Club Brugge prepares stadium site as land deal awaits approval

Club Brugge has fenced off the construction area for its new stadium at Olympiasite, moving ahead with preparatory work while negotiations continue over a long-term lease of the city-owned land.Archaeological and geotechnical surveys are scheduled for November and December, alongside preparations for water and electricity connections, with major construction targeted for early 2027.The project’s architects, Mathieu Cabannes of SCAU and Xavier Callens of B2Ai, explained the design approach: “We’ve given careful thought to the temporal and spatial context of the whole – the park and the stadium, in other words.“We want to make everyone happy: for local residents we’re limiting the visual and sound impact by letting the stadium merge into the park. And for the supporters, we’re creating an arrival experience that immediately creates atmosphere and a buzzy, exciting feeling.”The planned stadium will increase capacity from the existing Jan Breydel ground’s approximately 29,000 seats to 40,000, within a park setting in the Saint-Andries district.Preparations accelerated after Club NXT youth teams moved to The Nest training centre in Roeselare in September, while Cercle Brugge’s academy temporarily relocated to pitches in the northern part of Olympiasite.Those changes freed the southern section for the development, allowing the construction area to be marked out on October 28.Club Brugge received an enforceable environmental permit in July, but still needs to conclude the lease agreement before the main works can begin.The document will establish the duration of the club’s occupation, payments to the city and responsibilities for developing and maintaining the surrounding area.City council consideration was initially expected in October but has moved to November as officials and club representatives finalise those terms.Mayor Dirk De fauw expects the agreement to come before councillors later this month and has indicated that the delay should not jeopardise the overall project, given the planned construction start in early 2027.The design includes steep stands approaching a 35-degree gradient and a roof-support system intended to reduce the stadium’s height and visual impact.Bollinger+Grohmann Brussels manager Kenny Verbeeck said: “Keep the roof edge as low as possible, that’s the principle we started from. This is how we arrived at the concept of the pressure ring: a structural line that floats above the spectators and leads the eye to the pitch. The structure contributes to the experience and creates even more atmosphere in the ‘bowl’ of the stadium.”Some paths through Olympiasite have closed during the preparatory work, but public roads remain unaffected.Upcoming Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge fixtures will continue under existing matchday arrangements, with access to parking maintained while the surveys and site preparations proceed.