Gent unveil stadium plan
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Article summary
KAA Gent have unveiled plans for a 22,000-seater stadium which will open in 2006 and cost the Belgian club €100m.
Article body
KAA Gent hope to be free of debt and playing European football at a state-of-the-art venue at the start of the 2006/07 season after unveiling plans for their new €100m Arteveldestadion.
Land for €1
The Belgian club plan to move into their new 22,000-seater home in three years' time after purchasing the land on the outskirts of the city for €1 from the local council. "We want to be playing European football every year and this was the only way," said Gent chairman Ivan De Witte.
'Debt free'
He continued: "In 1999 we had a debt of €22 million. We managed to reduce that to €9 million and when the stadium opens in 2006 we intend to be debt free - by working with a balanced budget, through keeping players wages at 50 per cent of our total budget, by cutting salaries by 30 per cent and by reducing the first team squad to a maximum of 20 players."
Plenty of space
The cost of the stadium will be covered by the building of hotels, offices and entertainment venues at the stadium complex. Gent are unable to expand their current Ottenstadium as it is in a residential area. There will be no such problems at the Arteveldestadion as the nearest houses are 750m away.
