A Strategic Step for the Growth of Girona
GironaCranes and trucks are already parading through Vilablareix, where Girona has begun, after a long wait, the construction of the first phase of its future Sports City. Last week, the City Council gave the go-ahead to the works. The decision came a year after the announcement by the Girona club, which hopes to move its first team there in the summer, in a season full of changes. Not only will he leave La Vinya, the current training center, located at the PGA of Caldes de Malavella, but he will transform Montilivi to meet the demands of UEFA, which does not allow the use of retractable bleachers in its competitions.
A Project With Various Complexities
The construction process of the Ciutat Esportiva del Girona is not being easy. In addition to the delays accumulated by the paperwork, the opposition of the Association of Naturalists of Girona and other groups, such as Salvem Vilablareix Rural and Unió de Pagesos, has generated controversy. These entities have submitted an appeal before the Minister of Territory, arguing that the project does not comply with the regulations.
The first phase of the works at Pla de la Massana includes the construction of two hybrid grass football pitches for first team training, as well as the corresponding equipment, such as changing rooms, gym and offices. The project envisages that the Sports City will have seven football pitches, one with bleachers, for all youth teams, including the women’s and the Genuine. The club’s new institutional headquarters will also be located there, in a 16th century farmhouse that will be restored. All of this will mean an approximate investment of 25 million euros, 70% of which comes from the Impulso Plan, the League’s CVC fund.
Reactions and Controversy
The opposition to the project has not only been of a bureaucratic nature, but has also generated protests and controversy. The Association of Naturalists of Girona has expressed its concern about the water consumption that the Sports City will require, especially in a context of drought. Likewise, they have presented an administrative appeal to protect the agricultural land of the Plan de Girona and to enforce the urban regulations.
Despite these difficulties, the works on the Ciutat Esportiva del Girona are already a reality, and the club is determined to carry them out to improve the conditions of its teams and players.