Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is the home ground of the famous Real Madrid club. It is located in the capital of Spain ─ Madrid. According to UEFA qualification, it is category 4. Sometimes the Spanish football team meets their opponents at the stadium. The stands can accommodate 81 thousand spectators.
Description
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is named after one of the best football players of the Real Madrid club. From the age of 17, the talented football player played for the main team. Previously, the stadium was called "Chamartin" and was built in 1924. It accommodated about 25 thousand spectators in its stands. In May 1946, the stadium was demolished.
In 1943, S. Bernabeu was elected President of Real Madrid. The following year, he received loan funds to purchase land for a new arena. "Chamartin" was no longer able to accommodate all the fans and supporters of the club.
For 5 months, a competition was held for the best stadium project. The construction was carried out by the architects M. Monasterio and L. Soler. Three years later the stadium was built. Now its stands could accommodate up to 75 thousand fans. The new sports arena was named "Nuevo Estadio Chamartin". In 1955, the stadium was renamed Santiago Bernabeu. During Santiago's presidency, the club became European champion 6 times and won many smaller games.
A little history
The large-scale opening of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium took place in 1947. On that day, Real Madrid played with the Portuguese club Belenenses and won 3:1. The first reconstruction took place in 1954. Then the capacity of the stands was increased to 100 thousand.
In 1957, a football battle was held for the first time under the light of powerful floodlights. In 1982, the requirements for spectator safety changed. We had to reconstruct the stands and make 2/3 of them seated. This reduced the number of spectator seats to 91 thousand. 2 huge digital scoreboards were installed and the façade of the stadium building was updated.
In 1998, the stands were equipped with seats only. There were fewer seats for spectators again - 75 thousand. In 2000, F. Perez took the place of the President of the club. Over the next 6 years, he spent $130 million on modernizing the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The facade of the eastern stands was built, VIP boxes were built, and the press room and offices were decorated. In 2007, according to UEFA qualifications, the stadium received the “elite” category.
In 2019, a new grandiose reconstruction of the stadium began. The pandemic disrupted plans, but allowed the construction time to be reduced. A retractable pitch is set to appear at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It will allow for a variety of events, such as sports - hockey, basketball, and cultural - concerts and shows.
A retractable roof is planned over the stadium, which can protect from the heat. A new digital scoreboard with a 360-degree viewing radius will be installed. Work is already underway. Part of the stands was dismantled and the lawn was cleaned.
Visiting the Santiago Bernabeu stadium is the cherished dream of every football fan. After all, recognized football “gods” train and play here.
Soon the stadium will open the stands again, and fans will be able to see the next Champions League final and European and world-level football championships, as has happened more than once.
