Inaugurated on 25th September, the Mario Saverio Cozzoli stadium is among the most technologically advanced in Italy and boasts the use of new generation materials. Indeed, both the athletics tracks and the platforms for the long jump, high jump and pole vault, as well as those for the other disciplines, have a MONDO sports surface: Sportflex™ Super X 720 K39
So, the excitement is twofold: on the one hand because, finally, the city of Molfetta has an amazing venue for athletics; on the other, because the athletes will be able to compete on a high-performance surface that has also been chosen for major world athletics competitions.
The Cozzoli Stadium has a history going back over thirty years. Built in 1990 to host the World Cup, it was then forgotten. Then, in 2013, work began to give it a new lease of life but the project was blocked almost immediately.
More years went by before this place finally took shape and became a landmark for Molfetta: on 25th September 2020 the Cozzoli Stadium was inaugurated in the presence of various figures. There were the mayor Tommaso Minervini; the Italian 400 metres hurdles world champion of Seville '99, Fabrizio Mori; Mario Saverio Cozzoli’s son and president of "Sport e Salute", Vito Cozzoli; finally, the president of Fidal Italy, Alfio Giomi.
The Cozzoli Stadium represents a piece of past history that has been reborn, it is linked to the present and becomes the new face of a city that sees sport as being a purveyor of values.
A modern design for the athletics track
It has an athletics track with 8 lanes, 2 platforms for the high jump, 2 for the long jump and 2 for the pole vault; there is also a space for the shot put, the hammer throw and the discus throw. In addition, for the athletes’ warm-up of area, there are two 60-metre warm-up tracks and 2 platforms for the long jump and the shot put.
A screen wall with SMD LED technology frames the venue, making the images clearer and more visible from a greater distance, both for the athletes and for the almost 1000 spectators who will be welcomed into the large grandstand equipped with Mondo seatings. Finally, an electronic photo finish system completes the track where the races will be run.
The stadium also includes changing rooms, a meeting room, storage for sports equipment and all other essential facilities.
The Sportflex™ Super X 720 K39 sports surface supplied by MONDO, is the surface for athletics and athletes, and meets all World Athletics criteria.
The reason is to be found in the perfect combination of shock absorption, vertical deformation and kinetic response: everything that professionals who compete and train in the various disciplines need.
The key word is innovation of materials and of the surface structure itself.
First of all, the athletic surface is prefabricated, made on the basis of biomechanical studies conducted by our company.
Sportflex Super X 720 K39 is also a vulcanized rubber flooring designed to maximize the performance of athletes, both during training and competition. Its innovative structure ensures a uniform dynamic response throughout the athletics track, ensuring an optimized running pace and a shock absorption coefficient of 39%.
The embossing of the upper layer ensures elasticity, resistance to spikes of up to 12 mm and with optimized grip thanks to efficient water drainage, even in the case of rain.
The lower layer, characterized by a geometrical structure made of hexagonal air cells able to deform in three dimensions, allows three fundamental actions in the moment of contact between athlete and track: shock absorption, energy storage and immediate kinetic response.
The result is optimized performance time and reduced fatigue.
The added value of the product for athletic tracks lies in the combination of these two layers, top and bottom, during the production phase: the vulcanization process that unites them is, in fact, what results in the uniform surface and consequently, a constant dynamic response on the entire track.
The choice of this surface represents the completion of a structure that was created to maximise value for athletic competitions. The Cozzoli Stadium is the modern stadium that Molfetta, all of Puglia and the South have been waiting for: and now the world of national and international athletics can finally boast a new venue that is one of the most innovative structures in Italy.
The Cozzoli Stadium is managed by the Regional Committee of Fidal Puglia and is the operational headquarters of the Federation.
From the first design meeting to the official grand opening, you can rely on MONDO to consider all aspects of your stadium design and equip it with everything you need, from the athletic track to the artificial turf infield for your football or rugby stadium, or the scoreboard and spectator seating, for a first-rate facility. Contact us.