''Agia Sofia'' – The New Stadium of AEK Athens FC

''Agia Sofia'' – The New Stadium of AEK Athens FC

Since 2003, when the stadium of AEK Athens was demolished, the historical club is wandering in extraneous pitches. Finally, after 11 years of homelessness, AEK Athens FC is ready to take the step in its new home place, at Agia Sofia. "Agia Sofia" will constitute the new, modern stadium of the team in the area of Nea Filadelfia. The new stadium will be built exactly on the same spot where the old Stadium existed.

The previous stadium, which was named "Nikos Goumas", had been constructed in 1932 and demolished in 2003 by a decision of the president of the Amateur Section of AEK Giannis Granitsas. The plan then was to construct a new one which would include a basketball court and a shopping center. Unfortunately the project stopped almost immediately after the recourse of Nea Filadelfia neighbors and the relative decision of the Council of State which eventually ruled unconstitutional the legislative framework for the construction of the stadium.

In 2005, Dimitris Melissanidis a then candidate for the presidency of AEK, presented a plan for a new stadium in the place of previous " Nikos Goumas " with the name " Agia Sofia " , but he lost in the elections.

The next administrators and presidents of the club studied the creation of the new stadium but the project did not even start due to a lack of financial resources. After the bankruptcy of AEK football club and the relegation of the team in 2013, Melissanidis undertook the reorganization of the group and put the plan of Agia Sofia again in the table. This time, the possibilities were with his side.

The first presentation of the future stadium took place on October 2, 2013. Melissanidis in his speech stressed the beneficial effects of construction of the stadium which won't affect only the "family" and the supporters of AEK but the Municipality of Nea Filadelfia area as well. The same day, the project manager Dimitris Andritsopoulos revealed the first details and characteristics of the field. He noted out the capacity which will be between 32.500 – 34.000 seats and he said that the stadium will fulfill the requirements to be qualified as a four-star UEFA stadium. There will also be 40 suites and five different types of seats. Furthermore, there will exist approximately 1,200 positions outdoor parking spaces, and 400-500 underground. In this presentation, the first pictures of the field were published. The stadium will have elements of Byzantine architecture . and as it is designed following the pattern of the walls of Constantinople, it will externally resembles a castle.

The official presentation took place on November 6, 2013. Andianopoulos analyzed the project and compered it to a marathon, where the importance is reaching the finishing line and not the time achieved. He also mentioned that the construction of the stadium would offer 1,500 to 2,000 job-posts, of which 200 to 400 job -posts will remain after the completion. A few minutes later the president of the club stated : “ [...] now is the time of great vindication. The castle will never fall and the Double Headed Eagle will return more secure than what he had ever been "

According to the official video of presentation, the stadium will include facilities as : Double locker room for the tournaments among four teams, Hall Press Conference , Login VIP , VIP Club "Vassos Farm", "Aristotle Onassis" Executive Lounge, 40 suites, Executive suite ,boutiques of AEK, AEK History Museum ,Museum of Greek Refugees ,Restaurant with panoramic views, a traditional Barber , Cafe "The Original" ,shoeshine stand ,Relaxation Area ,Hamam ,sauna , indoor pool and last but not least, a unique Church of St. Luke, in honor of the former president of AEK Luke Barlos.

The procedure is expected to begin in 2014 and be completed within two years. Steps to be followed are :

• Preparation of final designs and implementation studies
• Get building permits
• Selection of construction contractors
• Execution of construction works
• Delivery and acceptance of the project

According to what has been stated by the Company in schedule construction of the new stadium , is defined as follows : October 2013 - December 2015: field studies ( architectural, structural , electrical / mechanical , other)

1st phase:

May 2014 - April 2015: Earthworks , retaining , watertight , Bearing Agency , pillars , precast bleachers , etc.

2nd phase:

January 2015 - June 2015: Architectural building work , ambient , H / M facilities , pitch , etc.

3rd phase :

May 2015 - December 2015: Overlap roof , exterior housing , equipment , special operations and architectural / mechanical installations

Cost Estimated

The economic study shows that construction costs will amount to 65.1 million euros. To realize the cost per viewer ... it is estimated that the amount to be spent on each chair that will sit friends AEK will cost 2,069 euros !

The analysis of the above amount is as follows :

Design and Construction Project Management : 4.4 million €

Phase 1 Construction : 25.9 million €

Phase 2 construction ( funded by the Region of Attica ) : € 20.2 million

Phase 3 Construction : 14.6 million