![La Real Sociedad en el primer partido de Liga de Primera División en el campo de Atotxa (1 de 4) - Fondo Marín-Kutxa Fototeka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/La_Real_Sociedad_en_el_primer_partido_de_Liga_de_Primera_Divisi%C3%B3n_en_el_campo_de_Atotxa_%281_de_4%29_-_Fondo_Mar%C3%ADn-Kutxa_Fototeka.jpg)
Atotxa ( es, Atocha) was a
football stadium in
San Sebastián, Spain. It was the home ground of
Real Sociedad until 1993 when it was replaced by
Anoeta Stadium. It had superseded
Ondarreta Stadium 80 years earlier. It had a capacity of 17,000 spectators.
History
The Municipal Stadium of Atocha was the second stadium that Real Sociedad had in their history, preceded by
Ondarreta, located in the neighborhood of the old town of San Sebastián. Later the team moved to the Eguia neighborhood. The stadium of Atocha was constructed in the grounds of an old velodrome, built in 1888. It was inaugurated on 5 October 1913 with a match between
Real Sociedad and
Athletic Club Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los Le ...
, which finalized with a 3–3 result. Curiously, the author of the first goal in Atocha was the same as that of the first match in
San Mamés: the mythical player of
Athletic Bilbao Rafael Moreno Aranzadi also known by his nickname
"Pichichi" – the top scorer award for the Spanish
Primera División bears
that name in his honour.
The stadium reached an approximate capacity of 27,000 spectators. It hosted one
Spain national team match in 1923.
The last goal in an official match at the stadium was scored by Real Sociedad striker
Oceano da Cruz, on 13 June 1993, in a League game against
Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
with a final result of 3–1 for the locals. A week later, on 22 June, a game was held between Real Sociedad and the
Basque Country as part of a farewell event
(Atotxa had hosted one Basque team fixture against
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
in 1979, as well as two
Gipuzkoa team fixtures in 1915) and the final goal at the stadium was scored on that date: with the crowd still in place, the floodlights were turned off and the young son of former Real defender
Javier Sagarzazu who had died suddenly aged 28 six years earlier, ran towards the goal under a spotlight and scored into the empty net.
From the 1993–94 season Real Sociedad would play in the new stadium,
Anoeta. The old Atotxa stadium was still preserved for a few more years, serving as a training ground for a rugby team, before it was demolished to build public housing.
For 40 years, an ex-player of Real Sociedad,
Amadeo Labarta of
Pasaia
Pasaia ( es, Pasajes) is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community of northern Spain. It is a fishing community, commercial port and the birthplace of the famous admiral Blas de Lezo.
Pasaia ...
was the caretaker, and had his home inside the stadium.
![Partido de la Real Sociedad en Atotxa (2 de 16) - Fondo Marín-Kutxa Fototeka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Partido_de_la_Real_Sociedad_en_Atotxa_%282_de_16%29_-_Fondo_Mar%C3%ADn-Kutxa_Fototeka.jpg)
At Atotxa, Real Sociedad was known for setting off a firework after an opponent scored a goal, and two fireworks after a home goal. According to popular legend, this tradition started so that seamen in the Bay of Biscay could know the results of the match without being at the ground.
After a short absence, the tradition was revived following the move to Anoeta.
References
External links
Estadios de España
{{Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Atotxa
Football venues in the Basque Country (autonomous community)
San Sebastián
Sports venues completed in 1913
1913 establishments in Spain
Sports venues demolished in 1999
1999 disestablishments in Spain