Real Racing Club and IDOM present the Nuevo Sardinero project

IDOM’s Sports & Events team participated in the official presentation of the  Campos de Sport de El Sardinero renovation project in Santander last week. Held at the Botín Centre, the event brought together political and sports authorities, Real Racing Club representatives, green-and-white fan club members, the media, and IDOM technical  team members. 

IDOM has developed the project for Real Racing Club under the name El Nuevo Sardinero. It proposes a  comprehensive transformation of the stadium and its urban surroundings. This  ambitious project aims to transform El Sardinero into an open space that connects with the city, the sea, and the mountains, with a clear focus on social, cultural and economic revitalisation.

The main milestones of the project include: 

• The creation of Santander’s largest public square, spanning over 26,000 m². 
• The stadium’s capacity will be expanded to 27,000 spectators (currently 22,514). 
• New multifunctional spaces will be incorporated, including club offices, a Racing museum, shopping and dining areas, and spaces for events and conferences. 
• The stadium will be integrated into the green corridor that connects the Picos de Europa mountains with the Cantabrian Sea and is linked by Las Llamas park. 
• The design focuses on sustainability, energy efficiency and connection with the urban environment. 

César Azcárate, IDOM’s Director of Sports & Events, presented the architectural details of the project and highlighted its symbolic and strategic value for the city. He stated:

“El Sardinero is located between the Picos de Europa mountains and the Cantabrian Sea. The new stadium will be part of the green corridor that connects the mountains, the city and the sea. It is an open, permeable stadium that will leave a lasting legacy for Santander.” 

The project is part of a public-private collaboration model proposed by the club to ensure it does not incur costs for the public administration. Manolo Higuera, President of Racing, and Sebastián Ceria, President of the Real Racing Club Foundation, shared this vision and emphasised the club’s role as a driving force for community roots, identity and urban revitalisation.

Higuera said:

“El Sardinero is becoming small and obsolete, it is a property of great value, iconic, which is right now underused. That is why we commissioned the Nuevo Sardinero project to IDOM; one of the most important in the world in the development of cities through the environment of football fields.”

Ceria added:

“We believe that Racing can once again be a beacon, a club of which we are proud. The objective of this project is to transform the house that the Racing fans use every two weeks into a house for all the people of Santander, Cantabria, and tourists who visit us. We want El Sardinero to become a pole of attraction, of development, of movement; a place where people want to go not only to see football.”

The 2026 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition – focused on elevating the live experience via Architecture & Design, Commercialisation, Fan Experience, Customer Journey, Premium Experience and Technology – is being hosted at Everton FC’s spectacular new Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 1st and 2nd. IDOM’s Ben McMorrow was one of the 290+ high-level execs in attendance at the 2025 edition.

Source & imagery, courtesy: IDOM

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