The Espai Barça works will mean that the team will play the 2023-2024 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, at which point the bulk of the work will be carried out, acting on the third tier and the roof of the Camp Nou. Currently, the initial phase has already begun, affecting the first and second tiers and will not stop football activity in Les Corts. The necessary financing is still being sought to cover the 1,500 million euros that the stadium's renovation and the urbanization of the surroundings will entail. The club is negotiating with Goldman Sachs and, for now, has a bridge loan of 180 million euros to start the works.
The move to Montjuïc will cost the football club between 15 and 20 million euros. The adoptive space for FC Barcelona has room for 55,000 attendees, 45% less than the current capacity. The president, Joan Laporta, points out that tickets will be distributed on a rotating and democratic basis among members so that all of them can attend the field in two seasons.
The total budget that Barça will allocate to this temporary location will include the rental of the Olympic facilities, as well as the minimum improvements it will make and the extraordinary maintenance and security services it will contract during match days. Laporta details that they plan to adapt several spaces to the club's needs, such as the press box, changing rooms, and indoor parking areas.
The Barça team has agreed with the Barcelona City Council, through the stadium's management company, B:SM, that it will be able to use the facilities between August 2023 and May 2024. The transfer of the playing field and the stands, as well as the necessary auxiliary spaces, will be for the match days of the men's first team and the preparations before and after the matches. FC Barcelona will also be able to use the stadium, occasionally, for training and other events. This will include any needs the women's team may have.
Barça's arrival in Montjuïc will also involve actions to reinforce public transport and improve the surroundings of the mountain. This allocation will entail an expense of 7.2 million euros, which Barça will assume 64% of and the Barcelona City Council 36%. All expenses derived from the reinforcement of public transport will be covered by the club, while the municipal contribution will be for investments that will remain permanently.
The mobility plan will include reinforcing funicular services; enabling shuttle buses from the main public transport accesses ---Plaza Espanya, line 9, and Sants Station---, to the Olympic Stadium, and the arrival of members with coaches from the different fan clubs will be promoted. The metro service hours will also be extended on match days, a bike lane will be enabled between Plaza Espanya and Miramar, and three new Bicing stations and bicycle parking areas will be incorporated. For those who choose to go by private vehicle, signage will be improved, and new parking areas will be incorporated.
Funicular services will be reinforced, and shuttle buses will be enabled from Plaza Espanya, line 9, and Sants StationOn the other hand, the lighting of the main walking routes will be improved, and pedestrian paths will be stabilized. One of the historical demands of users and agents present on the mountain, the investment to improve the escalators, will be accelerated with Barça's relocation.
FC Barcelona will coexist with the rest of the cultural, sports, and civic activities organized in the facilities. "The Olympic Stadium will not stop its ordinary activity; it will combine it with matches," explains Barcelona's first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni. In the last 20 years, Collboni points out, the space has hosted more than 700 events and has been occupied for 1,300 days, with an attendance of 12 million people.