Estadio Benito Villamarín is a stadium in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and the home of

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

since its completion in 1929. It has a capacity of 60,720.

History

Construction

As early as 1912, the Spanish architect

Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio (10 June 1876 in Seville – 31 May 1929) was a Spanish architect who made important buildings in Seville and Madrid. He designed the Plaza de España (Seville), Plaza de España and he was the chief archi ...

had an initial design of a stadium for the

Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (Spanish: ''Exposición iberoamericana de 1929'') was a world's fair held in Seville, Spain, from 9 May 1929 until 21 June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, the United Stat ...

. The executive committee has commissioned the architect Antonio Illanes del Río to complete the design in 1923. Several locations were considered for the new stadium when finally the current location was chosen by commissar Cruz Conde. The technical study for its construction was carried out by Manuel María Smith who has designed the San Mamés Stadium of Bilbao in 1913. The construction works were launched in 1923 and finally completed by the end of 1928.

Inauguration to 1939

The newly built Estadio de la Exposición was officially inaugurated on March 17, 1929, hosting an international match where

defeated

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

5-0. In 1936, Real Betis gained the lease of the stadium and became its sole tenant. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

, Seville City Council requisitioned the stadium and handed it over to the military. The stadium suffered major damages as a result of the war and required renovation. The work was carried out with the help of

Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra (5 February 1875 – 9 March 1951) was a Spanish military leader who rose to prominence during the July 1936 coup and then the Spanish Civil War and the White Terror. Biography A career army man, Queipo de Lla ...

, and the stadium was reopened on March 12, 1939.

After the Benito Villamarín era

In 1958, the extension of the northern and southern stands was carried out by the architect Antonio Delgado y Roig. In 1959 electric lighting was installed with 4 towers of 48 spotlights each. On August 12, 1961, the stadium became owned property by Real Betis. Few days later, the stadium was renamed after Benito Villamarín who served as the club president between 1955 and 1965. The stadium was blessed by Cardinal José Bueno y Monreal. Between 1971 and 1973, the northern and southern stands were entirely demolished to be rebuilt. With continuous expansion works during the 1970s, the capacity of the stadium was increased up to 48,500 spectators. However, major renovation works were carried out between 1979 and 1982 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup and the capacity of the stadium was increased up to 50,253. The stadium hosted 2 group matches during the tournament.

Current status

In 1997, the stadium was renamed after the then-club president

Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Manuel Ruiz de Lopera y Ávalos (born 13 August 1944) is a Spanish businessman who was owner and chairman of football club Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based ...

. However in 2010, Real Betis fans voted to change the name of the stadium back to honor former club president Benito Villamarín. In 2016, the southern stand of the stadium was demolished for expansion. After the most recent redevelopments, the total capacity of the stadium was increased from 52,000 to 60,720. The expansion work was completed in August 2017 in time for the

2017–18 La Liga The 2017–18 La Liga season, also known as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, was the 87th since its establishment. The season began on 18 August 2017 and concluded on 20 May 2018. The fixtures were released on 21 July 2017. Real Madrid ...

season.

1982 FIFA World Cup

The stadium hosted two group matches in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

Gallery

File:Tifo europeo en un derbi - Estadio Benito Villamarin.jpg, Estadio Benito Villamarín in 2014 File:Estadio Benito Villamarin. Real Betis Balompie.jpg, Exterior of the stadium in 2014 File:Estadio Benito Villamarín desde Preferencia.jpg, Interior of the stadium in 2014 File:Betis villareal 2018.jpg, Real Betis vs Villarreal in 2018

References

External links

Stadium page at Real Betis Balompié site

Estadios de Espana
coordinates = {{commons category, Estadio Benito Villamarín Football venues in Seville Real Betis 1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums Buildings and structures in Seville Sports venues completed in 1929