that saw dozens of firms bid for the job. Barcelona are also planning a renovation to their basketball arena.
