Global Fútbol

The work carried out last summer at A Malata, the stadium of Racing Club Ferrol, has been rewarded. Racing Club Ferrol received a prize for their efforts at the ESSMA Stadium Industry Awards gala, held in Amsterdam, winning in the category of ‘Safety and Security’, a prize for which Real Betis and KAA Gent, a Belgian Pro League club, also competed.

Promotion to LALIGA HYPERMOTION meant that the club from Ferrol had to adapt the stadium to the needs of LALIGA to be able to host professional football matches at A Malata. These adaptations to the club’s main facility were made during the summer, which was when the improvements were carried out in order to modernise the stadium in terms of security, violence prevention and the protection of the attendees.

Manuel Ansede, president of Racing Club Ferrol, was in charge of collecting this award, which recognises excellent, innovative and creative initiatives in the field of sports stadium management and which was presented at a ceremony held at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

Carlos Mouriz, the club’s general manager, said of the award: “This is recognition of the efforts made by the club. It is a source of pride for Racing Club Ferrol and it should also be a source of pride for a city and a region that have given their support to the club.”

The works were carried out to comply with the current regulations on security, violence prevention and the protection of the attendees, and they meant the Galician club needed to redevelop part of the venue and fix issues of accessibility and safety for people with reduced mobility. There was a clear objective with all of this, which was to improve the experience for all fans.

“The works have led to an improvement in the quality of the ‘Racing experience’ that we can offer our fans, while it also means we have modernised the facilities, making them safer and more accessible,” stated Mouriz when discussing the relationship between the improvements made to the stadium and the experience and safety of the fans. “The change has been remarkable, because it has allowed us to improve the experience of the fans who come to A Malata, in terms of safety and accessibility to the stadium. This has led to an increase in their level of satisfaction. That said, the improvement not only benefits those who use the facilities, as it also affects our own employees, including the first-team squad.”

In addition to Real Betis and KAA Gent, who were in the running for the same category, other clubs such as Manchester United, SL Benfica, FC Porto and Liverpool FC were also nominated in various categories for this awards ceremony hosted by one of the most prestigious European associations in the sector.

LALIGA IMPULSO’s role in carrying out the stadium works

In addition to the coordination between the club and the administrations of the Xunta de Galicia and Concello de Ferrol, the Boost LALIGA project was also key to carrying out these works. Thanks to this initiative, the funds could be used to speed up the stadium’s refurbishment. On the Boost LALIGA project, the Racing Club Ferrol general manager highlighted: “For clubs like ours, the support gives us a greater ability to react to these kinds of circumstances, as well as providing us with the security to grow at a structural level.”

These works are just the first step, the starting point for a comprehensive remodelling of A Malata, aimed at turning it into a modern stadium well suited to the spectacle of LALIGA HYPERMOTION. On the next steps for continuing with the stadium improvements, Mouriz concluded: “As a priority, we need the involvement of public institutions, especially the Concello de Ferrol, which is the owner of the stadium, to repair the roof and, above all, the lighting. In addition, our plan also includes the improvement and fitting out of hospitality areas to enhance the experience of our supporters and sponsors at the venue.”