The new facility that will replace San Siro from 2031 has been presented. Capacity, stands, curves, restaurants, facade, costs and construction times.
Elegant, modern, with triangular references and something that from afar recalls the verticality of the Duomo with its marble (even if it is not marble). And with a name already decided because the new stadium in Milan, ready by 2031 and which will take the place of San Siro, will be called “Generali Stadium”. The nostalgic and purists will turn up their noses but the agreement between Milan and Inter and the insurance giant will guarantee an income (unofficial figures) of over 600 million euros in twenty years. It is the future and it is one of the reasons why Milan football has chosen to turn the page and close the glorious history of San Siro.
After months of waiting and years of debate, here is the image of the facility that will become the dream home for millions of Rossoneri and Nerazzurri fans. Designed by star architect Norman Foster and David Manica who together created some of the most iconic new generation stadiums around the world. Capacity of 71,500 seats, great offer of commercial and catering services, impressive with its height (60 meters at the highest point) and length (270 meters which become 300 also considering the podium on which it is placed).
It is a large but light stadium, at least in what can be seen in the rendering and in the model that was unveiled in the setting of the Sforzesco Castle, one of the symbols of Milan just as the new city facility tends to be a symbol. Lightweight because the facade is made up of paired triangles that do not block the view towards the outside or even the inside, where behind the stands you can move freely before entering the actual basin. A fixed cover will provide shelter from the elements. The facade is made up of LEDs whose color will follow the event it hosts: it will be branded red and black for Milan and black and blue for Inter, but obviously it will also host concerts and other major events.
New Generali Stadium, here are the characteristics of the Milan stadium
The most striking feature inside is the proximity of the stands to the pitch, even greater than the current San Siro which is already a facility where viewing the match is optimal. And then the extreme verticality (37°, the maximum allowed by law) in the two North and South curves each with 11,700 seats: they will be the beating heart of popular passion. The impression is of an extremely intimate stadium in which, according to the architects’ project, acoustics will become a factor because it will eliminate dispersions towards the outside while also lowering noise pollution for the neighbors. A glass “wall” will protect the buildings on the via Tesio side.
It will be an accessible stadium because people with disabilities will be able to go to all areas. There will be ample space for hospitality and experiences such as the glass changing room tunnel or restaurants and skyboxes overlooking the pitch. The podium on which the structure is placed will enhance its figure and will host commercial and catering services every day of the week. Under the stadium there will be underground parking.
How much will the Generali Stadium cost
The total cost of the new plant and the entire project linked to its construction is 2.3 billion euros. Not all of the money will be spent on the construction of the stadium, for which a budget of 708 million euros has been set aside. The rest will go between the purchase of the old Meazza (175), implementation of the project and its construction site in conditions of maximum safety (114), demolition of the current one and refunctionalization of the part that will have to remain standing (115), related works such as the reconstruction of the Patroclo tunnel (57) and then the entire part concerning the surrounding areas which was estimated in the business plan at over 370 million euros to which other costs of 400 and financial charges which will weigh for 382.
An impressive effort, although diluted over time because first we will proceed with the construction of the new San Siro and only then, from 2031 onwards, will work be done on everything that surrounds it. Milan and Inter have created a subsidiary company called “Stadio San Siro Spa” and through this instrument they have turned to credit institutions, activating in recent months a 354 million euro loan from a pool of banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Mufg Bank, JP Morgan and Banco Bpm. It will not be the only financing phase of the project.
How much Milan and Inter will earn with the new San Siro
Milan and Inter have worked in recent years to outline the business plan of the new home also from the point of view of the greater revenues it will guarantee. The idea is that the figure to keep in mind is 120 million euros per season, of which 80 are linked to the stadium sector, the main work of the project, and another 40 coming from commercial activities. It means being able to access a treasure of around 60 million each for the two clubs, to be added to the current ticketing turnover which already stands at around the famous one hundred.
Where does this money come from? It is written in the documents that accompanied the last administrative and bureaucratic phase of the clubs’ plan to equip themselves with a new facility: 80 million, as mentioned, directly from the stadium which means the naming rights (the agreement with Generali is twenty years) from around 18 per season, the tours and museums for fans and tourists (another 18) to be added to the actual visits (12) and corporate events and concerts (more than 11 million) and a series of dedicated sponsorships (9). The rest are commercial concessions, parking and merchandising. A model successfully tested in the rest of Europe.
