"The Sailors" is Farul Constanţa's nickname. No wonder then that the new ground is to resemble the hull of a ship. Gheorghe Hagi - the legend of Romanian football is involved in that project.

New stadium for merged club

FCV Farul Constanţa was formed on June 21, 2021 as a result of the merger of two local clubs, Farul and Viitorul, although only the first one kept its name. One of the co-owners is Gheorghe Hagi, who is also the team's manager. Interestingly, the club's president is another former player - Gheorghe Popescu.

The newly established team plays its games at intimate Stadionul Central Academia Hagi in Ovidiu, as Stadionul Farul is unusable due to its bad technical condition. But that will change soon as the plans for the new arena are taking shape.

© Igloo Associated Architects

In the summer of 2020, the concept of a stadium with a minimum capacity of 15,000 seats was presented. Its author is Bruno Andreșoiu from Igloo Associated Architects. Shortly thereafter, the city council approved a preliminary feasibility study.

At the moment, works are underway on the final design, which should be completed by the end of this summer. Popp & Asociații SRL were entrusted with the preparation of the technical and economic documentation in order to obtain required permits. There are media reports that the venue may have up to 18,000 seats.

© Igloo Associated Architects

According to estimates from 2020, the cost of the creation of the sports complex is to be RON 533 million (€ 110 million) and the stadium itself is RON 240 million (€ 49 million). The state-owned company (CNI), involved in the construction of sports arenas in Romania, declared that it had included in its budget funds for building a new facility in Constanţa under the sub-program "Sports Complexes". Local authorities will probably provide part of the above-mentioned amount. The venue is to be ready in 2-3 years.

Two stadiums (ships) side by side

There are plans to build a sports complex with arenas marked with maritime symbols. Its focal point is to be the football stadium, which will be erected on the site of the former Stadionul Farul. A rugby arena for 5,000 fans is to be created right next to it. Both stadiums are designed in the shape of sea ships, which alludes to the history of Constanţa (port city).

© Igloo Associated Architects

The concept assumes that the football ground will have two-tier crescent-shaped stands with the exception of the rectangular main stand. The airy facade is to be covered with light horizontal blinds in the upper part, while the lower will be clad with perforated corten. Thanks to this, the arena is supposed to look like the hull of a ship from a distance.

Additionally, a training pitch and two tennis halls were sketched out. The first one (in the shape of a wave) will accommodate 4,750 fans, which should allow the WTA and ATP tournaments to be hosted. The second one is to be much smaller, with an auditorium of less than 1000 seats. The tennis facilities will be concluded by 4 open-air courts.

The final point of Bruno Andreșoiu's vision is a building of the administrative centre (sail-shaped) with accommodation, training and regeneration facilities. It will be complemented by a promenade and a small park.

Author: Tomasz Sobura

© Igloo Associated Architects

© Igloo Associated Architects