La Catedral | |
 San Mamés before aEuropa League tie, 2009 | |
 Interactive map of San Mamés | |
| Full name | Estadio San Mamés |
|---|---|
| Location | Bilbao,Spain |
| Owner | Athletic Bilbao |
| Operator | Athletic Bilbao |
| Capacity | 39,750[1][2] |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 20 January 1913 |
| Opened | 21 August 1913 |
| Renovated | 1952, 1982 |
| Closed | 5 June 2013 |
| Demolished | 6 June 2013 |
| Construction cost | 50.000ptas |
| Architect | Manuel María Smith |
| Tenants | |
| (selected matches) | |
TheSan Mamés Stadium (Spanish:Estadio San Mamés[esˈtaðjosammaˈmes]; also known asLa Catedral[lakateˈðɾal], "The Cathedral") was afootball stadium inBilbao,Biscay,Spain. The stadium was the home ofAthletic Bilbao, known asLos Leones de San Mamés-Bilboko lehoiak (The Lions of San Mamés). They are known asLos Leones because their stadium was built near a church calledSan Mamés (Saint Mammes).Mammes was an earlyChristian, born in A.D. 259, who was thrown to the lions by theRomans.
The club's new stadium,of the same name, was inaugurated on 16 September 2013.[3][4]
Opened in 1913, until its demolition it was Spain's oldest stadium (the oldest playing field beingEl Molinón)[5] a characteristic that gave rise to the nicknameLa Catedral (TheCathedral), together with its revered status as one of the nation's most important venues, the devotion shown by the team's followers who attended the matches, the site's religious heritage and the fact that the city itself did not have a cathedral for some years afterwards[6][7] (Santiago Cathedral did not receive the distinction until 1949). The nickname of the stadium is unconnected to the building that appears on the club crest, which is theChurch of San Antón and its bridge, also featured on the Bilbao city coat of arms.
The first match at the stadium in August 1913 was a friendly between Athletic andRacing Club de Irún in a replay of the1913 FEF Copa del Rey Final, which was the opening game of a triangular tournament also involvingShepherd's Bush F.C. The first goal was scored by the famous strikerPichichi.[8][9][10] A 50th anniversary tournament of the same nature was heid in 1963, with Athletic defeatingFulham andSporting CP in high-scoring matches.[10][11][12]
San Mamés could seat almost forty thousand people and was renowned for the unique and boisterous atmosphere its crowds of devoted and loyal fans would create on match-days.[6][7][13][9]
The stadium was almost entirely rebuilt to host matches in the1982 FIFA World Cup. Athletic's opponents in friendly matches that year included the national teams ofEngland[14][15] andPoland,[16] while in 1998 the visitors to San Mamés were World Cup holdersBrazil marking Athletic's centenary.[17][18] SixSpain matches were played at the stadium between 1921 and 1967.[19] In contrast, theunofficial Basque Country team played 26fixtures of various types at San Mamés between 1915 and 2011, and theBiscay team played there three times.
In March 2006, a project was approved to replace the stadium with a new and larger version, thereby increasing the stadium capacity to 53,000. TheNew San Mamés Stadium is built on the former site of the Bilbao International Trade Fair, adjacent to the current stadium. Construction began in April 2010, and after it was three quarters completed, Athletic Club moved into their new home and the original San Mamés was demolished.[4]
AC/DC's final concert of theirBlack Ice World Tour was held in the stadium, on 28 June 2010, it was the last gig of the guitarist and co-founderMalcolm Young.
The last Athletic match inLa Liga at the stadium was a 0–1 loss toLevante on 26 May 2013; the goalscorer wasJuanlu in stoppage time.[20] Therefore, the final Athletic scorer wasFernando Llorente in the previous home fixture againstMallorca. However, the last competitive game took place on 2 June 2013 when the reserve teamBilbao Athletic (who occasionally play important matches away from their small stadium at theclub training ground) drew 2–2 withLevante's reserves in theirpromotion play-offs.[21]
On 5 June 2013, Athletic played afarewell friendly match at the stadium to mark its closure, against aBiscay XI (a team comprising players born in the province based with other clubs). Athletic introduced several old heroes back onto the field as substitutes in the later stages:Orbaiz,Guerrero,Andrinua,Dani andIribar, while others were also in attendance including 94-year-oldRafael Iriondo. Several of the Biscay players had begun their careers at Athletic, such asExpósito,Arriaga,Azkorra,Tarantino andUnai Medina, plusBeñat andEtxeita who had both already agreed to rejoin the club. Bizkaia won 1–0, with the last goal being scored byAlain Arroyo.[22][23] In the days following the match, demolition of the stands began.[24] By the time of its official centenary date in August 2013, little remained of the old stadium as work intensified to clear the site and complete its replacement.[8]
The iconic arch over the main stand of the stadium (which originally supported its roof)[4] was preserved in the demolition and moved in several pieces to the club's training ground,Lezama,[9] where it was installed at the side of the pitch used by thereserves andwomen's team.[25][26]
The stadium was one of the venues of the1982 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:
| Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 June 1982 | England  | 3–1 |  France | Group 4 (first round) | 44,172 |
| 20 June 1982 | 2–0 |  Czechoslovakia | 41,123 | ||
| 25 June 1982 | 1–0 |  Kuwait | 39,700 |
| Concerts at San Mamés Stadium | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| 4 June 2011 | Shakira | The Sun Comes Out World Tour | 25,000 |
| Other teams |
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|---|---|
| Home stadium | |
| Training ground | |
| Affiliated Clubs | |
| Related articles | |
| Rivalries |
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1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums | ||
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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43°15′48.62″N2°56′54.21″W / 43.2635056°N 2.9483917°W /43.2635056; -2.9483917
