San Mamés Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Estadio San Mamés | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral | |
 |
|
| Location | Calle Felipe Serrate, 1 - Bilbao |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Closed | Open |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Owner | Athletic Bilbao |
| Operator | Athletic Bilbao |
| Surface | Grass |
| Architect | Manuel Maria Smith |
| Tenants | |
| Athletic Bilbao (La Liga) (1913–present) | |
| Seats | |
| 40,000 (Football) | |
Estadio San Mamés, AKA La Catedral (The Cathedral), is a football stadium in Bilbao, Spain. The stadium is the home of Athletic Bilbao. They are known as "Los leones de San Mames" (The lions of San Mames).
[edit] History
Opened in 1913, the stadium is Spain's oldest, condition that has granted it its nickname, and can seat up to 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 50,000. The new 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.
