by The Andorran Football Federation has kickstarted a new era for its football with a new home for the football national teams in Encamp. The new stadium – having a hybrid pitch, increased capacity and improved facilities, amid a breathtaking backdrop – is accompanying the technical improvement set to inspire new milestones for the small nation.
A New Home
Locked away between the Pyrenees, Andorra is a country that has kicked off a new era for its football national teams with a newly built home stadium, the Estadi di FAF in Encamp. It will replace the Estadi Nacional as home of the national teams, which was situated in the capital Andorra La Vella, a ten minutes car ride from Encamp.
The new stadium has already played host to a number of domestic and international matches, with the women’s national team concluding it’s UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign with a first point in the ground against Malta.
All home national team matches, for both men and women, will be played in the new stadium in Encamp, except for extraordinary matches needing more expansive capacity. The stadium will also host domestic matches of particular importance, such as cup finals, while also hosting a few big clashes in the domestic leagues.
The Stadium
The decision for a new stadium stemmed from the continuous desire to build more pitches to accommodate the increasing needs for pitches as the sport grows in Andorra. The move to Encamp from Andorra La Vella was a result of the need to find space for a stadium to house all the amenities described below, while working within the topography of Andorra – a mountainous land, with limited flat spaces to work in between.
The project began in December 2022, taking around three and a half years to completion. Initial cost projections were for eight million Euro, but the Ukraine-Russian conflict triggered inflation which led to almost a doubling of the ultimate cost, to fifteen million Euro. Despite the increase in cost, the Andorran FA stuck to the initial plans with a target to create a new standard stadium, the first with supporter stands in three of the four pitch sides.
The pitch is a hybrid with a higher percentage of natural to synthetic surface, which is one factor that limits the amount of matches that can be played on the pitch. However, the compromise promises a higher quality offered from other pitches due to the type and quality of the surface.
It will also house the offices of the Andorran FA (FAF), which previously found its home in Escaldes, within Andorra La Vella. This besides having facilities for the media and technical quarters as expected for matches hosting such competitions.
Accommodating 5,200 supporters, the stadium is an upgrade in capacity from the Estadi Nacional, which was limited to 3,300 supporters. The current average of 1,200 attendees for most men’s football matches and around 600 for the women’s team. Thus, in a country housing a population of just above 80,000 people, the increased capacity is ambitious in number with a target to increase attendances in football matches.
With a marked improvement in its football, both in the men’s and women’s sectors across youth and senior teams, and a breathtaking backdrop, the stadium is set to play host in special moments as Andorra seeks to climb rankings and make history.
Lead Image: Andorra FA
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