Barça unfreezes a key facility for the sections

BarcelonaWhile Barça's professional teams are still waiting for the construction work on the new Palau Blaugrana to begin, the new temporary ice rink is taking shape. The work, which is being carried out on the grounds of the UB Sports throwing field at the University of Barcelona, ​​is progressing well, and this new facility, which will be the only one in Catalonia to meet the requirements for hosting international ice sports competitions, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. ~BK_SLT_NA club's ice rink, both hockey and figure skating. Forced by the conversion of the ice rink into the Barça Immersive Tour due to the Spotify Camp Nou construction work, the Blaugrana teams moved their activities to different locations. From Puigcerdá to Andorra, via Viella. And unable to overcome the logistical obstacles of training and playing in Jaca, The club's ice hockey team was temporarily dissolved.

Barça participated in the public tender for the public concession of the land of the Esports UB launch field to house the new ice rink, with a four-year lease agreement, extendable for a further two. The minimum annual fixed fee that the club must pay will be 52,500 euros per year (VAT excluded), and it must also pay 5% of the gross income from ticket sales at the ice rink from the moment it begins operation. The award was formalized on June 14, 2023.

The contract, signed by Joan Laporta, Eduard Romeu, and Elena Fort for the Barcelona band, and by Rector Joan Guardia for the UB band, is set for June 6, 2023, and includes the demolition of the facility once the concession expires. Its estimated value is €2.3 million.

The new temporary facility was presented a year ago to athletes and family members of the sports involved at an event at the Auditori 1899, attended by Miquel Camps, the club's director responsible for amateur sports. The facility will have a capacity for 400 people on the rink and 350 spectators, and will be used for both sports and commercial purposes. In addition, several active systems will be installed to improve energy efficiency, such as photovoltaic panels. The entire UB Sports community will enjoy free admission if they do not need to rent skates.

Barça had six ice hockey teams of all categories and a first team competing in the highest national category. In figure skating, meanwhile, it had skaters in all categories, both junior and senior, competing at the highest national and international levels.

The new Palau, awaiting

The construction of the new Palau Blaugrana must be accompanied by a Petit Palau for the lower-attendance matches of the regional teams, an additional training rink, and an ice rink. The dates remain highly uncertain and are tied to the completion of the Spotify Camp Nou. "The Palau? We'll start when we can," says Joan Sentelles, Barça's chief operating officer.

The new multi-sport facility, which has become a thorn in the side of recent board meetings, will enhance its flexibility to combine the sporting activities of the regional teams with cultural events to create a new source of income. "The new Palau Blaugrana will be spectacular," boasts Joan Laporta.