The rebuilding of Visit Mallorca Estadi was completed in early 2024, but La Ensaimada Mecanica is making further efforts to upgrade its arena. The club has announced a collaboration with a company that operates throughout Europe, working with clubs such as Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. What will this collaboration consist of and how will it help the environment?

From cinnabar to green!

RCD Mallorca has partnered with PreZero, a company that collects and segregates garbage and recovers raw materials and energy from waste throughout Europe. The international company already has a track record of working in this direction, and the first stadium to receive the appropriate certification was Germany's TSG Hoffenheim PreZero Arena.

The certification that El Vermellencs is applying for requires reusing at least 90% of the waste generated by the facility. The first analysis showed that the sports complex generates 130 tons of waste per year, not including further investments such as renovations and a new sports bar, which was announced in mid-April.

This is a great opportunity and a great challenge, said Alfonso Díaz, general manager of the Balearic Islands-based club. The redevelopment of Visit Mallorca Estadi, which includes a total investment of about €30 million, has added new premium spaces and the opening of the facility outside of match days. The club aims to open more and more of the area in the future, adding new events, and sustainability is the most important goal of the redevelopment.

In addition, among the changes made were the inclusion of a rainwater harvesting system on the new roof - water use for irrigating the grass was reduced by 30%, the replacement of the entire lighting system with LEDs, and the recycling of old materials.

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How did the reconstruction of Visit Mallorca Estadi go?

The ceremonial start of the reconstruction took place on May 5, 2022, with the stand on the east side being the first to be rebuilt. In the summer of 2022, the temporary grandstand, previously set up behind the north gate, was also moved to the south side. At the end of July 2022, installation of the first roof elements on the eastern stand also began. In September, installation of the sheathing began, and the roof was completed in mid-October of the same year.

the summer of 2023, the temporary stand, which had been located behind the south gate for the entire 2022/23 season, was removed. Then the final phase of the stand reconstruction began, the construction of a new south stand to accommodate RCD Mallorca's most active cheering fans. The opening of the new south stand and also the, as yet unfinished, northwest corner was scheduled for early 2024.

Spanish-German cooperation

As part of the project, Mallorca has partnered with a German company, a fully owned and managed subsidiary of the Schwarz Group, owner of the Lidl supermarket chain, among others. Gonzalo Cañete, CEO of PreZero in Spain and Portugal, said his company will be responsible for selective waste management, increasing segregation at the source, with an exhaustive advisory process.

The activities, which will begin this summer, will continue through 2024-2025, so that in two seasons the club will be eligible for certification.

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