Balaídos

The Estadio Municipal de Balaídos (Spanish pronunciation: [balaˈiðos]), known as Abanca-Balaídos for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater stadium in Vigo, Spain. The stadium is the home of Celta Vigo, and accommodates a total of 29,000 spectators.[1]

Balaídos
Balaídos in 2009
Full nameEstadio Municipal de Balaídos
Former namesStadium de Balaídos (1928–1946)
AddressAvenida de Balaídos, s/n
36210 Vigo, Pontevedra
LocationVigo, Galicia, Spain
Coordinates42.211842°N 8.739711°W / 42.211842; -8.739711 (Estadio Municipal de Balaídos)
OwnerConcello de Vigo
OperatorR.C. Celta de Vigo, S.A.D.
Capacity29,000[1]
Record attendance45,000
(Celta Vigo vs Getafe, 16 May 1982)
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1925–1928
Opened30 December 1928 (1928-12-30)
Renovated2004, 2015–2018
Expanded1967, 1982
ArchitectJenaro de la Fuente Álvarez
General contractorStadium de Balaídos, S.A.
Tenants
RC Celta Vigo (1928–present)
Spain national football team (selected matches)

History

Construction

In September 1924, a group of local businessmen took the first steps towards the construction of the stadium by buying the 75,000 m2 on which the stadium would be built. The first job they faced was diverting the Lagares river. Two years later, the businessmen founded the Stadium de Balaídos, S.A. company, which would carry out the actual construction work on the new stadium. The architect of the stadium was Jenaro de la Fuente.[2]

Inauguration

Balaídos was inaugurated on 30 December 1928. The stadium was blessed by the archpriest of Fragoso, Father Faustino Ande.[3]

The inaugural match was played between the hosts, Celta Vigo, and the Basque team Real Unión. The ceremonial kick-off was made by Carmen Gregorio-Espino, the daughter of former mayor Adolfo Gregorio Espino. Celta Vigo's Graciliano was the first player to score a goal in the new stadium, in a 7–0 win.

Renovations

Balaídos underwent its second large-scale renovation in preparation for the 1982 FIFA World Cup; The Rio stand was completely re-built, the Gol end was added to the stadium, and the Tribuna and Marcador stands were renovated.

In the 2002–03 season, Celta qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history. Their celebrations were cut short when the stadium failed the subsequent UEFA stadium inspection required to host their fixtures.[4] It was briefly mooted that Celta might have to play their home matches at Porto's Estádio do Dragão. However, the necessary upgrades were paid for by the local authorities.

Redevelopment projects

Due to the poor state of the stadium, the idea for a New Balaídos (Galician: Novo Balaídos, Spanish: Nuevo Balaídos) has been proposed several times in the past decade.

2003

In 2003, then club president of Celta Vigo Horacio Gómez presented an ambitious project for a new stadium and the surrounding area. The 95,000m2 redevelopment would include a shopping centre, a hotel and sports centre. It was approved by the financiers, Caixanova, but was rejected by the local authorities due to the strong opposition from Javier Riera, the director general of the nearby PSA Peugeot Citroën factory, because of the increased disruption it would cause in the area.

2015–17

Starting from 2015, Balaídos has been undergoing major renovations. The stands have been entirely reconstructed to allow a much closer view for the spectators.[4] Once renovations are completed, the capacity of the stadium will become 31,000 seats. Renovations are expected to be finalized in 2019. The stadium continues to host Celta's home matches during the renovation process.

In February 2017, the roof of the stadium was damaged due to a storm, forcing a Liga match to be re-scheduled due to safety concerns.[5]

Structures and facilities

Balaídos is located on the Avenida Balaídos, in the district of Coia. It occupies the block bounded by Avenida Balaídos, Rúa Val Minor, Avenida Alcalde Portanet and Rúa dos Olimpicos Galegos.

The stadium comprises four stands: Tribuna, Río (main stand), Gol (west end) and Marcador (east end), giving a total official capacity of 29,000. The record attendance at the stadium is 45,000 which was set in a Segunda División match between Celta and Getafe in 1982.

Tribuna

The Tribuna stand runs parallel to Avenida Balaídos. It is a two-tiered stand – the upper-tier is Tribuna alta and lower-tier is Tribuna baixa. The club's bar, Celta Bar, is located in the Trinbuna stand.

Río

The Río stand is two-tiered and is the newest of the stands (built in 1981). The upper-tier is known as Río alto and lower-tier is Río baixo. The stand is named Río (River) as it was built over the original course of the Lagares river.

Access

The stadium is accessed through 25 gates, numbered 0-24, distributed across the four stands that make up the stadium; Gates 0-7 are located in the Tribuna stand, Gates 8-16 in the Marcador end, Gates 17-20 in the Río stand and Gates 20-24 in the Gol end.

In 2012, as part of the renovations made to the exterior of the stadium the club decided to name each of these gates after a notable player.

  • Río Stand
  • Marcador End
  • Gol End

International matches

Spain national team matches
DataOpponentScoreCompetition
2 April 1933 Portugal3–0Friendly match
26 September 1979 Portugal1–1Friendly match
23 January 1980 Netherlands1–0Friendly match
19 January 1994 Portugal2–2Friendly match
25 March 1998 Sweden4–0Friendly match
13 November 1999 Brazil0–0Friendly match
18 November 2014 Germany0–1Friendly match

1982 FIFA World Cup

The stadium hosted three group matches at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The other Group 1 games were also held in Galicia, at Riazor, A Coruña.

14 June 1982 Italy  0–0  Poland Balaídos, Vigo
17:15 CEST (Report) Attendance: 33,000
Referee: Michel Vautrot (France)
18 June 1982 Italy  1–1  Peru Balaídos, Vigo
17:15 CEST Conti  18' (Report) Díaz  83' Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Walter Eschweiler (West Germany)
23 June 1982 Italy  1–1  Cameroon Balaídos, Vigo
17:15 CEST Graziani  60' (Report) Mbida  61' Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Bogdan Dotchev (Bulgaria)

References
  1. "Instalaciones". Real Club Celta de Vigo. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. "Instalaciones". RC Celta (in Spanish). 3 May 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. Lamas, Jorge (29 December 2008). "Balaídos cumple hoy 80 años" [Balaídos is 80 years old today]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish).
  4. Clements, Chris (16 May 2015). "New Wave – Celta's new plans for the Estadio Balaidos". estadiosdeespana.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  5. "Celta Vigo v Real Madrid called off after Balaidos stadium damaged". Sky Sports. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
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