Al Maglio Sports Centre

The Al Maglio area in Canobbio, near the Piano della Stampa and along the banks of the Cassarate River, currently features a synthetic grass football field, a gym, and a bocce court. These facilities will soon be integrated into a proper sports and leisure park covering 90,000 m² (making it the second largest in size after the Ciani Park). This project includes the creation of new sports facilities and three additional football fields, as well as the redevelopment of the entire area, enhancing its natural features and transforming it into a vast recreational complex open to everyone, with extensive equipped green spaces stretching from the foot of the hill to the riverbank.

This initiative arises from the City's need to find a single location to house most activities of around fifty teams – including the youth divisions of FC Lugano and FC Rapid – that, with the construction of the Sports and Events Centre (PSE), will gradually see some of the current fields in Cornaredo, now used for training and matches, decommissioned.

The Al Maglio area immediately proved to be the most suitable location due to the existing field in the Municipality of Canobbio (already used 50% by the youth sectors of Lugano's sports clubs) and its proximity to Cornaredo and the motorway interchange.

Al Maglio Sports Centre ©Consorzio Al Maglio c/o Orsi & Associati

The City of Lugano and the Municipality of Canobbio, owners of the parcels where the new Sports Centre will be built, have signed a 30-year agreement for its planning, construction, and use; the management will be the responsibility of the City of Lugano.

In December 2020, the Lugano City Council submitted a request for a construction loan amounting to 37.2 million Swiss francs. The corresponding municipal dispatch was approved by the Lugano City Parliament in March 2021.

In March 2025, the City Council asked the City Parliament for a supplementary credit of 7.4 million francs, which became necessary to complete the project. During the implementation, some unforeseen events and critical issues arose, causing an extension of the execution timeframe and an increase in construction costs. A vote from the City Parliament is awaited on the relevant Dispatch.

The Infrastructures

In addition to the four playing fields (three with synthetic turf), the Al Maglio Sports Centre project includes the construction of a multifunctional building on three levels (two of which are semi-underground), closely connected to the main football field. This building will house all the facilities supporting sports and recreational activities, including locker rooms, a snack bar, a laundry, a medical room, and a fitness area, along with administrative and workspaces (offices, meeting rooms, and a multipurpose hall).

View the Site Plan of the project

Site Plan created by the Maglio 2019 Design Consortium, composed of the following firms: Orsi & Associati Sagl, LAND Suisse Sagl, Studio ingegneria Lepori SA.

The Park

The desire to integrate the necessary sports facilities with landscape enhancement has led to the development of a project featuring a large green lawn, where playing fields and various landscape design elements (terraces, trees, paths, walkways, etc.) will be located.

The sports park aims to be as open and accessible as possible, not just for athletes. A circular pedestrian path will be created, which, connecting to existing trails, will allow visitors to explore and discover the park's various areas. In particular, the route is designed to link with the trail leading to Canobbio and the riverside promenade that connects Cornaredo to La Stampa. Additionally, there will be a connection to the Canobbio-Tesserete and Lugano-Sonvico cycling paths. This will result in a large, sunny area crossed by cycling and walking trails linking Lugano to the surrounding forests and the nearby municipality of Canobbio.

Vehicular traffic, on the other hand, will remain on the edges of the park, thanks to a covered parking garage located beneath the main football field, offering 80 paid parking spaces for users.

Centro sportivo Al Maglio ©Consorzio Al Maglio c/o Orsi & Associati

Al Maglio Sports Centre ©Consorzio Al Maglio c/o Orsi & Associati

Timeline for Completion

The Sports Centre, designed by the Maglio 2019 team (architecture firm Orsi & Associati SA, landscape architect Land Suisse Sagl, and engineering firm Lepori SA), is a crucial element of the new Cornaredo Sports and Events Centre, so much so that its timeline is closely tied to and dictated by the needs of the PSE itself. The construction site was launched in April 2022.

The project is planned in two phases:

Phase 1 was completed in July 2023, including the creation of two fields in the northern part of the area, the surrounding park, and temporary locker rooms, as well as the relocation of part of the youth activities previously held in Cornaredo.
For Phase 2, which has already started, delivery of the main field is scheduled for late spring 2025, while completion of the multifunctional building with its parking facility is expected in October 2025. Once the building is finished, the temporary structures will be dismantled and the park layout will be finalized, with the work set to be completed in March 2026.