Demolition work starts on Victoria Stadium’s main stand

Works on the demolition of the Victoria Stadium began in earnest this past week, with the main stand now being reduced to rubble.

Demolition works have been ongoing since the stadium was closed to all sports.

Internal structures were stripped out, while both the main turf and the athletics track were removed ahead of the demolition of the main stands.

The second phase of the demolition project commenced after the festive period with the removal of the pumping station, followed this week by the start of the stand demolitions.

The final phase will see the annex and sports hall demolished.

The Victoria Stadium is being demolished to prepare the sit for construction of a new national stadium that also will include residential and commercial elements.

The project has been criticised as being too large for Gibraltar’s needs, particularly given its non-sporting aspects.

But Gibraltar FA General Secretary Ivan Robba, in an interview published in this newspaper last week, said the project was “a central part” of the GFA’s future plans.

He said stadium “must be seen as a legacy project for Gibraltar and not something built for the present moment, but for the next 40 or 50 years”.

“Financial sustainability in that context isn’t about building the smallest or cheapest option possible; it’s about building something that is fit for purpose over its full lifespan.”

“A stadium that is undersized, inflexible, or unable to meet future needs quickly becomes a cost rather than an asset.”