Italian clubs will continue lagging behind their English and Spanish counterparts until they own their stadiums says Cesena's Igor Campedelli, one of Serie A's most progressive club presidents. The 37-year-old has overseen the unfashionable club's rise into Serie A from the third division but is worried that, like most Italian clubs, they will struggle to grow further without a home they can call their own.
"The most important thing for developing the clubs in Italy is that we have our own stadiums," Campedelli told Reuters. "Like everyone else in Italy, Cesena uses a public stadium. Juventus are the ones who have their own." The Sea Horses have done what they can, laying a one million euro ($1.4 million) artificial pitch which Campedelli said will ensure better playing conditions. They are also planning to install large screens and attract more families.
But this does not go far enough, according to Campedelli. "We hope we can have multi-purpose stadiums that we can use for other events, for concerts, for public events, not just for football matches," he said. "But for this we depend on government action." The Italian stadium issue is something of a vicious circle as clubs cannot afford to build or buy stadiums in their current financial situation. Yet, without their own stadiums, Campedelli said their finances are unlikely to improve.
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