Estadio Cuscatlán
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| Monumental Estadio Cuscatlan | |
|---|---|
| Coloso de montserrat, El Cusca, La Catedral del espectaculo | |
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| Location | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Broke ground | 1971 |
| Opened | 1976 |
| Renovated | 2001 and 2007 |
| Owner | EDESSA (Estadios Deportivos de El Salvador) |
| Operator | CLIMA (Asociación de Clubes de Liga Mayor A') |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants |
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| Capacity |
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Monumental Estadio Cuscatlán is a soccer stadium located in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is the largest stadium in Central America with a capacity of just over 45,000. The stadium is the home ground of the El Salvador national football team as well as club teams Alianza FC and San Salvador F.C..
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[edit] History
Cuscatlán stadium was first developed as a replacement to what at the time was El Salvador's largest stadium, Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca. Its creation was made possible by EDESSA (Estadios Deportivos de El Salvador) who in 1969 first proposed the idea of a new national stadium.
Construction began on March 24, 1971 as the then president of El Salvador General Fidel Sánchez Hernández lay the first stone in order for construction to begin. After 5 years of building, the stadium was first opened and held its very first game on July 24, 1976. This day saw German Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach play the El Salvador national team. A game which ultimately ended 2-0 to the German side.
On May 25, 1978, EDESSA agreed to and signed, a 99 year lease of the stadium to CLIMA (Asociación de Clubes de Liga Mayor A'). As a result, CLIMA is now the operator of the stadium, and controls what events are held there.
[edit] The Stadium
The Stadium, with a capacity of over 45,000 makes it the biggest football made venue not only in Central America, but also the Caribbean. As well as being the largest, Estadio Cuscatlán is also often referred to as the most modern stadium in the region also.
It was announced on November 16, 2007 that Estadio Cuscatlán would become the first soccer stadium in Central America and Caribbean to have a large LED screen where the supporters can view the action. The screen will be 40 meters in height and width and is expected to be completed by March, 2008.
The modernation of the stadium also pertain to the ground on which the games are held.
These ground is modern in that it has:
- French drainage system to allow water to flow off the grounds when it rains excessively
- 6 sprikler systems to self water the grounds
- Dugouts for both home and away teams, each with its own lavatory
- Imported high quality grass
- Various V.I.P. boxes
[edit] Capacity
The stadiums capacity has been the topic of much dispute, with many saying that its official capacity is not accurate. As the stadium only has seats available in certain sections, it is difficult to estimate the maximum capacity when trying to take into account how many specators could fit into the sections without seats.
The following table details the set capacity limitations on each section, as approved by FIFA, the Salvadoran football federation and EDESSA.
The Stadiums seating structure is separated into 9 different sections.
These are (most expensive to least expensive):
| Section | Fifa | Federation | EDESSA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palcos | 3,400 | 3,400 | 3,400 |
| Platea | 2,263 | 2,140 | 3,250 |
| Tribuna Norte | 1,922 | 1,856 | 2,750 |
| Tribuna Sur | 1,959 | 1,891 | 2,250 |
| Sombra Norte | 3,788 | 4,350 | 5,250 |
| Sombra Sur | 2,441 | 2,750 | 4,250 |
| Sol Prefernte Norte | 4,157 | 4,570 | 5,450 |
| Sol Preferente Sur | 6,294 | 6,294 | 8,050 |
| Sol General | 14,144 | 17,062 | 18,250 |
| Total | 40,368 | 44,313 | 52,900 |
It is safe to assume that the stadiums capacity is between 40,000 and 53,000. However, as a definitive capacity cannot be obtained for those sections in which there are no seats, then it has been agreed to by the three parties concerned that the official capacity is that which is obtained after the three totals are averaged. When doing this, a total of 45,925 is measured. That being the stadium's official maximum capacity.
[edit] The grounds
The stadium itself sits on an area of land roughly 15 square blocks (30 hectares) in size. Not only does it accommodate the stadium itself, with its car park (3,500 capacity), but also two other football grounds. These grounds are used for training by club sides, to limit damage to the stadium ground itself. The other ground is used for junior soccer.
[edit] Events
Although Cuscatlán stadium was primarily built to be just a soccer stadium, it is now also used to cater for other events. Apart from soccer, it's also used for concerts, cultural events, religious events and political rallies.
