San Mamés Stadium (1913)
La Catedral | |
Full name | Estadio San Mamés |
---|---|
Location | Bilbao, Spain |
Owner | Athletic Bilbao |
Operator | Athletic Bilbao |
Capacity | 39,750[1][2] |
Field size | 105 x 68 m |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Built | 20 January 1913 |
Opened | 21 August 1913 |
Renovated | 1952, 1982 |
Closed | 5 June 2013 |
Demolished | 6 June 2013 |
Construction cost | 50.000 ptas |
Architect | Manuel María Smith |
Tenants | |
(selected matches) |
San Mamés Stadium (
The club's new stadium, of the same name, was inaugurated on 16 September 2013.[3][4]
History
Opened in 1913, until its demolition it was Spain's oldest stadium (the oldest playing field being El Molinón)[5] a characteristic that gave rise to the nickname La Catedral (The Cathedral), together with its revered status as one of the nation's most important venues, the devotion shown by the team's followers who attended the matches, the site's religious heritage and the fact that the city itself did not have a cathedral for some years afterwards[6][7] (Santiago Cathedral did not receive the distinction until 1949). The nickname of the stadium is unconnected to the building that appears on the club crest, which is the Church of San Antón and its bridge, also featured on the Bilbao city coat of arms.
The first match at the stadium in August 1913 was a friendly between Athletic and
San Mamés could seat almost forty thousand people and was renowned for the unique and boisterous atmosphere its crowds of devoted and loyal fans would create on match-days.[6][7][13][9]
The stadium was almost entirely rebuilt to host matches in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Athletic's opponents in friendly matches that year included the national teams of England[14][15] and Poland,[16] while in 1998 the visitors to San Mamés were World Cup holders Brazil marking Athletic's centenary.[17][18] Six Spain matches were played at the stadium between 1921 and 1967.[19] In contrast, the unofficial Basque Country team played 26 fixtures of various types at San Mamés between 1915 and 2011, and the Biscay team played there three times.
In March 2006, a project was approved to replace the stadium with a new and larger version, thereby increasing the stadium capacity to 53,000. The
AC/DC's final concert of their Black Ice World Tour was held in the stadium, on 28 June 2010, it was the last gig of the guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young.
Final months
The last Athletic match in
On 5 June 2013, Athletic played a
The iconic arch over the main stand of the stadium (which originally supported its roof)
Gallery
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Main grandstand with arch
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East stand
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North stand
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Bust of Pichichi in the directors' box
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Teams line up forCatalansmatch with political banners and flares (2007)
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Outside the stadium, with the large painted club crest on the facade viewed from Pozas
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demolition of the west stand, (July 2013)
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final hours of the main stand with the new stadium rising behind (July 2013)
1982 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the venues of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:
Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 June 1982 | England | 3–1 | France | Group 4 (first round) | 44,172 |
20 June 1982 | 2–0 | Czechoslovakia | 41,123 | ||
25 June 1982 | 1–0 | Kuwait | 39,700 |
Concerts
Concerts at San Mamés Stadium | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
4 June 2011 | Shakira | The Sun Comes Out World Tour | 25,000 |
References
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20051102085136/http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/spain/basque_country.shtml, worldstadiums.com
- ^ https://int.soccerway.com/venues/spain/estadio-san-mames/, soccerway.com
- ^ Colocan la primera piedra en San Mamés Barria, Gara
- ^ a b c A new Cathedral: Athletic Club’s move to a new San Mamés, Simon Lloyd, Joe.co.uk
- ^ Estadio El Molinón, StadiumDB
- ^ a b San Mamés: The Stadium, Athletic Bilbao
- ^ a b San Mamés, la eterna Catedral del fútbol español (San Mamés, the eternal Cathedral of Spanish football), FIFA, 24 May 2013
- ^ a b "El viejo San Mamés cumpliría hoy cien años" [Old San Mamés would be 100 years old today] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Athletic Bilbao's intoxicating spirit remains despite move next door, The Guardian, 17 September 2013
- ^ a b International Tournaments played in Bilbao 1913-1993, RSSSF, 29 November 2012
- ^ Athletic Club 4–3 Fulham , Athletic Bilbao
- ^ Athletic Club 6–4 Sporting CP, Athletic Bilbao
- ^ Centenary of history turns to rubble, ESPN, 18 July 2013
- ^ England matches: Testimonials, Clubs and Forces, England Football Online
- ^ Athletic Club 1–1 Inglaterra, Athletic Bilbao
- ^ Athletic Club 1–4 Polonia, Athletic Bilbao
- ^ Históricos de San Mamés VIII: Athletic - Brasil, la fiesta del centenario (Histories of San Mamés VIII: Athletic - Brazil, the centenary party), Vavel, 6 May 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ Athletic Club 1–1 Brasil, Athletic Bilbao
- ^ International football matches hosted by Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao, EU-Football.info
- ^ "Juanlu hace el último gol de San Mamés: el Athletic, sin Europa" [Juanlu scores the last goal at San Mamés: no Europe for Athletic] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "Bilbao Athletic 2-2 Atlético Levante" (in Spanish). RFEF. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "Broche de oro en San Mamés: Iribar jugó los últimos minutos" [Gold pin in San Mamés: Iribar played the last minutes] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "Athletic 0-1 Bizkaia" (in Spanish). Athletic Club. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "Las grúas empiezan con el derribo de la fachada de San Mamés" [The cranes begin the demolition of the facade of San Mamés] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "El arco de San Mamés ya está instalado en Lezama" [The arch from San Mamés has been installed at Lezama]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 18 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "El arco ya ilumina las instalaciones de Lezama" [The arch illuminates the Lezama facilities]. El Desmarque (in Spanish). 14 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2017.