Estadio San Mamés, AKA La Catedral (The Cathedral), is a football stadium in Bilbao, Spain. The stadium is the home of Athletic Club Bilbao. They are known as "Los leones de San Mamés" (The lions of San Mamés). They are known as Los leones because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés (Saint Mammes). Mammes was an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans. The lions refused to eat Mammes and he was later made a saint.[1]
La Catedral | |
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| Full name | Estadio San Mamés |
|---|---|
| Location | Bilbao, Spain |
| Owner | Athletic Club Bilbao |
| Operator | Athletic Club Bilbao |
| Capacity | |
| Field size | |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 20 January, 1913 |
| Opened | 21 August, 1913 |
| Renovated | 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 |
| Construction cost | 50.000 pts |
| Architect | Manuel Maria Smith |
| Tenants | |
History
Opened in 1913, the stadium is Spain's oldest, condition that has granted it its nickname, and can seat almost forty thousand people.
The current stadium was almost completely rebuilt to host matches in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
In March 2006 new project has been approved to rebuild the stadium increasing seats up to 56,000. The New San Mamés Stadium will be built in the adjacent terrain that was occupied until 2003 by the Bilbao International Trade Fair. Three quarters of the stadium will be built and then the matches will take place in the new stadium and the old one will be demolished. In the remaining terrain the last side of the new stadium will be completed and the University of the Basque Country will build a new campus.
External links
43°15′48.62″N 2°56′54.21″W / 43.2635056°N 2.9483917°W
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