Real Madrid moot theme park launch
Friday, September 4, 2009 @ 5:55 PM
Real Madrid are considering the prospect of launching their very own theme park.
Back in 2004, Real Madrid officially opened their new training grounds - Ciudad Real Madrid - an enormous estate that covers an astronomical 1.2 million square meters. Back then, the club had developed only 21,578 square meters, dedicated to Madrid training, medical, and administrative facilities.
According to a report published by Spanish daily AS, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is considering investing a portion of the undeveloped land into a massive theme park - Valdebabas Theme Park.
Perez is going to meet with Europe's top architects and engineers to bring his dream into a reality.
The ambitious project could cover up to 60 hectares, half of the 120 hectares the club own. Cafes, restaurants, shops and rides are believed to be the main features of the the theme park.
Calculations suggest that the park could host up to 3m visitors every year from around the globe, a prospect that could see unprecedented financial success for the club.
In the upcoming weeks, Perez, an extremely successful construction magnate, believed to be worth €1.2 billion, will meet up with various sponsors and investors to find the funding for such a project, which could cost in the excess of €150m for the first phase.
Perez is also reported to have contacted city officials from Beijing and Miami to hold local offshoots of the Real Madrid Theme Park, a move that could prove very successful in boosting the club's worldwide popularity.
Construction could begin by as early as Spring 2010, with the opening scheduled at Summer 2013 - the end's of Perez's presidential term.
Source: goal.com