Espai Barca: What Barcelona's new €1.5 BILLION project could look like

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 7 Dec 2021 10:14 GMT
• 4 min read

Barcelona have ambitious plans to redevelop the crumbling Camp Nou and the area around the stadium over the next decade.

The club have unveiled a report outlining the vision of the project, including its environmental impact and how the entire facility will be funded.

WHAT IS THE ESPAI PROJECT?

The Espai Project is Barcelona’s attempt to move the club’s facilities into the 21st century by building the biggest sports innovation hub in the world on the site of the current Camp Nou.

The project was first launched in 2014 and had a budget of €600m to bring it to reality. But due to the financial mismanagement that has taken place, in conjunction with the impact of the coronavirus crisis, that number has had to be assessed and a new, more focused Espai Project has been devised.

Barcelona’s official site have conceded that the project is now ‘15 years out of date’ and vice-president Elena Fort is quoted as saying that this is ‘the most important project for the present and the future of the club’.

WHAT WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN CARRIED OUT?

Barcelona have already spent €145m on various repair work and restructuring of Camp Nou, and yet have only completed just 5% of what was originally planned, outlining the total disparity between the original budget and what the final costs will be.

Indeed the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Clearly, that’s not going to happen.

WHAT WILL THE NEW ESPAI BARCA PROJECT HAVE?

Under the revised project terms, the following will be taken into consideration:

- Redesigning stadium tiers

More ambitious plans contained within the original project suggested a capacity increase beyond the 105,000 that can attend. However the new plans include a restructuring and redesigning of each tier in order to make the stadium more modern within its existing structure.

- New Roof

There are also plans to add an additional VIP ring of seats to generate additional revenue, a huge new roof will be placed over the top, housing 30,000 square metres of solar panels on top to generate electricity.

- A new Palau Blaugrana

A 15,000 seater Palau Blaugrana, effectively a second sporting venue on the grounds, which will be adaptable to meet differing sporting requirements as well as hosting cultural events such as music and theatre

- Campus Barca

Campus Barca will be a unique meeting space in the grounds of the Camp Nou where people can meet and partake in outdoor activities. A new ‘Hub’ will be added to the main stand of the stadium, with its main focus being the new Barca Store, which will cover over 2,500 square metres of space, next to the museum which will have a further 3,000 square metres all on its own.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Barcelona insist that the new project will more than generate its value over time, but the initial costs are thought to be in the region of €1.5 Billion.

This is split in the following way:

- €900m for the redevelopment of Camp Nou

- €420m for the Palau Blaugrana

- €100m for the Barca Campus

- €60m for city planning expenses

- €20m for the renovation of Estadi Johan Cruyff

WILL THIS AFFECT BARCELONA’S TRANSFER BUDGET?

Barcelona also insist that the project has the potential to generate €200m per season from increased footfall, additional sponsorship and from the inclusion of the second VIP ring.

But in the short term the creation of Espai Barca has to be paid for by someone, and Barcelona have tasked international financiers to find the best possible partner to provide the funds. They note that the repayment of the loan is likely to take place over a 35 year period with a market interest rate attached.

But the club also feel that not only is the project essential, it is necessary to ensure the club moves forward. Any financing will be kept separate from squad costs or the acquisition of new players.