Plans for the 6,000-capacity Estadio Johan Cruyff were presented by Barcelona at an event held in Sant Joan Despi on Monday, with work on the new ground expected to begin in July and be completed half-way through the 2018/19 season.
The total budget has been set at 19 million euros and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu spoke of his excitement at the building of the venue for the Barcelona B, Juvenil and women’s teams.
“It will be the jewel in the crown of our sports complex,” he told those in attendance.
“Barcelona’s objective in Sant Joan Despi is the development of players.
“We want to convince our youth players that the best thing for them is to stay here.
“The financing of the ‘Espai Barca’ project is underway, while it’s true that the main part of that, the redevelopment of the Camp Nou, is still without a sponsor.”
As for the fact that the new stadium will pay tribute to Cruyff, Bartomeu spoke of the impact the Dutchman had on the club.
“We are steeped in his philosophy,” he said.
“We would also like there to be a street named after Cruyff as close as possible to the Camp Nou and we will go through the process with the Barcelona City Council.”
Jordi Moix, the director of the ‘Espai Barca’ project also spoke and revealed that there was enough space around the Estadio Johan Cruyff to potentially double the capacity in the future, given that the stadium is expected to be used for the next 50 years.
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