New stadium in Empoli, 45 million investment

The third step will involve moving the pitch 15 metres towards the Marathon. At the end of this work, there will be three out of four sectors behind the pitch. It will take three months to do this: the work will be done in the summer, after the championship is over.

The last 10-month step will be the construction of the 4300 spectator covered grandstand, which will be built from scratch with a VIP area, hospitality and underground parking. Inside, 23 neighbourhood shops will be built on various levels.

Finally, for the area where the Sussidiario, the field where the Azzurri train, now stands, Empoli has indicated two solutions: the first is the construction of a hotel, the second is a park for the community. The project will be discussed at the services conference.

"This time we are there. Many things have changed in these ten years,' explained Empoli's CEO and vice-president Rebecca Corsi, 'but this time we are convinced that the project is at a turning point. This is no longer a dream. The goal is to create a stadium that can be experienced seven days a week. We want to follow the English model while respecting the economic balance that belongs to our dimension'.

Among the new goals is also the expansion of the Monteboro Sports Centre. The latter will in fact replace the current training ground and will see a doubling of the surface area with three more football pitches, a medical centre and a gym, as well as new changing rooms that will be added to those already present.

"I am very excited," added president Fabrizio Corsi, "I speak often, but always about the team. I thank all the people who are accompanying me towards this goal. There have been a few hiccups but by now we are there. I am here to thank everyone on behalf of the club and the environment. I saw this stadium being built as a child, I used to come here when I was 3-4 years old. It was inaugurated with a friendly Empoli-Juventus match. A lot has happened since then: I had to be president for six months, I've been here for 33 years'.

"The phrase 'with a little you do a lot', which is the motto of this club, represents the Empolese reality very well,' underlined the mayor of Empoli, Alessio Mantellassi. 'When a local club achieves a goal for us it is always a source of pride. Empoli has always carried the city's name high: many of us were here to rejoice a few weeks ago for salvation'.

"We will open a debate with the city in order to meet the concerns, which are legitimate, of the population,' he added. 'I remember the old discussions, when the critical issues were related to the absence of an alternative facility for athletics and the issue of traffic. With regard to the first point, we have already opened the building sites for the construction of a new facility, while the recently inaugurated Serravalle bypass has relieved the neighbourhood of traffic problems. In any case, we will make further evaluations, taking initiatives for public debate as early as the municipal councils of 18 and 29 July. We will organise a participatory path to discuss the project financing'.

'I am very happy,' said Abodi, 'I have accompanied this journey with attention, respect and - if you will allow me - friendship. This journey is finally reaching a crucial stage: I have lived through all the doubts, worries and results that often took the upper hand. Whether a lot is achieved with a little always depends on the amount of the 'little'. Politics must also know how to accompany and support. The future is already there and lies in the ability to train young people, which these parts have always had. The football model must know how to make ends meet, but here we do not have transient subjects: there are people who have roots in the community and who seek to improve it'.