European 'ghost ground' that's been half-built for 15 years set to finally be completed after £274m decision
A decision has finally been made on a deserted stadium, which began being built in 2007 but has since seen construction halted due to a lack of funds.
Next season, Premier League fans will get the chance to visit a new stadium as Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium opens its doors for the first time.
In recent years, the likes of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have moved into state-of-the-art new stadiums while Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and Liverpool’s Anfield have also undergone expansion work.
However, one La Liga club have had to wait over 15 years to find out what will happen with their new stadium.
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In November 2006, Spanish club Valencia announced plans to build a new ground, while work began the following August.
But in February 2009, work halted due to the club’s owners running out of funds for the development, as reported by The Athletic.
This came after around €100m (£85.3m) had already been spent on the construction of a concrete bowl base.
In 2025, Valencia still call the Mestalla their home, but a decision has finally been made regarding the new build.
On Thursday (June 26), Valencia announced that they had secured €322m (£274.2m) in funding organised through Goldman Sachs, which will see the building of the Nou Mestalla stadium resume.
The 70,000-capacity stadium is scheduled to be ready by 2027.
A club statement read: “Valencia CF has successfully completed the financing of the Nou Mestalla, the most significant non-sporting project in the Club's history.
"From its planned opening in 2027, the Nou Mestalla will be a world-class stadium that will drive Valencia CF's growth and enable new, long-term, sustainable sources of revenue that will strengthen the Club's competitiveness for decades to come.
"The Nou Mestalla is not only a major investment by the club, but also a city project that will become a symbol of the Valencian capital for all its citizens and visitors.
"The new infrastructure will multiply the revenue of the current Camp de Mestalla, having been designed in a similar way to top-level multifunctional stadiums internationally. The Nou Mestalla will be the epicentre of sports, leisure, and entertainment for the city and the Valencian Community.
"The new home of Valencian football will boast the highest category awarded by FIFA for a football stadium and will house more than 70,000 seats, of which approximately 10% will be Hospitality seats, where each match will be a premium experience.
“Furthermore, the new stadium's capacity to generate extraordinary income from the various leisure and catering options and from hosting events will mean that its economic potential for generating revenue will multiply those of the current Camp de Mestalla."
Luke Davies