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A club's home stadium is something that both the fans and the players take pride in. They want their stadium to be one of the best in the world and built in such a way that opposition players get intimidated while playing on the ground.
With a lot of money being invested in football nowadays, the landscape of the game is about to change forever. Several clubs are now invested in building new stadiums.
Dozens of new arenas are in the planning, under construction or in the process of approval, as clubs look to make their homes as appealing as possible. Clubs are looking to add more amenities in and around the stadiums in order to generate more revenue as well.
While the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool are renovating their existing stadiums, there are a host of other clubs who are looking to build new homes from scratch.
Here we take a look at five such clubs who are invested in building new stadiums:
#5 Inter Miami - Freedom Park Miami
David Beckham's new MLS expansion team, Inter Miami, kicked off its first campaign in 2020. But the club's permanent home is yet to be built as they are currently playing at Lockhart Stadium, owned by the City of Fort Lauderdale.
Construction of the stadium is yet to begin with reports stating that the deal is close to being formalized for city officials, although there has been some opposition regarding it.
Beckham's ownership group reportedly negotiated a real estate deal with the City of Miami to redevelop the city's only golf course into the 25,000 seat capacity ground.
It will be interesting to see whether the club owners can get a deal over the line as quickly as possible to start the construction. However, the club may have to sort out the opposition to the deal before any real construction work can proceed further.
#4 Hertha Berlin - Hertha Fussball Arena
It is rare to see a football club wanting to move to a smaller stadium than they currently have. But that's what Hertha Berlin plan to do as the club are unable to fill the 75,000 capacity at Berlin's Olympiastadion. Another reason is that Hertha are the sole Bundesliga club without their own stadium and the club wants to rectify that.
As such, the Hertha Fussball Arena is the proposed new stadium for the club. Plans for the new stadium were presented in late 2016. Since their current lease at Olympiastadion ends in 2025, the club subsequently intend to move to their new home immediately after that.
The club has proposed building the Hertha Fussball Arena alongside the Olympiastadion at Olympic Park. But they have also identified Brandenburg Park in the town of Ludwigsfelle, near the Berlin city border, as their first alternative.
Hertha aims for a capacity of about 55,000 seats, which is 5,000 more than their current average in the Olympiastadion. The new stadium will reportedly be fully privately financed.
As of now, there's no confirmation regarding the approval of the plans and when the groundwork on the new stadium will begin.
#3 Valencia - Nou Mestalla
Valencia first announced their plans to build the Nou Mestalla in 2005 and started the construction work in 2007. But construction was halted in 2009 due to financial issues at Valencia and the stadium has been half-built for the last 12 years.
Initially planned to have 85,000 seats, there were several attempts made by the club to begin construction. The capacity was first reduced to 60,000 and later 54,000 in order to fast-track the process. But the plans never came to fruition due to several obstacles in the last few years.
However, according to reports, the cash injection from La Liga's controversial CVC deal has seen the stadium plans once again come to the fore for the club. Reports state that Valencia officials have met with the two companies that make up UTE, the company charged with building the stadium. They have reportedly told the company that they are once again ready to resume construction of the stadium.
It's reported that Valencia will dedicate around €90 million for the project, which could be a huge boost for both the club and the city.
#2 Everton - Branley-Moore Dock Stadium
Since the arrival of new owner Farhad Moshiri, Everton have vied on becoming one of the best in the Premier League. The club has spent a lot of money on transfers under new ownership. That spending has now also extended to infrastructure development, with the club starting construction on a new 52,000 seater stadium on the banks of the River Mersey.
Plans for the new stadium were announced in 2019 and construction was set to begin in 2020. But Covid-19 pandemic forced the club to delay construction by a year before finally breaking ground for the stadium in August this year.
It is reported that the water-front stadium will take around three years to build and cost in the region of £500 million. Everton are reportedly hoping to kick-off the 2024-25 season at their new home. In addition to the stadium, the club will also have a fan plaza on the eastern quayside, which will hold up to 9000 supporters on a match-day.
#1 AC/Inter Milan - Nuovo Stadio Milano
Both AC Milan and Inter Milan play their home games at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza - commonly known as the San Siro. However, in 2019, they announced their plans to build a new stadium.
Both clubs were waiting on the result of the civic elections in Milan this month. But with that out of the way now, the clubs are ready to resume the process of working with the city council to approve the proposed new stadium.
Milan and Inter have each shortlisted a project but it is yet to be decided on which one will be given the green light. Also, there's no decision on whether to demolish the existing San Siro, which was built in 1925 and is the largest stadium in Italy with a capacity of 80,000.
Only four teams in Serie A own their stadiums: Juventus, Atalanta, Sassuolo and Udinese. According to reports, a new stadium will be a significant boost for both the Milan clubs and could help them earn approximately €120 milion annually. This would be a significant step in helping them compete against some of the richest clubs in Europe.
