When Ronaldo Nazário became president of Real Valladolid, three of his obsessions were improve the experience for fans, take the team to Europe and give the facilities a facelift. The first intention is now stopped since the pandemic prevents the pucelana fans from going to the stadium. As for the second, the club has gone from having a 24 million salary limit to 48 in three seasons, but the results are not accompanying. The ball does not go in.
But where the hand of Ronaldo and his management team at Real Valladolid has been most noticed is in the third leg, the improved facilities, taking several steps forward. With an investment of seven million euros, the old José Zorrilla stadium, which will turn 40 next year, has radically changed.
One of the first actions of the club under the Brazilian command was removal of the pit (Zorrilla was one of the few stadiums in Spain that still maintained it) and the stadium lighting has been completely changed, with an impressive change that will allow the broadcasting of matches in 4K and the realization of audiovisual shows.
In addition, inside the stadium, the club has renovated the changing rooms, making them much more modern, it has installed a dining room, a convivial area for the players, has rebuilt the gym and the physiotherapy area and has carried out a complete reform of the office area, in addition to the much-needed rehabilitation of the bathrooms in the stadium, which had hardly been 'patched' in these 40 years. The press room has also been relocated and a VIP area has been created.
Despite this investment, the purchase of the stadium seems complicated because the City Council cannot reduce the 21 million in which the technicians valued the installation, so that in the coming weeks a new agreement between the Consistory and the Blanquivioleta club in which, in addition, the expansion of the sports city will be included, in the Annexes to Zorrilla.
Another point in which the club has insisted on social causes and, precisely today, an action will be carried out by the Juegaterapia Foundation, together with the Real Valladolid Foundation, within the framework of the World Day of Childhood Cancer. Thousands of 'Baby pelones' dolls will appear in the Zorrilla stadium that can be purchased to finance spaces for children with cancer.