Juve unveil plans for new stadium

Juventus have unveiled plans for a new 40,000-seat stadium on the site of their former ground.

When complete, Juventus will become the first team in Serie A to own their own stadium, as most Italian grounds are owned by local councils.

Juve, who currently share the Stadio Olimpico with city rivals Torino, will pay an estimated £90m for the new stadium, which will open in May 2011.

The Stadio Delle' Alpi, built for the FIFA World Cup in 1990 on the outskirts of Turin, became one of the most unloved stadiums in the world because of a running track that kept supporters well away from the pitch and spoilt the atmosphere.

"Juventus is the first club in Italy to have a stadium all its own," club President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said. "This is a source of great pride."

He added that fans at the new stadium will sit so close to the action that they will be able "to hear players' voices".

Captain Alessandro Del Piero was among the delegation to present the architect's plan for the stadium that will have 40,200 seats, eight restaurants, 24 bars, 84 boxes and 459 press seats.

"We wanted a stadium that was something more than a new stadium," chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc said.

"They have been two very difficult years but we are here because we have played as a team."

Building work on a new stadium had been expected to commence in 2006 when the club left the former stadium but, following the Calciopoli scandal which saw the club demoted to Serie B for the first time in their history, the entire Juventus board resigned, delaying the project.

The new stadium, "without barriers", will rise from the foundations of the Delle' Alpi and will cost about 105 million euros, 75 million of which will come from naming rights.

The company that will build the stadium will be chosen in March and marketing firm Sportfive will help find a sponsor with a decision expected by April when the first stone is laid.

Commercial enterprises will also help pay the bills with the new stadium, which will open seven days a week, housing 24 bars and eight restaurant areas.

Most top-flight stadiums around Italy are ageing and several clubs have been considering building new stadiums.

Atalanta, Sampdoria and Udinese have concrete plans of new stadiums while the likes of Fiorentina, Bologna, Palermo, Roma and Lazio have been looking at moving away from their current stadia.

Source: Reuters