Madrid City Council together with Club Atlético de Madrid have started the construction of the Ciudad del Deporte, an urban development project around the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium, which is expected to be operational in the first half of 2027. The event was attended by Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida; Enrique Cerezo, president of Atlético de Madrid; and Miguel Ángel Gil, CEO of the club, as well as more than 250 guests.
Enrique Cerezo highlighted that the agreement with the City Council projects an initiative with the aim of making Madrid a reference in sport and sustainability, thus revitalising the district of San Blas-Canillejas through the use of previously unoccupied land.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida said that the project not only benefits Atlético de Madrid fans, but all Madrid residents, especially the residents of San Blas-Canillejas, as they will have first class sports facilities at no cost to the public "purse".
Miguel Ángel Gil Marín explained that this project, which began in 2005 with the transfer of the stadium, represents an opportunity for growth and a demonstration of how a club can lead significant transformations beyond football.
During the event, a delegation led by the mayor and the president of the club, together with athletes from the academy and the local athletics club, laid the first stone on one of the plots of land earmarked for municipal sports facilities.
The Ciudad del Deporte will improve public infrastructures in the San Blas-Canillejas neighbourhood. The first phase of the project, with an investment of 25 million euros, will include the creation of municipal sports facilities on two of the project's five plots, occupying a total area of 60,000 sqm. The works are expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. In addition, with an investment of more than 30 million euros, new accesses from the M-40 are being developed to improve mobility in the area, with opening scheduled for early autumn 2024.
The total project, which occupies more than 265,000 square metres for sporting activities and around 380,000 square metres of green areas, forms part of the Eastern Sports Complex, extending over 1,140,000 square metres, making it a strategic point for the development and improvement of the city's living experience.