President of Rio Ave promises: “We will build the new bench in 2027”

O River Ave intends to start in 2027 the construction of the new bench of the stadium, with at least 3,500 seats and expected completion by 2028, revealed the president of the I League football club, Alexandrina Cruz.

In an interview with the agency Lusa, the leader assured that the project, at the beginning of the stadium, is ready to be presented to the partners, recognizing the importance of the work for the future of the emblem Vila-Condense.

“ We will have around 3,500 seats and by 2028 we will have this bench, which will have all the conditions to play in the Europa League ", assured the president of the club and SAD villa-condenses, counting that the work starts next year.

The leader recognizes the expectations of the associates, but recalls that the project integrates a more comprehensive transformation of the facilities.

“ I feel that it is something that the partners want very much and it was one of the commitments that I made when I started this mandate, but there are many other things that we will do”, the leader, who was elected president of Rio Ave in 2023, said.

The investment plan, to be presented in October, includes a sports park, a mini stadium for sub-23 and women's football, a residence for athletes and a museum.

The leader also intends to reorganize the front zone of the stadium, improving the store and service to the associates.

Without quantifying the overall investment, Alexandrina Cruz admits that the financial effort “will have repercussions on the accounts of the next exercises”, recalling that the new building serving the main team had a cost of four million euros.

The President believes that the new conditions are fundamental to achieving the ambition to reach European competitions.

“ I have no doubt that, with everything we are building, we will quickly get where we want, which are European places”, he stressed.

On the centralisation of television rights, he advocated a more balanced distribution of revenues, criticizing the difference between the main clubs and the other participants in the I League.

“ Obviously, there cannot be this take-off as large as the so-called three ‘great’ for everything else, when the demands are the same for everyone,” he said.

Alexandrina Cruz believes that Portugal must follow the reforms carried out in other European championships, recognizing that the process still has a long way to go.

“ There have been great changes in Europe’s major leagues a long time ago and we, after these years, have not yet had the capacity to do so,” Lusa lamented.

In the case of Rio Ave, he admitted that the absence of the bench at the stadium continues to penalize the trade conditions of the club.

“ In a few years' time, Rio Ave can see its condition improved with respect to television rights. Not yet. We have effectively the question of the bench, which still hurts us ", vincou.

Alexandrina Cruz also stressed that the investments made in the heritage of the Rio Ave complex, despite being supported by SAD, “revert to the club”.

“The sale protocol said that, by December 2026, we would have to present the project of the new bench and we are in a position not only to present this project, but a whole plan in the coming years in terms of strengthening the assets of Rio Ave, not only for the main team, but also for all training, women’s football, futsal and other infrastructure that will serve athletes and associates,” he concluded.