| Estadio GEBA | |
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 Interior view of the stadium in 2008 | |
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| Full name | Estadio Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires |
|---|---|
| Location | Av. Marcelino Freyre 3831 Buenos Aires,Argentina |
| Coordinates | 34°34′4″S58°25′8″W / 34.56778°S 58.41889°W /-34.56778; -58.41889 |
| Owner | Club Gimnasia y Esgrima |
| Capacity | 12,133 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1902; 123 years ago (1902) |
| Renovated | 1935 |
| Tenants | |
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TheEstadio GEBA is astadium located in thePalermoneighbourhood ofBuenos Aires,Argentina. Owned byClub Gimnasia y Esgrima, the stadium is located on the "Sede Jorge Newbery",[1][2] one of the three facilities of the club. Its current capacity is 12,133 spectators.[3]
The stadium was the mainfootball venue during the 1900s and 1910s, having held matches of theArgentina national team and some club matches during that period. The football team of the club (that played inPrimera División from 1911 to 1917) also used the stadium for its home games. After the arson of 1916, the stadium was for a time used mainly forrugby union matches. Nowadays, Estadio GEBA is used for music concerts, having hosted many artists performing there.[4]
During its first years of existence, the club used facilities such as Sociedad Rural Argentina's venue in Palermo, whereathletics competition were held. In 1900 the Municipality of Buenos Aires gave in concession to the club a land that had been used by theBuenos Aires and Rosario Railway (BA&RR). On 12 October 1902, Gimnasia y Esgrima inaugurated its field, built on that land. The field was also known as "Maldonado" due to its proximity tothe homonymous stream.[5]
The football team of the club affiliated to theAssociation (AFA) in 1906, promoting toPrimera División in 1910. The stadium was a frequent venue for the squad during its years in Primera, from 1911 to 1917, the year the club disaffiliated from the Association. The GEBA stadium also hosted athletic competitions andrugby union matches, being often used by athletic teams of theUniversity of Buenos Aires.[5]
TheArgentina national football team played in GEBA on 13 September 1908, for theCopa Newton v.Uruguay. That match has a historic relevance for being the first time Argentine wore the light blue and white striped jersey, which would be the definitive uniform up to present days.[6] The stadium also hosted the matches whereRiver Plate beatRacing Club by 2–1 before promoting to Primera División for the first time.[7] In1911, defunct teamAlumni played its last game at GEBA on 26 November 1911, when the team beatPorteño by 2–1 winning its 10th. Primera División title.[8] The club would not play any official match again, being dissolved two years later.[9][10]
Due to the small dimensions of the field, spectators often placed under a BA&RR viaduct to watch the matches held in GEBA. The club took advantage of that and built a grandstand just below the viaduct, that was inaugurated in 1909 during aCopa Lipton match between Argentina and Uruguay national teams. Nevertheless, in 1910 the BA&RR dismantled the viaduct to move the tracks. It allowed the club to expand the lateral grandstand of the venue. The stadium was completely refurbished to hold the football matches of "Juegos Deportivos del Centenario", sport competitions in commemoration of theArgentince Centennial. A grandstand was built on the side next to the railway. On the side next toRío de la Plata, another one was built while the official grandstand was located on the Maldonado stream side. It consisted in a two-floor wooden structure, similar to the existing in theHipódromo Argentino de Palermo.[5] GEBA was also a frequent venue forTie Cup, an international football club competition, since1909.[11]
The refurbished stadium hosted two matches ofCopa Centenario Revolución de Mayo held in 1910 and considered a predecessor of currentCopa América. In 1910, English clubSwindon Town played in GEBA some matches during their tour on Argentina where the team also playedSan Isidro,Estudiantes de Buenos Aires and the Argentina national team.[12]Legendary teamAlumni played its last official game (the1911 championship playoff vs.Porteño) at Gimnasia y Esgrima before being dissolved that same year.[13] Even one of theSuperclásico editions was played at GEBA, on 9 May 1915 for theCopa de Competencia Jockey Club.
GEBA also hosted all games of the first edition ofCopa América, held in Buenos Aires in1916.[14] The final between Argentina and Uruguay was attended by more than 40,000 spectators that largely exceeded the capacity of the venue, calculated in 10,000. Because of that, the match had to be suspended. In disagreement with the decision, the angry crowd set fire to the stadium. The match had to be reprogrammed for the next day in the Racing Club stadium. The arson caused a large inactivity for the venue, which would not be reopened until 1918. The club did not rebuild the fired grandstands, replacing them with a running track[5]
The Argentina national team played its last game at GEBA on 19 October 1919, when the squad won theCopa Premier Honor Argentino after thrashing Uruguay by 6–1,[15] During the 1920s, the venue was still one of the biggest in Argentina, hosting some Primera División matches of both associations,AFA andAAmF. A match between AFA and AAmF was played at GEBA on 9 December 1924, as an attempt to reunify both associations, although it would not be carried out until 1926. The attendance was higher than expected, largely surpassing the capacity of the field. That was the last football match held in GEBA.[5]
From 1925 on, the stadium mainly hosted rugby union matches. During 45 years it would be the most frequent venue for that sport, with theArgentina national team playing there its international games. In1927, the stadium hosted its first international rugby match when Argentina played v theBritish Isles during their second visit to the country.[16][17][18]
In the middle 1930s, the stadium was completely refurbished, building new concrete grandstands. Once more, GEBA hosted an international rugby game when Argentina played v the British Lions during their third tour on the country in1936.[19]
In1951, GEBA andFerro Carril Oeste were the stadiums of the firstSouth American Rugby Championship held in Buenos Aires.[20] The1969Scotland tour on Argentina would be the last time the national team played their home matches at GEBA.[21]
Since1970, the Argentina national rugby team started using larger stadiums,[22] such as Ferro Carril Oeste (1970–85)[23] orVélez Sársfield (since 1986).[24] Nevertheless, the Estadio GEBA would continue hosting rugby union matches on some occasions, such as the1993 South American Championship[25] and some friendly matches that same year.[26]
Some teams that have played their home matches at Estadio GEBA are:
| Team | Period |
|---|---|
| Gimnasia y Esgrima football team | c. 1906–1917 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima rugby team | c. 1906–? |
| Argentina national football team | 1908–1919 |
| Argentina national rugby team | 1927–1969, 1993 |
Along its existence, the stadium has hosted several sports events, the following list compiles some of the most relevant:
| Event | Year/s |
|---|---|
| Copa Newton | 1908, 1918 |
| Copa Premier Honor Argentino | 1908–1919 |
| Tie Cup | 1909,1910,1911,1915,1918 |
| Copa Lipton | 1909, 1911, 1915, 1919 |
| Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo | 1910 |
| Primera División Final[note 1] | 1911 |
| Copa Roca | 1914 |
| Copa América | 1916 |
| Copa Aldao | 1916,1918 |
| Copa Campeonato del Río de la Plata | 1923 |
| Event | Year/s |
|---|---|
| British & Irish Lions tour | 1927,1936 |
| France tour | 1949,1954,1960 |
| South American Championship | 1951,1993 |
| South Africa tour[note 2] | 1959,1966 |
| Wales tour | 1968 |
| Scotland tour | 1969 |
| Ireland tour | 1952 |
The club usually rents two of its facilities for concerts and events, being the Jorge Newbery facility the most used for those purposes.
Many international artists touring in Argentina have played at Estadio GEBA, being some of them:Ozzy Osbourne,Luis Miguel,Duran Duran,Rush,Peter Gabriel,System of a Down,Sepultura,INXS,Lenny Kravitz,Noel Gallagher,Rod Stewart, andBruce Springsteen, among many others.
| Preceded by (none) | Copa América 1916 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by (none) | South American Rugby Championship 1951 | Succeeded by (various) |
| Preceded by (various) | South American Rugby Championship 1993 | Succeeded by (various) |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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