Last March, AS Roma officials announced plans for a proposed 52,500-capacity stadium that would make the Italian club the second Serie A side to play in their own arena – the other being Juventus.
Roma president James Pallotta told the NY Times that the Stadio della Roma would be a very important piece for the club and would be central to the Italian side’s “re-emergence as a force in international football”.
The stadium is tentatively scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2016/17 season.
Today, Roman mayor Ignazio Marino told Roma Radio that discussions have begun regarding the stadium proposal, with politicians and citizens deciding whether the club will be granted planning permission. It is hoped that the stadium will be approved before Christmas.
“It’s an important day, because today councilors are holding public discussions about the new stadium for Roma,” Ignazio told Roma Radio.
“It’s one of those sessions which has more involvement from ordinary Romans because the elected councilors must decide whether [James] Pallotta’s proposals are important for the city.”
“It is an important democratic decision, because the people’s elected representatives will decide whether they can proceed with building the stadium or not.”
“The assembly has taken an appropriate amount of time, because this is a historic decision for Rome and for Italy.”
“President Pallotta assured me that if the plans are approved in the next few days he’ll be able to present a final draft in the coming weeks and lay the first brick in Spring 2015.”
“He’s determined to bring Roma to a new stadium by 2017, and I think it would be a great achievement, not just for Roma fans but for the city.”
“A project like Roma’s new stadium would bring an investment of foreign capital to our city, and 3,000 jobs during construction alone.”
“That’s what we need in this city.”
Stadio della Roma’s design, which was the mastermind of the architectural practice Woods Bago, intends to invoke the Colosseum of ancient Rome, but will also add modernized touches like a hydraulic lift that will allow players a dramatic entrance, in similar fashion to the gladiatorial lifts which were once used in the Colosseum.
