Fundación Damm will have its own sports city
The entity has acquired 30,000 square meters from the Club Natación Montjuïc swimming club
Fundación Damm, presided by Demetrio Carceller Arce, has acquired the land needed to build its own sports city. The sports complex will be located at the former Golf Montjuïc area, in Barcelona, which land was previously owned by the Club Natación Montjuïc swimming club. The Damm Football Club will be the main user of these facilities, which are expected to be opened by the beginning of 2023.
The sales contract was ratified by Ramón Agenjo – Fundación Damm vice-president and Damm Football Club president – and Jaume Roca – Club Natación Montjuïc President – at the Estrella Damm Old Brewery in Barcelona. Damm's CEO Jorge Villavecchia, the Catalonian Football Federation president Joan Soteras and the Catalonian Swimming Federation Enric Bertrán were also present at the signing.
"This land acquisition is just the starting point of probably one of the most important projects in Fundación Damm's history: the construction of our own sports city. This dream will come true by 2023 and will provide the Damm Football Club with superior sports facilities in Barcelona city. In this new complex, over 230 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 18 will receive sports and human training through football practice, as in Fundación Damm we perceive sports as a tool for education and social cohesion", stated Agenjo.
Meanwhile, Roca highlighted that "Both Fundación Damm and Club Natación Montjuïc share the will to raise the new generations through sports, so that the young boys and girls from our clubs become adults that contribute to the improvement of society".
The future Fundación Damm's sports city
The new Fundación Damm's sports city will be the result of the cooperation between the architecture studios Max de Cusa and Hiha Studio, both located in Barcelona. These facilities will have a 30,000 m2 surface divided in two multipurpose 11-a-side football pitches – one of which will have the possibility to be divided into two 7-a-side football pitches – and two buildings. The main building will accommodate the Damm Football Club offices, as well as the club's healthcare service, the gym, the main pitch's changing rooms and the study room that will enable players to pursue their academic education. The second building, located between both football pitches, will accommodate additional changing rooms, the stands – with capacity to 550 spectators – and a 100 m2 restaurant area.
The design of the new Fundación Damm's sports complex aims to integrate the facilities into the Montjuïc's mountain landscape to create a CO2 emission-free sports city that fulfills all the current needs. The new complex has been designed following the sustainability and energy efficiency criteria required to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) facilities with energy self-sufficiency. In order to do so, the plan is to build facilities and use state-of-the-art production equipment which high performance and efficiency allow to minimize the complex's energy consumption. The goal is to have 100% electrical energy consumption sourced from a photovoltaic panel system. Besides, the project includes the installation of a tank aimed to optimize water consumption by collecting rainwater that will be used for the irrigation and maintenance of the football pitches and the surroundings of the buildings. To sum up, the project intends to achieve sustainable and eco-friendly facilities.
Although the main user will be the Damm Football Club, it will not be the only one. As part of the company's commitment to the good health of each one of its members, Fundación Damm will allow Damm employees and their families to access the complex.
Damm Football Club
In 1954 a group of Damm employees decided to create a football club to train and educate the young people in the factory's neighbor at the time, factory which is now known as the Estrella Damm Old Factory. They played their first matches in a former railway area next to the UE Sant Andreu pitch and in the beginners team's pitch located in Meridiana avenue, close to La Pegaso Park.
After that, Damm FC played in several football pitches throughout Barcelona until 1982, when Fundación Damm acquired the Aeda's pitch – also known as La Selva – in the Porta district. They played there until 2012, when the team was transferred to the Muncipal Horta Sports Center. After several years, they acquired the Municipal Vall d’Hebron-Teixonera Sports Center, which now awaits the construction of their sports city.
Sixty-six years later, Damm Football Club is still willing to train young players while remaining true to its origins and to help in the development of future football players, both boys and girls. Damm FC has been home to several great players who are now playing in the world's top categories, such as Gerard Moreno, Carles Pérez, David López, Aleix Vidal, Cristian Tello, Rubén Alcaraz, Carlos Clerc, Edu Expósito or Keita Baldé, just to mention a few.
