Leganés wants to turn its sports city, the Butarque Sports Facility, into a new open training area so that other teams can come to train during those periods (pre-season, winter breaks) in which long-term concentration is required. Something like turning this place into a humble ‘Pinatar Arena’, a famous high performance center in Murcia, but in the center of Spain.

The logistics that Madrid offers, along with the proximity of Leganés and the Adolfo Suárez airport, are one of the fundamental axes on which this idea is based, which would have its main source of business in attracting foreign teams.

Up to 20 requests

In fact, last season Leganés already managed to put this business idea into practice with several teams that came to ID Butarque to practice. The Ecuadorian senior team was the most renowned team to come through this venue.

The South Americans practiced on their home turf before the friendly they played at the Metropolitan against Iraq, a warm-up game for the World Cup in Qatar. The USA and Germany U-17 women’s national teams have also similarly used this venue.

“We’ve had about 20 requests from teams to train at ID Butarque,” admitted Eduardo Cosín de Carvajal, Leganés’ vice-president, in an informal meeting held this week with the club’s press along with Jeff Luhnow, the president, in which he revealed that this exploitation one of the uses that will be given to the place in the coming years.

The need for a concession

An opportunity that is closely related to the long-term administrative concession (around 50 years) that the club is waiting for from the Leganés City Council to invest funds from the LaLiga Impulso (CVC) plan, which are intended for the blue and white club. .

“It is public that Leganés is entitled to 49 million euros and that 70% of this amount must be allocated to improving the facilities,” Cosín added during his speech. That is, Leganés would contribute 34.3 million euros to the improvement of the Butarque stadium (most) and this training center. The club is now negotiating two independent administrative concessions.

Enhancement ID

After the approval, the club’s intentions are to expand the number of training fields that ID Butarque has (now there are only two with natural grass and one more dedicated to the reserve team, but in an unrenovated part of the facility), with new facilities such as a welcome center or a residence for the different teams , both Leganés, as well as city and other teams that could come to Madrid.

In Leganés, they are aware that, unlike other training centers, Madrid is not an attractive destination in the summer (high temperatures), but it is a desirable destination for winter preparations that can be done by those teams that stop in the middle of the championship or even teams that prepare tournaments outside the summer term. (D)