#TDA25: Winners unveiled at Design and Development Awards 2025

Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium was named the Project of the Year, while Mark Fenwick, Partner, Fenwick Iribarren, was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Awards 2025.

The ceremony took place during TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2025 at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, in front of an audience of senior industry figures.

Other award-winners on the night included Kai Tak Sports Park, which scooped the Destination Award and the Community Project Award for its Community Sport for All / Playfield 5 initiative, as well as gmp – von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architect (Industry Partner), Peace Stadium connected by SoftBank (V-Varen Nagasaki FC) (Concourse Activation) and Avicii Arena modernisation (Innovation).

There were also awards for UK Pavilion – Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan (Façade & Exterior), Roig Arena (Valencia Basket) (AV Fan Experience), Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand (Hospitality & Premium) and Claro Arena: Sustainability from Design to Operation (Sustainability Delivered), while Accessible Facilities & Sensory Room at Breffni Park (Cavan GAA) picked up the Community Project Award.

“This is amazing and super emotional for me and everyone in the team,“ Fenwick said after accepting his Outstanding Achievement Award. “Sport is a fantastic industry and there are lots of great people around us.”

The Design & Development Awards recognise leadership, innovation and achievement in the design, development, construction and refurbishment of sports and entertainment venues globally.

Ian Nuttall, Founder, TheStadiumBusiness, said: “These Awards are about celebrating the professionals involved in the delivery of the next generation of stadia. For the last eight years, these Awards have recognised the best in venue design, development, construction and refurbishment across the global sports and entertainment sector.

“Congratulations to everyone who reached the podium. Winners included our industry’s leading and stand-out venues, who should all be very proud of their achievements.”

THE 2025 WINNERS:

The Winners and Shortlisted Nominees in each category are as follows:

DESTINATION AWARD

Winner: Kai Tak Sports Park

Shortlisted nominees:

• Claro Arena
• Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand
• Kunshan Olympic Sports Center
• Nagasaki Stadium City
• Roig Arena

FAÇADE & EXTERIOR AWARD

Winner: UK Pavilion – Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan

Shortlisted nominees:

• Claro Arena (Universidad Católica), Chile
• Hill Dickinson Stadium (Everton FC), UK
• Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong
• Roig Arena (Valencia Basket), Spain
• SAP Garden, Germany

INDUSTRY PARTNER AWARD

Winner: gmp – von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architect

Shortlisted nominees:

• 20.20
• City Facilities Management HKG
• Dawnvale Group
• Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FI-A)
• MolcaWorld S.L.U.

AV FAN EXPERIENCE AWARD

Winner: Roig Arena (Valencia Basket)

Shortlisted nominees:

• AI Stadium (Suwon kt wiz Park)
• Grand Prix Plaza (Las Vegas GP)
• New Bernabéu experience (CF Real Madrid)
• Rocket Booster centre-hung scoreboard (Houston Rockets)
• The Cube (SM Mall of Asia Arena)
• The Terrace (Brighton & Hove Albion FC)

CONCOURSE ACTIVATION AWARD

Category Winner: Peace Stadium connected by SoftBank (V-Varen Nagasaki FC)

Shortlisted nominees:

• Box 2 Box (Birmingham City FC)
• Flock Friendly at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
• Grab & Glide Bar (Motorpoint Arena)
• Riverside Market and Boardwalk (Fulham FC)
• Stadium of Light enhancements (Sunderland AFC)

COMMUNITY PROJECT AWARD

Category Winner: Community Sport for All / Playfield 5 (Kai Tak Sports Park)

Shortlisted nominees:

• Alexander Stadium/Perry Park (Birmingham CG2022)
• Centre Slush Puppie (Ville de Gatineau)
• Community, Re-use and Reconfiguration (Education City Stadium)
• Olympic Aquatics Centre reconfiguration (Paris 2024)
• RCD Mallorca Sport Clinic
• Sydney Swans HQ

INNOVATION AWARD

Category Winner: Avicii Arena modernisation

Shortlisted nominees:

• Digital Venue Canvas (Poet Creator/Roig Arena)
• Dual Rise Single Frame grandstand (SAP Garden)
• Modular NEON at Battersea Power Station
• Upcycled façade for Stade de La Meinau (RC Strasbourg)

HOSPITALITY & PREMIUM AWARD

Category Winner: Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand

Shortlisted nominees:

• Courtside lounge seats (Capital One Arena)
• Electric Lounge & Acoustic Lounge (Utilita Arena)
• Estádio José Alvalade 2.0 (Sporting Clube de Portugal)
• Integrated Hotel, Spa & Hospitality (Nagasaki Peace Stadium)
• North Coast Social at Progressive Field (Cleveland Guardians)
• Villa Park’s new premium spaces (Aston Villa)

SUSTAINABILITY DELIVERED AWARD

Category Winner: Claro Arena: Sustainability from Design to Operation

Shortlisted nominees:

• Australian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka
• Bustardthorpe Development (York Racecourse)
• Smart Restroom Technology at State Farm Arena (Atlanta Hawks)
• Solar install at Joie Stadium (City Football Academy)
• Sustainability Built In (Co-op Live)

PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Category Winner: Hill Dickinson Stadium (Everton FC), Merseyside

Shortlisted nominees:

• Avicii Arena, Stockholm
• Estadio La Cartuja, Seville
• Fulham FC’s Riverside Stand, London
• Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong
• Nagasaki Stadium City, Nagasaki
• Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, Rabat

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Category Winner: Mark Fenwick, Partner, Fenwick Iribarren Architects

>> More photos from the evening are available on our Design & Development Summit Flickr feed here.

#TDA25 JUDGING PANEL

Hundreds of nominations were evaluated by TheStadiumBusiness.com editorial team to create the Shortlists, with final decisions taken by an independent panel of industry figures, including:

• Stephanie Bax, President of Venue Development (Asia), Live Nation
• Matthew Birchall, Owner/Co-Founder, Birchall Advisory
• Daniel Boulger, Projects & Mobilisations Director, Europe, ASM Europe
• Peter Bryan, Partner, TMG Partners
• Brian Burgess, Trustee, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust
• Ali Celikkiran, Stadium and Facility Operations Director, Galatasaray SK
• Marco Degennaro, CEO / GM, FC Sion
• César O. Esparza, CEO, Juego de Pelota Inc.
• Ursula Friedmann, Chief Non-Sport & CEO, BSC Young Boys Bern
• Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive, Lancs Cricket / Emirates Old Trafford
• Ari Kuokkanen, Managing Director, Olympiastadion / Stadion-Säätiö Olympiastadion / Olympic Stadium
• Suzanne Mackrell, Director, Keppie Design
• Patrik Meyer, Managing Director, Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH
• Anthony Mundy, Executive Director of Venue, RFU Allianz Stadium
• Ian Nuttall, Founder, Xperiology
• Rita Ochoa, Associate Design Director, Qiddiya (Public Investment Fund)
• Moritz Schneider, Managing Director, New Frankfurt Arena/Sportpark Stadion Frankfurt
• Thad Sheely, Operating Partner, Arctos Partners
• Mika Sulin, Founder, Sport and Live Vision Finland
• Natasha Thiebaut, Chief Commercial Officer, Freemans Event Partners
• Naoki Tsukushi, Stadium Development Director, Fukuyama City FC
• Ben Veenbrink, Managing Director, The Stadium Consultancy
• Michael Vekich, Chair, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA – US Bank Stadium)
• Gené Willis, General Manager, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

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