Almost ten years after the beginning of the total remodeling of the venue, the City Council of Vigo has made official the company that will carry out the last phase of the project. Grada de Gol, the only sector that remains of the "old" Balaídos will soon be rebuilt to increase the capacity of Celta Vigo stadium to 27,000 spectators.

8 companies competed for a €25m contract

Last Thursday the Vigo City Council published a series of documents announcing the result of the tender for the award of the last phase of the remodeling of Balaídos. There were eight candidates: Acciona, Civis Global, Copasa, Oreco, Sacyr and two Temporary Joint Ventures (UTE) - one formed by Avintia Proyectos and Comsa, and the other by Ferrovial and Prace Servicios y obras.

The tender budget was €25.6 million (in 2015 there was talk that refurbishing the entire stadium would cost €30 million), and the bids of the eight companies-candidates were examined taking into account price (up to 95 possible points) and whether or not the potential contractor would carry out an upgrade to the implementation of an intelligent building assessment system (0 or 5 points).

As all companies except Acciona committed to this upgrade, it was price that was the deciding factor. The company that most reduced the cost declared by the City Council was Copasa, which valued the cost of the works at €24,821,940, €800,000 euros below the ceiling amount, thus receiving 95 points out of the 100 at stake.

© Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia | Grada de Gol is the only one left to be remodeled.

23 months to "close" Balaídos

Copasa now has a few days left to pay a deposit of 1 million euros and present all the necessary documentation to formalize the award of the work. After the formalities, it will receive the green light to start the works, which should begin in early 2025. The deadline for completion will be 23 months.

During this period, the Grada de Gol will be demolished and built from scratches, just as happened with its twin, Grada de Marcador. This will temporarily reduce the capacity of Celta's stadium below 20,000 seats, which will pose a problem for the club, as this season the stadium scores very good attendance numbers and just broke its record with the current capacity.

However, once work is finished, the capacity will increase to around 27,000 fans. The club is impatiently awaiting that moment, as the current 24,870 seats prevent it from admitting more members, and there are already 4,000 Celestes on the waiting list. If all goes well, by the end of 2026 or early 2027 Celta will have a uniform and modern stadium, but the club and the City Council already have their sights set on the next project.

© Alex | This is how Grada de Marcador, Gol's twin, construction looked like