25.09.2008 11:51
From the Camp Nou to the Ciudad Deportiva
Sergi Nogueras
A series of changes have been made to the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper in recent days to adapt the facility in preparation for the arrival of the first team, expected in November.
The move from the Camp Nou to the Ciudad Deportiva is getting closer by the day. After the Board of
Directors passed at their last meeting the budget for the modifications to the Ciudad Deportiva,
the work has not stopped at Sant Joan Despí.
Early changes
The first section to undergo the work that started almost two weeks ago was the turf on pitch
1. Here, they have just started turning the soil, the first step towards installing the same kind
of pitch as the one the players are used to playing on at the Camp Nou.
Other reforms
This will, naturally, be the most visible of the changes, but there will be others.
The ultimate aim is for the entire building annexed to pitch 1 (which has a covered stand) to meet
the first team’s needs, in order for them to be able to train here under the exact same
conditions as those they already enjoy at the Camp Nou.
To do this, some changes will have to be made to the dressing rooms (such as the installation
of individual private lockers for the players), improvements to the gymnasium and the adaptation of
certain areas for use as offices by Josep Guardiola and the other members of the first team staff.
Media zone
In front of the building, the plan is to install a work area for the media, which will
include a press room (where the manager and his players will be able to give conferences) and
different spaces that will be used for more personal interviews.
Daily use
From the very first day that plans were afoot for the Ciudad Deportiva, the idea was for
eventual changes to be made, which are precisely those that are being made today. Meanwhile, the
arrival of the first team will not have any effect on the current everyday use of the facilities,
where the youth teams and other sections of the club already train on a regular basis.