The president of the Bonham Group speaks exclusively to LANCE! about the controversial stadium project that Flamengo wants to build in Gávea. In the conversation, he assures that it is possible to make the arena viable.

“A stadium for less than 30 is viable.”

Andressa Reis and Nelson Ayres.\ LANCE RIO\

President Marcio Braga has high hopes for his controversial stadium project in Gávea. Dean Bonham visited Rio last week and promises to invest in the idea. According to him, it's possible to profit from selling naming rights (the lending of a company's name to an arena for a specific period) for a small stadium. Despite the businessman's enthusiasm, Flamengo opted to withdraw the contract proposal from the Deliberative Council's agenda. In a move praised by the opposition, it preferred to analyze the company's proposals and wait for others interested in investing in the club. In this conversation, Bonham also talks about the Maracanã and Engenhão stadiums he visited.

Lance!: What was your impression of your visit to Engenhão?

Dean Bonham: I've visited many stadiums around the world and found the Engenhão impressive. The security system is absolutely phenomenal. It's high-tech and very well-designed. The Engenhão is what we look for in the sports industry: a space with plenty of open-air spaces, where many people can move without feeling overly cramped. Furthermore, there are the visual effects of the colors and design of the building. These aspects have a "calming effect." Another notable aspect is the flow of people within the stadium. Fans won't experience situations I'm used to: being trapped and crushed against pillars and walls where it's impossible to move. Another thing that impressed me was the view of the field from every seat. A very good job has been done with disabled access in the restaurants, restrooms, and the area where they will watch the matches.

Lance!: What about the services?

Dean Bonham: Restrooms are always a problem in large arenas, and frankly, even more so in South America than anywhere else in the world. They didn't think much about this in the past. They didn't bother to build enough women's restrooms, and they didn't think about providing a reasonable number of concession stands. Here, they did, strategically and very well-planned placement of over 40 concession stands.

Lance! : Did you expect this level?

Dean Bonham: I honestly didn't expect to find what I found here. I've been to South America many times in recent months, and I didn't expect to find something as high-tech and aesthetically impressive as the Engenhão. This is the kind of building you might find in Europe and the United States. I don't mean that offensively, but South America isn't known for its modern stadiums.

Lance!: And Maracanã?

Dean Bonham: It also has some very interesting merits. Our company's role is to help the club make a decision about where the team will play its matches for the next 20 years. It's not a difficult task when you have a good and a bad option, but in this case, it's both very good opportunities. The advantage of Maracanã is that you have the name, the history, the tradition. This is very valuable. There's also the good location, as it's a central area for access by the population. This is very important. Furthermore, R$250 million was spent on renovations, not only on the stadium but also on Maracanãzinho. As a result, the venue has been upgraded and is much more modern.

Lance!: Which of the two would be more profitable in your opinion?

Dean Bonham: Without a doubt, both stadiums will be profitable for Flamengo. In fact, they will be profitable for the next 20, 25 years. What I hope is happening is the creation of a concept I call a "fan-friendly" stadium. Maracanã is an example, now that it has been renovated and has more restrooms, concessions, and comfortable seating. The population here is about 10 million, enough for two or three soccer stadiums (he mentioned Caio Martins as an example, but he doesn't know São Januário).

Lance!: How do you analyze the stadium project in Gávea?

Dean Bonham: The construction opportunity in Gávea is very interesting to me, and we're creating a business plan to study the matter and see what it will be like in three or five years. But in any case, Gávea Stadium is appropriate. For many Flamengo games, 20 or 25 seats are more than enough. But there are other matches where you'll need many more. When we consider a smaller arena with around XNUMX seats and some surrounding shops, the idea fits perfectly in the Gávea area. From my perspective—I'm not a politician, nor a resident—it seems like a good fit for the area.

Lance!: Would it be good for the football team to have two stadiums?

Dean Bonham: When you view Flamengo not just as a soccer team, but as a sports and entertainment company, it allows it to host virtually any type of sporting or entertainment event at Gávea or Engenhão/Maracanã. When you combine Gávea with the other stadium, you can choose to play smaller matches at the club's home stadium and larger matches at the other. We recommend that Gávea be built with a stadium for fewer than 30 people. I know this may sound controversial.

Lance!: Would a stadium with less than 30 seats be viable?

Dean Bonham: It makes perfect sense to have an arena for 5, 30, or 80 people, whatever. However, we have to analyze the practicalities and the obstacles. For now, these are just opinions. Our job is to transform these opinions and obstacles into concepts that allow Flamengo to make a decision based not only on its economic interests, but also on what's best for the fans.

Lance!: What would the naming rights look like with two different stadiums?

Dean Bonham: What we'll do is stipulate two naming rights: one for Gávea and one for the stadium of choice. The way I'd sell it would be: you'd have one naming right for the Gávea complex and everything surrounding it. And another naming right for the Maracanã/Engenhão complex, not just the stadium. What you do to make the deal truly attractive to the partners is to offer benefits in the other's complex (the Gávea complex would have benefits in Engenhão, and vice versa). But it's never easy to find partners who understand each other.

Lance!: Are you determined to invest in this project?

Dean Bonham: It's a fantastic business opportunity. I'm opening an office here in Rio. In the United States, the sports world generates US$100 billion (R$190 billion) per year. That's a lot of money. What drives this industry is the passion of the fans. Honestly, Americans have no idea how dedicated Brazilians are. When you ask me if there's any certainty in pursuing the Gávea project, the answer is no. But there are so many business opportunities here...

Lance!: When do you think the club could win in this operation?

Dean Bonham: It's very difficult to say how much Flamengo would earn. First, because each stadium generates a different amount. Even if I could roughly say a minimum and maximum amount that Flamengo would earn, I wouldn't. I've spent the last 25 years of my life at the expense of my opinions.