[2][3] In 1975, João Rocha, president of the club at the time, advanced with the project to create a sports complex near the Estádio José Alvalade (1956).

Thus, the Chamber would cede a portion of the land annexed to the Estádio José Alvalade in the amount of €5,000,000 for the construction of a sports pavilion (in addition to assets worth 18 million euros).

However, this decision of the Chamber was not finally ratified at the Municipal Assembly on 10 December 2009, and it was decided to send the protocol to a town planning commission, appointed to reassess it.

In compliance with part of the agreement between the municipality and Sporting, the Lisbon City Council approved, on 27 January 2010, the elaboration of the Alvalade XXI Detail Plan, which contemplates the construction of the pavilion.

On November 3, 2010, the Lisbon City Council voted in favor of the Alvalade XXI Detail Plan, which included the new Sporting pavilion.

The autarky thus gave the green light to the project which came to be the subject of a final analysis by the Commission for Coordination of Regional Development of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, which would give the last and decisive opinion on 25 March 2011.

After an open training session at the José Alvalade Stadium, the ceremony for the launching of the first stone of the João Rocha Pavilion began with the official speeches of Bruno de Carvalho (Sporting president in 2015) and Fernando Medina (Vice-president of the Lisbon City Council).

The work lasted for about 22 months, integrating the normal period of inspections, extension connections and use licenses, culminating with the inauguration.

At the end of the second month, the first concrete structures appeared in the form of the south wall and two giant cranes became part of the landscape.