Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis claimed on Thursday that he will build a new stadium in the area of Bagnoli rather than refurbishing the team’s current home at the Stadio Maradona, and now, further details surrounding the project have begun to emerge.
De Laurentiis was a guest interviewee on radio station TGR Campania on Thursday, where he told listeners that the club will look to build a new stadium, rather than refurbishing their current ground.
The Partenopei President said that he would have loved to redevelop the Stadio Maradona in Fuorigrotta, but certain things make the project unfeasible. De Laurentiis added that an external company has been assessing the project for around a month, and that their findings state that the club would be better off starting from scratch.
If the club were to redevelop the Stadio Maradona, Napoli would likely have to play their football outside of the city for a period of around three years due to safety concerns.
Why Napoli want to build a new stadium
“I would have really liked to redevelop the Maradona, but the Zavanella Studio has been assessing the project for a month, they carried out an inspection of the Maradona and the only solution would be to build a new stadium within the grounds of the Maradona,” De Laurentiis told TGR Campania on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the stands are very far apart, so we would have to rebuild a stadium within the pre-existing stadium. And, we would have to play outside of Naples for at least three years due to safety reasons.
“So, I asked them to design a new, very modern stadium, and we have met with those who work in the Bagnoli district. I believe that the mayor of Naples would also like to assist with plans to bring a new stadium to Bagnoli,” De Laurentiis said.
ADL added that the new stadium grounds will also include “a sports centre with twelve pitches,” and that the club will make “social services available to the less fortunate.”
When could Napoli move into a new stadium
De Laurentiis revealed that the project on Napoli’s stadium has already been in existence since October, but there is still plenty of work to be done before the club can begin erecting a new ground.
The plan is to have a new stadium ready in time to host matches at the Euro 2032 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Italy and Turkey.
As for the construction of the stadium, work could potentially be completed in 2027, De Laurentiis claims.
“The project already began in October, and it will still take another 18 months. So, we will be able to lay down the first bricks in around 18 months. From then, we are confident that we will be able to build everything within another 12 months.
“We have 30 months to be included for the European Championships in 2032,” De Laurentiis said.
#SerieA | @sscnapoli, #DeLaurentiis annuncia: "Nuovo stadio a Bagnoli nel 2027, potremmo inaugurarlo il 15 luglio. Partiamo coi lavori tra 18 mesi. Ci sarà anche il centro sportivo con 12 campi"https://t.co/sVcNqXVwqz
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) March 7, 2024
Hopefully this will happen and, 40 years since Italy last hosted an international tournament, there Weill be some modern stadiums.