Rome's Olimpico Gets Champion Facelift The Italian Capital will receive Olympic aid to refurbish the ageing Olimpico stadium as part of a package of measures being brought in to improve both crowd safety and comfort after recent events in Italy highlighted the need for something to be done… Chosen to be the scene for the 2009 Champions League Final, the stadium is in urgent need of a variety of maintenance tasks to be carried out. Given the very international profile of said Final, CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) will chip in to fund the improvements. “The Stadio Olimpico represents the story of Italian football,” stressed President Gianni Petrucci as the plan was unveiled earlier today. “Last week L’Equipe named it as one of the top five stadiums in Europe.” The budget will stretch to 17 million Euros and will include the now-familiar reduction in total capacity. Many cavernous stadiums such as Barcelona’s Camp Nou and Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã have already bitten the bullet and it looks like it’s Rome’s turn. This means that the Olimpico will shave the total capacity from the current 80,120 to about 76,000. Despite many wanting to see the running track that keeps spectators so distant from the field to be ripped up and replaced by some sort of seating, it is slated to stay. The exec was quick to point out that although it seems like a sign of shrinkage, the actual impact wont affect the fans. “We are losing mostly what could be called ‘virtual’ seats. They are rarely occupied anyway because of poor visibility”, he underlined. Other new plans include a total renovation of the dressing rooms with the size almost doubling from 110 metres squared to 200, some seeing the change as necessary in modern football, some half-joking that otherwise the players’ inflated egos may suffer from debilitating cramp. thoughts?
I wouldn't mind seeing the track torn up, even though I think there's something mystifying about the track around the field. They could probably fit 10,000 seats around where the track is, but the whole Olimpico would have to be raised in order for nobody's view to be obstructed. Neither Nazio nor Roma gets anywhere near even 76,000 at games that aren't europe games or rivalries, so why not cut some seats out of the picture. Every seat that is empty costs the club money. I remember reading that Nazio was getting their own stadium sometime soon. Was that just a whisper or is there some truth to that? I cringe every time I think that Rocchi celebrates with the home crowd in the same place Totti does.
I think they should get rid of the track. I mean how many track and field events do they actually have there per year?
I often get sucked into the same line of thinking but then I am jolted from this aestehtic fantasy time and time again by Roma fans, Lazio fans, Milan fans, Inter fans, and the list goes on that in Italy one is born with the right to lob sharp objects onto the pitch, launch exploding fireworks at players, and leave the stands to debate so-called poor decisions with the refs on the pitch. Ideally every stadium would be like Highbury but let's face it, we are rooting for a team that plays in a league where a culture of idiocy is either encouraged or excused. So I think the tracks will have to stay until the type of transformation that has occured in England can transfer to Italy. But we can continue to dream. Take care.
A bunch, actually. The track is never going to be taken out, it's the Stadio Olimpico for a reason. It is the one stadium in Italy that actually should have a track. Now should Roma play at the Olimpico, that's another story.
Or the field could be dropped. It's just dirt under there. If the track were to be taken out, all that would happen is that 10k people would have a better view. The other 80k are still going to be just as far away.
Well, there are nets in a lot of stadia. A track isn't going to stop anyone who really wants to throw something on the field. Ever see the 3-1 derby from 99 I think? Lazio almost scored because the goal mouth was filled with smoke from flares on the field - thrown from the sud.
Without the track, Rome wouldn't be able to host the annual Golden Gala track and field event. That, in particular, is why the Olimpico will never be trackless.
well soon it will be just Roma's stadium. Lotito is planning to build his own stadium for Lazio in a few years.
I'll believe it when I see it. Where does Lotito plan to get the money for this? Here's what CONI president Gianni Petrucci said about Lazio's stadium plans: "In terms of scale models of proposed new stadia, I have an enviable collection. But in the past few years I've seen no new stadia actually built."
I don't think they'd need to raise the Olimpico OR drop the field. I live in Houston and the Dynamo play at Robertson Stadium, a college football stadium that used to have a track around the field. Awhile back they took out the track and added seating. To the best of my knowledge, they didn't have to raise the stadium or lower the field. My recollection of the Olimpico is a little shady, (I've only been once), but I would think they could reomve the track and add seats without raising the stadium or lowering the playing surface...
Well, there is Messina. That new stadium is ok but is being wasted, half full for an ugly giallorosso Legea shirt-wearing team that Alvarez plays for and that Rigano' is linked to. Oh.
There's not much drop from the seats to the surface - that's why no one sits in the lowest seats because the ad boards block the view of the game. I don't think it would be so hard to drop the field - just grade it down a meter or two but I think what is going to be done is that new seats are going to be put in. That's it, basically.