Estadio José Amalfitani
| Estadio José Amalfitani | |
|---|---|
| El Fortín | |
 The stadium |
|
| Full name | Estadio José Amalfitani |
| Location | 9200 Juan B. Justo Av., Buenos Aires, Argentina[1] |
| Coordinates | 34°38′7.35″S 58°31′14.56″W / 34.6353750°S 58.5207111°W |
| Built | 1941–1943 |
| Opened | April 11, 1943 |
| Renovated | 1947–1951 |
| Expanded | 1978 |
| Owner | Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Capacity | 49,540[1] |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 70 m |
| Tenants | |
| Vélez Sársfield 1943– | |
The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station.[1] The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield and is also known as El Fortín de Liniers or Vélez Sarsfield.[2]
The stadium was built between 1941 and 1943 in wood, and rebuilt in cement between 1947 and 1951.[1] 27 years later, it was expanded in preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The José Amalfitani has capacity for 49,540 spectators, although it does not provide seating for all of them like most Argentine stadia.
The Estadio José Amalfitani is also the national stadium for the Argentina national rugby union team (Los Pumas). Although the team plays test matches throughout the country, their highest-profile tests are usually held here.
Early History: Foundation and early remodelling
Before buying the terrain to build the stadium, Vélez Sársfield played their home matches in a rented ground on the Villa Luro neighbourhood. The original ground was the one that earned the nickname El Fortín in 1932, for the team's strength playing at home.
After suffering relegation from the Argentine Primera División in 1940, Vélez was sacked from the Villa Luro ground they were renting. Three years later, in 1941, the club obtained the terrain of the current stadium, property of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The ground was a swamp of the Maldonado Stream, where construction was difficult. However, the club's president José Amalfitani led the construction, which was terminated in 1943. The new stadium used the same wood stands from the old Villa Luro stadium, and was inaugurated in a 2–2 draw with River Plate. Vélez striker Juan José Ferraro scored the first goal in the stadium's history (the others were scored by Ángel Fernández for Vélez and Adolfo Pedernera twice for River).
1978 FIFA World Cup
The stadium was refurbished for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, and hosted three games in the group stages.[3]
Concerts
The Stadium has hosted many international concerts since its opening.It hosts events of up to 50.000 spectators.
| Artist | Date | Tour |
|---|---|---|
| Queen | February 28,March 1 and 8,1981 | The Game Tour |
| Bon Jovi | February 1, 1990 | New Jersey Syndicate Tour |
| Nirvana | October 30, 1992 | Nevermind Tour |
| Metallica | May 7 and 8, 1993 | Nowhere Else to Roam |
| Aerosmith | January 17, 1994 | Get a Grip Tour |
| Whitney Houston | April 16 and 17, 1994 | The Bodyguard World Tour |
| Iron Maiden | December 12, 1998 | Virtual XI World Tour |
| Red Hot Chilli Peppers | January 24,2001 | Red Hot Chili Peppers 2001 Tour |
| Roger Waters | March 7, 2002 | In the Flesh Tour |
| Luis Miguel | November 24 and 25 | Mis Romances Tour |
| Shakira | November 24 and 25, 2006 | Oral Fixation Tour |
| Bob Dylan | March 15, 2008 | Never Ending Tour 2008 |
| Rod Stewart | April 11, 2008 | Rocks His Greatest Hits Tour |
| Guns & Roses | March 22, 2010 | Chinese Democracy Tour |
| Iron Maiden | April 8, 2011 | The Final Frontier World Tour |
| Rod Stewart | October 22, 2011 | Heart & Soul Tour |
| Elton John | March 2, 2013 | 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man |
| One Direction | May 3, 2014 | Where We Are Stadium Tour |
Rugby
When South Africa visited Argentina in November 2005 at Vélez Sársfield, they faced strong Pumas side. The Pumas took a 20–16 lead into the half-time break, before fading in the second half and losing 34–23.
In the 2006 mid-year tests, the second test against Wales, at Vélez Sársfield, saw the Pumas win 45–27, Argentina's largest win ever over Wales. Los Pumas next hosted the world's top team, the All Blacks at Vélez Sársfield. The All Blacks survived a Pumas assault in the final minutes to hang on to win 25–19 and to deny Argentina a huge upset.
Los Pumas began their final preparation for the 2007 Rugby World Cup with a summer two-test series against visiting Ireland, including a 16–0 win at Vélez Sársfield.[4]
Media related to References
- ^ a b c d "Estadio José Amalfitani" (in Spanish). Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ "ESTADIO JOSÉ AMALFITANI". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "Estadio José Amalfitani". The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "Argentina 16–0 Ireland". BBC. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
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