Athletic unveiled yesterday its new project for the popular stands of San Mamés. The entity itself, chaired by Aitor Elizegi, responded to a series of questions to justify this initiative, which is based on the collection of signatures from the San Mamesen Orroa collective and the consequent call for an extraordinary assembly to debate this matter next Thursday between the rojiblancos compromising partners. The club’s idea is to bring together the animation of the rojiblanco stadium in the Lower North Tribune (the one behind the goals’ goal) with 4,074 seats under a mixed formula of members from all over the field and Gazte Abonoak (up to 28 years) with prices popular.
The official proposal is to group and unify in the new Popular Stand the seats currently reserved for animation in two of the four corners of San Mamés (block 110 and 124) and the seats currently occupied by the Gazte Abonoak from corner to corner of the Lower North Grandstand. All the towns would be transformed into ‘safe standing’ locations so that fans can watch football standing up without the risk of an avalanche.
The 4,074 seats of the new Popular Stand will be assigned in order of priority, guaranteeing at least 50% of the seats for Gazte Abono, by the members currently located in the Lower North Grandstand, the members of the current entertainment stand located in the Grandstand Sur Baja (block 124) and the Gazte Abonoak between 14 and 28 years. In the open process of seat changes, the club proposes that the choice of free seats in the new stand be made based on age criteria. Members and subscribers, logically, will have priority.
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Prices in the Popular Stand
For those members affected by this project who do not want to join it, Athletic establishes the so-called Bazkide 2022 plan. A plan that contemplates a change of location with a 20% bonus for 20 years or a location in the upper South Tribune with a 50% bonus during the first 10 years and 20% from the eleventh or one location on the Bat south ring (1,070 locations with a quota during the first ten years equivalent to the current Low North Tribune -742 euros-.
The proposal of the directive goes through a fee of 300 euros for those under 28 years of age and 370 for the rest with the possibility of, being members, transferring the card. The club also contemplates some bonuses and discounts of the Bazkide 2022 Plan and a forced change of location, with its corresponding bonus, in European matches.
In each process of changing locality, as explained by Ibaigane, the choice of free seats in the Popular Stand will be carried out by criteria of younger age “prioritizing the arrival of the youngest members and later the season ticket holders”.
starting data
San Mamés currently has a capacity of 53,331 seats and Athletic 43,242 members plus 1,200 Gazte Abonoak. The current Lower North Tribune has six blocks and a total of 4,074 locations. Its current distribution is 800 occupied ‘safe standing’ seats (block 110), 252 seats occupied by members who, not being in that block 110, want to be part of the new tier, 1,842 seats occupied by members and 1,180 free seats.
The reduced quota zones now in San Mamés are the 800 seats of Block 110 (with fees of 300, 325 and 350 euros), 640 seats of Block 124 (with identical fees) and 1,200 seats of Tribuna Sur Alta (300 euros for Gazte Abonoak). As free seats, the Athletic stadium currently has 2,162 seats left in the high stands, 791 in the low stands and 1,070 in the South Bat Ring.
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