San Mamés Stadium

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San Mamés
La Catedral

Full Name Estádio San Mamés
Location Bilbao, Spain
Built 20 January, 1913
Opened 21 August, 1913
Renovated 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982
Owner Athletic Bilbao
Operator Athletic Bilbao
Surface Grass
Construction cost 50.000 pts
Architect Manuel Maria Smith
Tenants
Athletic Bilbao
Capacity
40,000
Dimensions
104 x 68 m

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 Mamés" (The lions of San Mamés).

[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.


[edit] External links

Coordinates: 43°15′48.62″N, 2°56′54.21″W