Parma F.C. - Grounds

Grounds

Parma initially had no permanent home and used the Piazza d'Armi, where two wooden posts constituted the frame of each goal. In December 1914, the club began to use land between the Via Emilia, the Eridania refinery and the Ferraguti factory, but it was sold, so the club returned to the Piazza d'Armi before transferring to the Tre Pioppi, the first fenced-off pitch in the city. Parma moved into their current stadium, the Stadio Ennio Tardini, in 1923, although the stadium has since been overhauled and altered drastically from the vision of Ennio Tardini, under whose auspices the stadium was to be built, but who died before completion of the venue. Much of the renovation took place after the club's first promotion to Serie A at the start of the 1990s. The stadium's usable capacity stands at 27,906, but only 23,045 are authorised to enter at once following the 2009 death of Vicenza fan Eugene Bortolon in the Curva Sud.

Expansion or renovation plans are often discussed at the highest level of the club's hierarchy and the Comune di Parma, but no project has received unanimous support. This is partly because the football club rent the stadium and often have interests which conflict with those of the municipal authority. The tenancy expires in 2031. One project which both club and council had agreed on was the potential redevelopment for Italy's potential hosting of Euro 2016. The bid was eventually unsuccessful, but included plans for an improved 31,397 all-seater stadium. An alternative to the development of the Tardini is the construction of a new stadium. Recent reports suggest the stadium is unfit for use in UEFA competitions due to the inadequacy of its seating. Either way, the state of stadium ownership in Italy, where only Juventus own their stadium, is widely viewed as unsatisfactory.

The first team trains and plays most of its home friendly matches at the Centro Sportivo di Collecchio in Collecchio, which is located 15.4 kilometres to the south-west of the stadium. Three of Parma's youth teams – the under-20s, the under-17s and the under-16s – play their home matches in the same complex. The under-15s and below train at Campi Stuard.