| Monumental Estadio Cuscatlán | |
|---|---|
| Coloso de Montserrat, El Cusca, La Catedral del Espectáculo | |
| 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 |
| Capacity | 45,000[1] |
| Tenants | |
| El Salvador Alianza FC |
|
Monumental Estadio Cuscatlán is a football stadium located in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is the largest stadium in Central America with a capacity of 45,000. The stadium is the home ground of the El Salvador national football team as well as club team Alianza FC.
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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 (now known as Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González). 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, with then-president of El Salvador General Fidel Sánchez Hernández laying the first stone. After 5 years of building, the stadium was 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, with the match ending 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.
The stadium, with a capacity of 44,313, is the largest football venue not only in Central America, but the Caribbean as well. In addition to being the largest, Estadio Cuscatlán is 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 football stadium in Central America and Caribbean to have a large LED screen where the supporters can view the action. The screen is 40 meters in height and width and was completed in March, 2008. [2][3]
The modernization also extends to the pitch, which includes:
The stadium's 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 spectators 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 Stadium's 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 Preferente 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 |
Because a definitive capacity cannot be obtained for those sections in which there are no seats, the three parties concerned have agreed to the official capacity being the average of the three estimates, 45,925.
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 parking lot (3,500 capacity), but also two other football pitches. One of these is used for training by club sides, to limit damage to the stadium ground itself. The other ground is used for junior football.
Although Cuscatlán stadium was primarily built to be just a football stadium, it is now also used to cater for other events. Apart from football, it is also used for concerts, cultural events, religious events and political rallies.