Alex Trelinski
PLANS to finally complete Valencia CF’s Nou Mestalla stadium have been unveiled which could seat up to 70,000 spectators and have a solar-powered roof.
Valencia’s general director, Sean Bai, said that it was the club’s intention to ‘finish the stadium as soon as possible’.
The unfinished Nou Mestalla currently stands as a monument to Spain’s financial crisis 13 years ago.
Work on Nou Mestalla began in August 2007 and was due to be completed in the early summer of 2009.
Construction was halted in February 2009 due to financial problems suffered by Valencia CF.
A deal struck two-years later to finish off the stadium involving financing from Bankia fell through.
Redesigned plans came and went until a new project was announced last December.
The club said the new stadium would become a ‘benchmark in sustainability’ thanks to its photovoltaic solar roof which will be the largest in Europe.
Crowd capacity will start initially at 49,000 before possibly rising to 70,000.
Valencia’s Operations Director, Christian Schneider, said: “There are two reasons to open with 49,000 capacity. One factor is that the current average attendance would mean that we would have a half-empty stadium which would penalise our players.”
“It could be progressively expanded and definitely if Spain hosts the 2030 World Cup.”
The Nou Mestalla will have Mediterranean-style balconies inspired by the current Mestalla stadium and the venue will incorporate a large restaurant and leisure area.
Sean Bai said: “We have been working very hard on this project to produce something that everybody will be proud off and it will become a catalyst for the city’s economy and activities.”
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