Roma kicked off their winter camp in Florida with style as president James Pallotta revealed plans for the club to have a 55,000 to 60,000 capacity stadium built for 2016.
The plans come as no surprise as Roma have been very public in their pursuit of their own stadium but Pallotta’s announcement did reveal the location the project will be built on – the Tor di Valle area of Rome.
“This is an incredibly exciting day for all of us here and hopefully for all of Rome and all Roma fans around the world,” Pallotta told at the press conference unveiling the plan.
“This announcement today has been part of our original plan for AS Roma to be a championship-calibre team for the foreseeable future. Rome deserves it. We hope Francesco Totti can score the first goal there!”
The urban surveying for the project is expected to take a year as the possible effects on the Tiber River, conditions of the road and capabilities of railway to the venue will all have to be accounted for.
CEO Italo Zanzi elaborated on some of the finer points of the plan.
“We anticipate the capacity to be around 55,000-60,000 – enough to host the Champions League final while maintaining an intimate feel and offering the fans a special experience.”
“We also want to stress that it will be privately financed and based on current legislation.”
Roma captain Francesco Totti took to the mic and spoke of his appreciation of the announcement.
“On behalf of the city of Rome, I thank those who allowed the realisation of a dream that Roma fans have had for a long time,” said Totti.
“Our supporters deserve their own stadium, entirely red and yellow.”
