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AC Milan and Inter’s new £1bn stadium ‘will not hold more than 65,000 fans’ in reduction of San Siro’s capacity with clubs looking to avoid empty seats
- The two Milan clubs move to a new £1bn stadium by 2030
- Plans for ‘The Cathedral’, as the ground might be called, are yet to be finalized
- The site hasn’t even been confirmed, but it would be next to the San Siro. can be
- The clubs will not make the capacity more than 65,000 to avoid empty seats
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The new £1bn stadium for AC Milan and Inter will have a maximum capacity of 65,000, so matches will not be played against a backdrop of empty seats.
The iconic San Siro, the current 80,000 seat stadium for the two clubs, will be demolished by 2030 and replaced by beautiful new ground known as ‘The Cathedral’.
But the plans and location are yet to be finalized, despite the clubs planning to start construction as early as January 2024.
‘The Cathedral’ is the proposed new stadium for AC Milan and Inter Milan to replace the San Siro – but the clubs will not make the capacity more than 65,000
The aim is to build the new stadium on the same site as the current San Siro . by 2030
The designs have been changed many times due to complaints from the local authorities and there is still no agreement on whether the stadium will have an oval or square shape, as can be seen in the architect’s drawings.
And it is not yet known whether the new stadium will be next to the existing Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, which will then be demolished, or moved to the Sesto San Giovanni district.
“Our project is for a stadium with 60-65,000 seats,” says Mark van Huuksloot, director of infrastructure development at Inter Calcio and Finanza.
“What we will try is to fill it every game, which is not happening at the moment.
‘We have a turnover and occupancy of less than 65,000, and we want to raise the level of corporate hospitality.
Both Milan clubs are expected to move to the new arena, which will cost £1bn
The iconic San Siro, with more than 80,000 fans, will be demolished afterwards
That will also help to keep prices in check, to avoid big increases for the fans. I am convinced that we can keep everyone happy.’
Milan have passed 70,000 in all their Serie A home games so far this season and Inter have done it all but one. The derby between the two teams, which Milan won 3-2, drew 75,475 spectators.
However, Champions League matches tend to see a drop-off with Inter vs Bayern Munich watched by just 58,951 and AC Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb attended by 61,341.
Also during a public debate on the new stadium on Wednesday, Milan adviser Giuseppe Bonomi said: “To be competitive again, we need a new, modern structure that better suits the needs of the clubs and fans.
The two clubs are keen to avoid empty seats, with an average crowd of around 70,000
The difference in ticket revenues between Milan or Inter and the major European clubs such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona ranges from €80 million to €140 million [£71.76m to £125.6m].
“That shows that to be internationally competitive, clubs need stadiums, which can then have a positive effect that reverberates across the city.”