Almeria are planning to renovate the Power Horse Stadium, but it will not occur this summer.
The Andalusian side have the stadium rented from the council for the next 25 years, and intend on improving the stadium also known as the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos. Currently it has a capacity of 16,503, and they will look to add a further 1,200 seats at least.
However they also plan to lower the pitch and replace the running track around it with seats, in similar fashion to Anoeta, although it is not yet clear how many extra seats this will bring.
General Director Mohamed El Assy has told Diario AS that the project scheduled for this summer will not begin until 2024 though, with work likely to force them to a different stadium for at least a section of a season.
“It will not start during this season because it was not possible to close all the necessary elements for that construction. The games cannot be combined with that work, the stadium would have to be closed to dig down. We will do it next season by increasing capacity and improving technologically as well.”
“It will give us greater economic capacity. The sporting department want to give the fans another season of being close to the players and not having to move to another ground in search of that stability before facing that second phase project in the summer of 2024.”
El Assy also highlighted that Turki Al Sheikh, the owner of Almeria, was keen to press on with further work.
After the stadium work is complete, Almeria will look to build a new training ground and academy facilities.
“With Turki when you finish one project you start another, there is always that pressure.”
“For me it is the most important project, even more than the stadium, because that is where the future of the club lies. That can change all of football in the province, going from buying players, to producing them from a young age so they can play in the first team.”
Almeria are not short of competition in the region, with Real Betis, Sevilla and Cadiz all close by. Yet having a strong academy system could make their operation much more sustainable rather than relying exclusively on owner funding almost.
