Barcelona have put plans for dedicated first-team accommodation at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on hold while they concentrate on completing a new gym requested by manager Hansi Flick.
The club had intended to build the accommodation beside the Tito Vilanova training pitch. However, the project has been postponed as Barcelona reassesses the order of its infrastructure work, according to Sport and the podcast “Barca Reservat”.
The facility was designed to provide first-team players with a central base for pre-match stays and recovery following matches and training sessions. Flick revived the practice of the squad staying together before selected fixtures, including some home games, after taking charge of Barcelona.
Barcelona had already approved the plans, but the estimated cost has increased substantially. Construction of the accommodation is now expected to require approximately 12 to 14 million euros, compared with an original budget of around 6 million euros.
The club’s decision is a delay rather than a cancellation, with the project expected to be considered again at a later stage.
For now, Barcelona’s focus is on the new gym being built next to the Tito Vilanova training pitch. Flick also requested that facility to provide the first team with greater capacity for physical preparation.
The existing gym at Ciutat Esportiva is no longer considered sufficient for the demands placed on the squad. Barcelona’s increased focus on physical conditioning, recovery work and individualised training has made the current space inadequate.
The replacement facility is being constructed alongside the training pitch and is designed with large glass windows. Those will allow players to see the pitch while working indoors, while the main structure of the building is already largely complete.
Once it is ready, the gym will allow the first team to combine work on the pitch more easily with specialised sessions away from it. Those sessions will include strength, flexibility and speed conditioning, as well as recovery programmes.
Barcelona has therefore judged the gym to be the more immediate requirement for Flick and his coaching staff. The accommodation project remains part of the club’s longer-term infrastructure plans, but its construction has been moved to a later phase.