Vicente Calderón Stadium
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| Full name | Estadio Vicente Calderón |
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| Former names | Estadio Manzanares (1966—1971) |
| Location | Arganzuela, Madrid, Spain |
| Coordinates | 40°24′6.19″N 3°43′14.18″W / 40.4017194°N 3.7206056°WCoordinates: 40°24′6.19″N 3°43′14.18″W / 40.4017194°N 3.7206056°W |
| Owner | Atlético Madrid |
| Operator | Atlético Madrid |
| Capacity | 54,907[1] |
| Field size | 105 m × 70 m (115 yd × 77 yd) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1961 |
| Built | 1966 |
| Opened | 2 October 1966 |
| Renovated | 1982 |
| Architect |
Javier Barroso Miguel Ángel García Lomas |
| Tenants | |
| Atlético Madrid | |
The Vicente Calderón Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Vicente Calderón [esˈtaðjo βiˈθente kaldeˈɾon]) is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Manzanares [esˈtaðjo manθaˈnaɾes]), but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous Atlético club president. The seats are laid out in red and white stripes, the colours of Atlético's shirts. The stadium is located in the heart of Madrid, on the banks of the Manzanares.
Vicente Calderón regularly hosts international matches of the Spanish national team. Since 2003, the Vicente Calderón Stadium has been classified as a 5 Star UEFA Elite stadium and was the first Spanish stadium to attain this classification.
History
On 17 March 1961, Javier Barroso bought land for the construction of a new stadium, to replace the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid. In the same year, work began on the new stadium.
To finance the new stadium, Atlético Madrid had to make a debt issue three years previously, in 1958, in the form of mortgage bonds that were underwritten mostly by club shareholders and members.,
On 2 October 1966, the Estadio Manzanares was officially inaugurated, with a capacity for 62,000 spectators, in a match against Valencia CF, which ended in a 1–1 draw. This inauguration was the first for a stadium in Spain which had a fully seated capacity. Over time the crowds reduced in number, and hence the capacity was reduced as the stadium was reconstructed accordingly.
On 14 July 1971, at a General Meeting, a name change for the stadium was agreed, with the name that was chosen still in use to this day: the Estadio Vicente Calderón, in honor of the then Club President, Vicente Calderón.
With reconstruction completed, the Vicente Calderón reopened on 23 May 1972, in the presence of the then Head of State of Spain Francisco Franco, The Prince of Spain Juan Carlos I de Borbón and President of the Parliament, Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel. To mark the reopening, a friendly was held between Spain and Uruguay, ending with a 2–0 Spanish victory. The goals were scored by Oscar Valdez and Jose Eulogio Garate.
At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club on 4 June 1980, a ₧ 451,000,000 budget was approved for the refurbishment and reconstruction of the stadium, with a view to being a venue for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Of this amount, 190,000,000 ₧ was set aside by Atlético, while the rest was made up of grants by the Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup. The architect for the reconstruction scheme was Juan José Barroso.
At present, the stadium has capacity for 54,960 spectators, and is classified a 5 Star UEFA Elite Stadium, having received the classification in 2003.
A notable, and rather spectacular feature of the Vicente Calderón, is that the M-30 dual carriageway, running from the South Node Toledo Bridge, passes below one of the grandstands.
Future change of venue
On 30 July 2007, Atlético Madrid, the brewer Mahou and Ayuntamiento de Madrid signed an agreement to reclassify the land that is currently occupied by the Vicente Calderón stadium and the Mahou brewery, agreeing that Atlético would move within 3 years to the Estadio Olímpico de Madrid, better known as Estadio La Peineta, which is currently being renovated in preparation for Atlético's tenancy. After reconstruction, La Peineta will hold 73,000 spectators and will feature fully covered stands. After 2016, the stadium will become the property of Atlético Madrid. The Vicente Calderón Stadium will be demolished, and a park will be built in its place, which is to be named the "Park Atlético Madrid". The decision to demolish the stadium was not well received by some of the Atlético fans who were against the relocation of the club, as they considered it to be a bad move if money was not being used to improve the club itself. The protests were led by the Save the Calderon Group and the Atlético Supporters Club: Asociación Señales de Humo.
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Architecture
The Preference Side of the stadium was the last part of the stadium to be completed, in 1972, due to financial troubles suffered by the club during that period and also due to the poor location of the stadium, on the banks of the Manzanares. This is the main hub of the stadium, where the dugouts, changing rooms, press room, Royal Box, VIP boxes, etc. are found. This is the only part of the stadium that has a roof covering the seating, which is held by 22 reinforced concrete beams that protrude from the main structure of the stand. Preference is further divided into several parts: located on the First Floor are the stands, which are the parts closest to the pitch, the main tier, the anteroom, the Box of Honor (The Palco de Honor), the executive boxes, the VIP Grandstand, the VIP seating North and South of the Preference, and more VIP boxes. On the Upper Floor are the Lower and Higher Tiers, the Superior High Tier Boxes, and finally press and media booths.
Access
The Estadio Vicente Calderón is located on the banks of the Manzanares.[2]
In addition, the stadium can be accessed via the Madrid Metro. The closest stations are: Pirámides Station and Marqués de Vadillo Station, both of which are on Line 5 of the Madrid Metro.[3]
World Cup 1982 matches at the Calderón
The stadium hosted three games in the 1982 FIFA World Cup:
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-06-28 |  Austria | 0–1 |  France | Group D (Second Round) |
| 1982-07-01 | Austria | 2–2 |  Northern Ireland | Group D (Second Round) |
| 1982-07-04 | Northern Ireland | 1–4 | France | Group D (Second Round) |
References
- ↑ Vicente Calderón
- ↑ "Estadio Vicente Calderón". Time Out. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ↑ http://www.terra.es/deportes/articulo/html/dpo67455.htm terra.es
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vicente Calderón Stadium. |
- Estadios de España
- Atletico Madrid stadium page at Madrid Guide Spain
- Stadium Guide Article
- Stadium photos at World Stadiums
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