The LaLiga 2 club, RCD Espanyol have announced a partnership with a prominent leader in the ticketing industry, Stage Front. As part of the agreement, the club has established a new title arrangement with the brand for naming rights to its stadium on Barcelona’s outskirts.

Get to know Espanyol’s Stadium

The stadium, built as a private investment of RCD Espanyol, lies app. 7 km south-west from their previous home, the Olympic Stadium. Location in close proximity to major highway hub allows for good communication despite significant distance from the centre of Barcelona. The city itself is living and breathing football, which means that many fans are also interested in football betting, not only connected to the LaLiga and LaLiga 2.

In 2002 the club acquired land for the venue, having paid some €360,000. Construction started in 2003 according to design by Reid Fenwick Asociados and took a long period of 6 years. Officially opened on June 5, the ground hosted its first game in August and league fixtures since September 2009. The investment was planned with a budget of €60m, but turned out to be more expensive, reaching €75m.

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Thanks to its ecological solutions (low energy and water consumption, production of solar energy) it received the prestigious Stadium Business Award in 2010 for best new ground opened globally. Various uses for stadium infrastructure were also given credit with a rare feature of hosting a cemetery for supporters in one of the corners.

New naming rights partner

Through collaborations with boxing and motorsports, the ticketing technology company Stage Front has solidified its position in the sports industry. By fusing ticketing and technology, the company offers effective B2B solutions for businesses looking to sell tickets while also offering fans a variety of international experiences.

Due to the corporation's cooperation with RCD Espanyol, the stadium's grounds will now be known as the Stage Front Stadium. The company will use its expertise to improve the venue's ticketing system and fan experience both on and off matchdays. Mao Ye, CEO of RCD Espanyol, said, This agreement is a unique one in the Club’s history and will allow us to continue to get closer to our fans, learn more about their tastes and allow them to enjoy football in a unique way, in addition to positioning the stadium, the Club’s heritage, as a world reference venue. In addition to football, Stage Front will work to build the stadium's infrastructure so that it may become a financially viable venue that can host international events and performances.

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Lots of changes at Barcelona

It is not only in relation to the Espanyol stadium that interesting things are happening. One of the most important constructions is currently taking place at FC Barcelona's stadium, Spotify Camp Nou. The main features of the new design are: the construction of a new third tier from scratch with a uniform height along the entire external perimeter and thus increasing the capacity of the stadium to more than 105,000 spectators, the creation of a VIP ring between the second and third tiers of the stands and the roofing of all spectator seats in the stadium. A panoramic screen will also be created under the canopy, running along its inner edge. Externally, the venue will be given an open feel with wide terraces.

In connection with the construction the club will temporarily move to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, located about 4 km to the south-east, during the 2023/24 season. As it can hold noticeably fewer spectators than Camp Nou (less than 56,000), for a significant number of club pass holders this will mean that they will have to cancel their season tickets. The team will rent the city-owned facility for one season while construction work takes place at Camp Nou stadium. This public infrastructure was built for the 1992 Olympics and later served as Espanyol's temporary home.

FC Barcelona will return to its stadium in the 2024/25 season, although its capacity is initially expected to be severely limited. Full completion of expansion work at Camp Nou is scheduled for the end of 2025. By then, another Spanish stadium, the world-famous Santiago Bernabeu, will be ready. Spanish football is therefore in for some very interesting years in terms of stadiums.

© Kuba Kowalski