The modernisation of Celta Vigo's stadium has not even started, yet the club and the city are already talking about another redevelopment. The reason is that the number of socios cannot grow through limited capacity. The good relationship between the club and city can lead to another reconstruction, even despite Vigo not being the host of the 2030 World Cup.

Overbooking socios

21,000 - that's how many socios Celta de Vigo has, which puts the club 13th in La Liga. However, there could be around 4,000 more, if it were not for the limited capacity of Estadio Abanca Balaídos. It has dropped to 24,870 seats as a result of the Celestes' temple modernisation, which is running in phases. As a result, the club cannot sell any more passes, as it has to leave seats for guest supporters and for sale.

The modernisation is set to culminate in the redevelopment of the Gol stand, planned to begin in early 2025. It will increase the stadium's total capacity to 27,000 when completed, but to make this happen, an entire sector will be temporarily shut down, which will only increase the overbooking in Vigo.

© Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia | The Goal stand, which is to be rebuild in the next months

Change of strategy

In recent days, local media such as Faro de Vigo and El Atlántico have reported that the Celta authorities want another redevelopment to reach the capacity before the Balaídos reform. Back then, the Celestes' temple could hold 31,800 fans. However, as FdV reminds, such a decision would be a 180-degree turnaround.

After all, for years the club had pursued a small Balaídos policy, allowing higher ticket prices and higher fill rates. Hence, the modernisation that has been underway since 2015 is upgrading the stadium, but at a cost of almost 4,500 seats. In 2021, during her father's presidency, Marián Mouriño even said "I prefer a blue Balaídos to a full Balaídos", when coach Eduardo Coudet asked to lower prices in order to fill the stands, empty after the pandemic.

© Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia | The Tribuna stand during As Celta's match on Saturday

With or without the World Cup

When Vigo laid claim to becoming the host of the 2030 World Cup, there was talk of expanding the venue to a capacity of more than 40,000, the minimum for hosting the tournament. However, Vigo in the joint bid book of Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the 2030 World Cup wasn’t chosen as a host city, thus making Mayor Abel Caballero's ambitious plan lose its raison d'être.

Although hope of hosting the World Cup still exists in southern Galicia, the club and the city are working on a Plan B. According to FdV, there is talk of 33,000 seats. It is almost certain that it is the Tribuna sector that will be redeveloped again because, opposite to Río or Marcador, the stands there are single-storey, which offers the opportunity to create a second level and unify the interior of the stadium.

Unlike Celta's now former president Carlos Mouriño, his daughter Marián has a good relationship with the current mayor, making the talks progress in a good atmosphere.

© Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia | The new scoreboard on the Marcador stand

A big debut and a smaller comeback

While preparations for the redevelopment of Gol and talks about the next upgrade are ongoing, work is still going on in front of the stadium. Their aim is to improve the accessibility of the Balaídos area and to improve the drainage system to prevent a repeat of the stadium flooding of previous years.

Inside the stadium itself, the scoreboard, from which it takes its name (marcador means counter in Spanish), has returned to the Marcador stand. It had been missing since the redevelopment of the stand began in 2021. The new 19 x 5 metre board will make its debut on 15 September, when Celta will return to Balaidos to take on Real Valladolid.

In the meantime, Saturday saw a much more important, even historic, debut at the Celestes' temple. As Celtas, Celta Vigo's women's team, played their first official match ever. 6.534 fans turned up for the match in the Tercera Federacion, or fourth division. The duo Fillas de Cassandra performed a 15-minute concert in the break, and in the second half As Celtas scored twice to end the match with a score of 2-0 and start their first season with an important victory.