Inside stunning 60,000-seater new stadium set to leave former Champions League club in exile for two years
EX-CHAMPION LEAGUE side Real Betis will be left in the football wilderness for two years as part of a stunning new stadium build.
The one-time Spanish champions are embarking on an ambitious project which will see them move in to a 60,000-seater home.
The plans will commence following the end of the season, but will force Betis to leave their Benito Villamarín home for two seasons, with the hope the new ground will be ready for operation from 2027.
In the meantime, Betis will move into the Estadio de La Cartuja on the other side of Seville.
Betis’ current Benito Villamarín Stadium has a capacity of 60,720, but the new project will modernise it with the preferred stand being torn down – following the others which had changes made for the 1982 World Cup.
New details of the plan were shared by club president Ángel Haro during a Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting on Tuesday.
Haro revealed it was hoped the new build would create a “a qualitative and quantitative leap in income” that will allow the club “to have a better team”.
That being said, Betis do not want to emulate Real Madrid‘s new-look Bernabeu.
While the new Benito Villamarín will have the capacity to host concerts, Haro admitted this will be limited to two or three a year during the summer months when sport competitions are finished.
This will ensure there are no issues with the grass at the ground, with the new stadium set to forgo the ability to have a retractable pitch.
The stadium will also feature an adjacent leisure facility in an adjacent building that will feature “a large hotel, a clinic and a wellness centre”.
Improvements will also be directed towards better security and evacuation features.
The plans have not come without criticism however, with fans taking issue with a controversial plan to increase the number of VIP seats from 1,200 to 3,700, or six per cent of the total capacity in the stadium.
However, Haro claimed these VIP seats will “generate around 20 or 25 per cent of the turnover” which will contribute to keeping prices affordable around the rest of the stadium.
By comparison, Barcelona‘s new Camp Nou will have around 7,000 VIP seats, while the stadium of cross-town rivals, Sevilla, will have Sánchez-Pizjuán be around 10 per cent.
There were also concerns about the increased traffic the stadium will cause raised at the meeting, saying: “None of these aspects generate the turnover of people in a shopping centre.”
Betis have a tumultuous history, having been relegated a number of times, leading to the club’s motto being “¡Viva el Betis manque pierda! (Long live Betis even if they lose!)”.
The club last won the Spanish top flight title in 1935, while they last competed in the Champions League in 2006.
They have previously outlined the main details of the new project, which will include a new roof, sound and lightning systems and club shop.
In a statement on the stadium project released last summer, Betis said: “Real Betis has received the preliminary project for the new Benito Villamarín Stadium, with detailed designs, marking another step in the development of the next home for Betis fans.
“This project will enhance fan comfort and significantly increase the club’s revenue…
“The new Benito Villamarín Stadium will feature a new exterior, a facade representing the Thirteen Bars of the club’s crest, with light, translucent tones, offering the possibility to project colours and images.
“The basic project also includes the installation of a roof, which will house two new video scoreboards, larger than the current ones located in Gol Norte and Gol Sur, equipped with the latest technology.
“The roof will also integrate sound and lighting systems to enhance the match day spectacle and fan experience.
“Additionally, it will collect rainwater for irrigation, aligning with the club’s sustainability policy.”