GdS: Timings, costs, pros and cons – new San Siro project explained | OneFootball

AC Milan and Inter put forward their 253-page document containing their plans for San Siro and in particular the new stadium, with more information emerging.

La Gazzetta dello Sport speak about the DocFap and what hides within it. The document consists of the methods, timing, costs, volumes and environmental impact – everything that the two clubs would like to transform into reality. Obviously in the fastest possible time.

The macro guidelines of the project had already emerged: a stadium with 71,500 seats, 13,000 of which will be for hospitality and corporate (i.e. the most profitable), to be built where the parking lots are today, behind the West sector, inserted in a redeveloped urban context with 50% of the green areas.

Timings and costs

The works could begin in 2027, after the 2026 Winter Olympics (there is a total ban on construction until the Olympic torch is lit), with the checkered flag in 2030 and full operation in 2031. It is estimated that the ancillary works of the new facility will come into operation between 2033 and 2035.

The (partial) demolition of San Siro – with related remediation – will obviously begin once the new facility is completed, and will last three years. But what about the more short-term timing?

After yesterday’s publication of the public tender of interest (which will expire at the end of April) by the Council, the proposal from the clubs to buy the current site is subject to a suspensive condition on the positive evaluation by the Preliminary Services Conference, with the provision of the commitment to stipulate the deed of purchase by 31 July 2025.

This is also because in November the architectural constraint on the second tier of the current San Siro (which will turn 70 years old) will come into force, with all the complications that this entails.

Milan and Inter estimate the overall costs at €1.25bn, of which €708m is for the construction of the stadium alone. The total price of the value established for the entire area by the Revenue Agency is – in rounded form – €197m.

It is divided as follows: €72,983,260.97 is the value of the Meazza, €124,005,204.23 is the value of the surrounding areas.

Other features

The area will have 55,000 square metres of green space and 72,000 square metres of underground parking. The area will also house the headquarters of the two clubs, a hotel, commercial spaces and parks for 281,000 square metres.

The new stadium will be further away from the homes and built on a podium that will serve as access for fans. On days when there are no matches, part of the podium opens up and transforms into a large urban square, integrated with the surrounding park.

Around the stadium there will be a sort of sports citadel with a museum, club shops, offices, hotels, refreshment areas and greenery. The structure will meet the specifications needed to host the Champions League finals.

The dossier states that the composition of the facility will be inspired by two rings that cite the historical memory of the San Siro project from the 1950s.

Pros and cons

The document speaks of the need for a ‘modern facility’, the ‘enhancement of the surrounding area’, ‘sustainability and innovation’, the ‘quality of experience’ for fans, as well as ‘inclusiveness’, ‘safety’ and ‘infrastructural adaptation’ as the pros.

There are two cons outlined: the ‘high initial cost’ – give the construction of a new stadium requires a considerable investment, balanced by the economic returns achievable over a long period of time – and the ‘environmental impact’. Naturally, the carbon footprint is greater as the entire stadium is rebuilt.

Then there are the factors defined as ‘opportunities’. Economic and tourist growth, urban regeneration, new asset for the neighbourhood (more attractive), more investments for the community, implementation of parking areas, creation of an ecological network (Mosaico San Siro) and competitiveness of the teams at European level.

Other factors to be highlighted: “A new structure will allow for an extremely longer time horizon that can be further extended with extraordinary maintenance interventions, reaching a useful life of more than 100 years.”

Furthermore, in the next 10 years, ‘it is estimated that the sum of the construction and implementation phases of the new stadium and the functions of the real estate sector will generate a total GDP impact of 11.4 billion euros in the next 10 years’.

In terms of employment ‘it will generate and support cumulative employment of 129,050 full-time equivalent jobs’.