Russia's 2018 stadia should be flexible, says Wembley director

By David Gold

June 6 – Wembley Stadium’s group events director David Thomson, who will be speaking at the Inside World Football Moscow Forum, says that Russia’s new stadia for the 2018 World Cup must be flexible enough to host various types of events if they are to be a success beyond the tournament and provide a lasting legacy for the country.

Wembley worked with IMG and Populous on the new Wembley stadium planning and construction, and the trio are sponsoring the Moscow Forum’s session on stadia.

With Russia looking to build as many as 13 new football grounds for the 2018 World Cup, this is a particularly pivotal part of their preparations.

Thomson, the group events director for the Football Association and Wembley Stadium, discussed the competing interests of supporters with the importance of commercialising a sports venue.

“The most important thing to consider is the safety and comfort of spectators, but from a commercial perspective it’s key to monetise your activities,” he said.

“It has to be very flexible, and we have to be a multi purpose events venue to meet our business needs.

Wembley hosted last month’s European Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona, which the Spanish side, inspired by Lionel Messi (pictured), won 3-1, and the event was the most lucrative final in the competition’s history, but the Stadium’s first years were not quite so smooth as problems persisted with the stadium’s pitch, and as Thomson explains, this has impacted slightly on its commercial potential.

“The history of the Wembley pitch is well catalogued,” said Thomson.

“It’s now the best surface in the world, though it has also meant that we have to leave a period of four to five weeks between concerts and sport, which curtails our available period for hosting concerts.

“One of the big lessons [for Russia] is that if you don’t engage with your operating partners at the earliest possible opportunity then your venue will not be as operationally efficient as it might be and you will reduce your opportunity to maximise commercial returns.

“Wembley learnt a great deal through the design and construction and we continue to learn as we develop our ability to host the biggest and most complex events.”

For more details on the Inside World Football Moscow Forum, please click here.

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