River began work for the extension of the Monumental: all the details, financing and the main changes

In August 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the River Plate leadership made an important decision. The leaders of the club found a favorable setting to start a project that had been hanging around for 6 years and that was always promoted by Marcelo Gallardo: completely renovate the playing field of the Monumental.

Taking advantage of the fact that at that time the public was not allowed to attend the Argentine football stadiums, in Núñez they gave way to the renovation of the playing field. The Irish company SIS Grass was hired to improve drainage and switched to a hybrid lawn (after lowering the ground level by almost two meters, a 5 percent artificial and 95 percent natural grass was installed). The baths of the Monumental were also remodeled, new gastronomic stalls were created in lower stands, WIFI 6 was placed ( key to later converting it into a Smart Stadium), wiring was removed in the high Centennial to improve visibility and there were improvements in the sector for wheelchair users .

However, now the most ambitious part of the project is coming. After the unanimous approval of all the club's bodies, River Plate launched this Tuesday Stage 2 of the works that will turn the Monumental stadium into one of the largest sports venues in South America. Work began with the installation of the workshop on the playground located at the intersection of Udaondo and Figueroa Alcorta avenues.

THE WORKS:

As Rodolfo D'Onofrio told this site in November last year, this part of the reforms will be divided into two parts. The focus will be on the creation of three of the four lower grandstands (they will be in the area where the advertising tarpaulins are currently located): Sívori, Centenario and San Martín.

La Belgrano, on the other hand, will take place in the next phase, since first the River Plate institute will have to be moved, which could be done inside the club or on a glued premises, which would not cause harm to the students.

“We plan to move it to Sáenz Valiente Street, which is where Casa River is today. In that place a modern school will be built, with the brightness it deserves. Another idea is something we have been trying for a long time: to go where the Innovation Pole will be. We're hoping the City will let us locate the institute. Otherwise it will be on that street. We want a school that is increasingly cutting-edge, that has an adaptation to the world to come, that of computer science”, he explained at the time to this site Rodolfo D'Onofrio.

An old demand from members and supporters, such as the change of seats, will also be fulfilled. First we will advance with those located in the lower and middle stands. “We will do something that does not exist in Argentine football: two tunnels that come from the changing rooms, allowing both of them to leave the center of the court together, as happens in European stadiums”, Jorge Brito outlined in the official presentation of this part of the works.

The first part is expected to be completed within a year (it will open in February 2023). It will require an investment of close to 20 million dollars.

In the middle Centennial, 30 new boxes will also be created, a 700-square-meter restaurant overlooking the River and Monumental Neighborhood with independent access and a new garage floor (for 227 vehicles and roofed pedestrian access on the ground floor to the Stadium). On the other hand, there will be new toilets in San Martín and kitchen overlooking the new single tunnel, new referee locker room and anti-doping control, the audio system will be changed and there will be a new medical department on the ground floor of the Centenario grandstand.

In the second phase, which will also cost about $20 million and is scheduled to be completed in July 2024, the lower ring will be closed. With the works in Belgrano, 46 boxes will be added to the Sívori media and thus the circulation of the stadium will be closed. There will also be two more floors of parking lots (402 new garages, completing the five levels of parking and a new pedestrian bridge on the upper level, with connection at the level of boxes. This will accommodate 1141 cars).

Another important change that can be observed is the change in the distribution: 71% of the stalls and 29% of the popular ones (57,722 and 23,278, respectively). Both behind the arch of the Sivori tribune and the Centennial, in the current low one, plus the lower floor to be built, will be popular. Then there will be the lower side stalls, the San Martín and Belgrano and the entire ring of middle plates. In the case of Centenario and Sivori, those stalls will have no connection with the popular ones. In addition, the number of seats will increase by around 9,000, becoming the one with the highest capacity in South America, with a capacity for 81,000 spectators.

In this part, a total of 40,565 seats will be changed, completing the entire stadium and there will be a new mixed area on the ground floor of the Belgrano grandstand.

Phase 1:

- New lower lower grandstands in the Sívori, San Martín and Centenario sector.

-Change of seats: removal of existing seats, waterproofing, new circulations and placement of new first folding seats, quality according to FIFA standard, in San Martín lower, upper, middle and hospitality grandstands; Belgrano lower upper, middle, hospitality and boxes; Middle Centennial and boxes. A total of 17,157 new seats will be completed for this phase.

-The Press sector will have new desks in the Belgrano middle grandstand (247 seats).

-30 boxes in the middle Centenario and a 700-square-meter restaurant overlooking the River neighborhood and playing field, with new circulations and coatings.

-New circulation and cladding in boxes in the Belgrano grandstand.

-New garages: new level of parking and covered pedestrian access on the ground floor to the Stadium. 227 garages will be added.

-Expansion of the Paddock San Martín, since it will go from 200 to 500 square meters.

- New referee locker room.

-New anti-doping control sector.

-Expansion of the gastronomic sector in San Martín media

-New audio system in the Stadium.

-New Medical Department on the ground floor of the Centenario grandstand.

Phase 2:

-New lower lower grandstand Belgrano.

-Change of seats and waterproofing in the lower Belgrano grandstands; Sívori middle and boxes; San Martín, Belgrano, Centenario and Sivori altas. A total of 40,565 seats will be changed, completing the entire stadium.

-Creation of 46 boxes in the Sívori grandstand.

-Execution of two more levels of parking. In this way, there will be 402 new garages, completing the five parking levels and a new pedestrian bridge on the upper level, with connection at the level of boxes. It will have a final capacity for 1141 cars.

-New mixed area on the ground floor of the Belgrano grandstand.

-New River Institute.

FUNDING:

Much of the money for the works will come through the naming that the Monumental will have. The other will be from genuine resources of the institution, such as the pre-sale of fertilizers for these boxes and stalls that will be built in the short term (they estimate to raise a floor of 30 million US currency).

THE RETURN OF THE RECITALS:

To take care of the new hybrid lawn (95 percent natural and 5 percent artificial), the Millionaire will require companies that want to bring an international artist to Antonio Vespucio Liberti to use a special cover, which is imported and minimizes damage to the playing field.

“However, we will try to make them on dates outside the competition season. This year is a special calendar, due to the theme of the World Cup”, acknowledged the chief president in Núñez.

It is worth noting that River Plate fans will be able to keep a piece of history, just as happened in Stage 1 with the “land of glory” or pieces of the athletics track. President Jorge Brito announced that the old armchairs of the Monumental will go on sale (they were installed in the 1970s).

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