Athletic Club stadium and infrastructure investment

Athletic Club has initiated plans to expand the San Mamés stadium to increase spectator capacity. Initial proposals registered with the Bilbao City Council suggested an expansion of up to 2,440 seats, potentially bringing the total capacity to 56,008. This project involves a maximum investment of 5.2 million euros to renovate the third tier, press areas, and redistribute various zones. Club President Jon Uriarte indicated that the expansion aims to address a waiting list of over 10,000 people by prioritizing new club members.

For the 2026-27 season, the club has outlined a 15 million euro investment plan. More than 9 million euros are earmarked for the first and second phases of the San Mamés expansion, which aims to increase capacity by up to 2,440 seats, potentially bringing the total to over 53,000. Current projections estimate the cost per new seat at a minimum of 3,688 euros. The club also intends to allocate over 2 million euros toward infrastructure improvements at Lezama and additional funds toward technological advancements.

Regarding financial management, treasurer Guillermo Ruiz-Longarte reported that the current administration has utilized 35 million euros of the fund established by former presidents. The proposed budget for the upcoming season is 152.5 million euros, which includes a planned use of 17 million euros from the club’s reserves to manage multi-year expenses and projected losses.