football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

home ground In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

Estadio Contador Damiani Estadio Contador Damiani, formerly Las Acacias, is a stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, inaugurated in 1916 and re-built in 1997. It is used mostly for Peñarol's reserves matches.Las Acacias) since 1916, it is currently not approved for

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , en, First Division Professional League, local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional Association football, ...

matches by authorities, due to lack of security, and it is used by the club's youth divisions instead. The first project dates back to 1933, when the team presented a project to build a stadium near

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

's promenade, same place in which now the popular Teatro de Verano is found. Half a century later, in 1998, the club announced plans, presenting a real life model, of a stadium to be built in the Franklin D. Roosevelt park near Avenida Gianattassio, in Canelones. On the successive years, under the command of club president José Pedro Damiani, continuous projects were presented, which all planned for a 40 thousand seat stadium.

The Parque Rodó Stadium

Considered the first project held by

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

for a club-owned stadium, it is registered in the club's 1933 Annual Report & Financial Statements, in which '(...)it is proposed and less than solved the practical execution of Parque Rodó Stadium'. In this document, a 30 thousand capacity multi-purpose stadium is planned. It was thought to hold basketball, cycling,

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and volleyball events, apart from the club's most successful and popular sport, football.

The 'Damiani-Moore' Stadium

Presented in 2005. It would be located in Canelones, with an approximate capacity of 32.500 people. It was shaped similarly to Peñarol's then local stadium,

Estadio Centenario Estadio Centenario is a stadium in the Parque Batlle of Montevideo, Uruguay, used primarily for football. The stadium was built between 1929 and 1930 to host the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup, as well as to commemorate the centenary of Uruguay ...

, and its stands were to be named in honour of the club's greatest glories, such as, for example

Obdulio Varela Obdulio Jacinto Muiños Varela (; September 20, 1917 — August 2, 1996) was a Uruguayan football player. He was the captain of the Uruguay national team that won the 1950 World Cup after beating Brazil in the decisive final round match popular ...

,

Juan Schiaffino Juan Alberto "Pepe" Schiaffino Villano (; 28 July 1925 – 13 November 2002) was an Italian-Uruguayan football player who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. A highly skilful and creative playmaker, at club level, he played for C ...

,

Fernando Morena Fernando Morena Belora (born 2 February 1952) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. His most known nicknames were "Nando"(abridged form of Fernando) and "Potrillo" (Colt, although young stallion is a better tran ...

,

Pablo Bengoechea Pablo Javier Bengoechea Dutra (born 27 June 1965) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer, who is currently a manager. A midfielder of exquisite technique, he played for several clubs in Uruguay and Spain. He was the captain of the club ...

,

Diego Aguirre Diego Vicente Aguirre Camblor (born 13 September 1965) is a Uruguayan football manager and former player who played as a forward. Playing career A Liverpool Montevideo youth graduate, Aguirre joined the club in 1982 at the age of 16, and m ...

,

Alberto Spencer Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (6 December 1937 – 3 November 2006) was an Ecuadorian footballer who played as a forward, and is widely regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time He is probably best known for his still-standin ...

and

Ladislao Mazurkiewicz Ladislao Mazurkiewicz Iglesias (; 14 February 1945 – 2 January 2013) was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Mazurkiewicz helped the Uruguay national team qualify for the semifinals of the 1970 World Cup, where the ''ch ...

.

Project to build a stadium in the Franklin D. Roosevelt park

Presented in 2011, the project implied a U$S 13 million investment, with an initial capacity of 35.000 spectators, open to further expansions. A proposal was presented to the local government (Intendencia Departamental de Canelones), with an estimate of 25.286 tickets to be sold at the inaugural match. Ultimately, doubts originated if the site (donated by a private to be used as a public park) was allowed to be destined to the project, plus environmental impact studies and neighbour protests against the stadiums construction, ended with the cancellation of the project.

Stadium buyout projects

As a result of the several failed attempts to build its own stadium,

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

tried, several times over the last three decades, to buy and take charge of already built stadiums. In 1993 a proposal was made to take charge of the

Estadio Charrúa Estadio Charrúa is a stadium in the Carrasco neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, used mostly for football and rugby union matches. Property of the Montevideo Department, it is currently leased to the Uruguayan Rugby Union and Uruguayan Football ...

, of municipal property, giving away the

Estadio Contador Damiani Estadio Contador Damiani, formerly Las Acacias, is a stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, inaugurated in 1916 and re-built in 1997. It is used mostly for Peñarol's reserves matches.Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

tried to buy said stadium again, pretending to expand the venue from a 10.000 to 30.000 spectators, in an usufruct of thirty years. Another usufruct was then planned, this time involving

Estadio Centenario Estadio Centenario is a stadium in the Parque Batlle of Montevideo, Uruguay, used primarily for football. The stadium was built between 1929 and 1930 to host the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup, as well as to commemorate the centenary of Uruguay ...

, over a deal with Uruguays football association ( AUF), the Stadium Official Administrators (CAFO) and the municipal government. These projects, never got past the proposals, which got withdrawn or denied.

Stadium construction

In September 2012, club president

Juan Pedro Damiani Juan Pedro Damiani (born June 14, 1958) is a Uruguayan lawyer, and a former member of the FIFA Ethics Committee. Damiani resigned from the FIFA Ethics Committee on 6 April 2016, following allegation in the Panama Papers, connecting him to fel ...

presented plans to build a 40,005 people stadium on the outskirts of Montevideo, near recently completed route 102. It would comply with all FIFA standards and regulations, having a 105 x 68 metres

football pitch A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural tu ...

, a high-technology digital scoreboard, conference rooms for up to 70 people, 107 executive boxes, plus the club's headquarters and museum would be moved to the new stadium. As the club lacked sufficient funds to make an operation of such magnitude, a joint venture was formed with local football television rights holders

Tenfield Tenfield is a broadcasting corporation which holds the commercial rights to broadcast the Uruguayan football and basketball. It was founded in 1998 by the Uruguayan business-men Francisco "Paco" Casal, and the former football players Enzo Franc ...

; and a loan of about U$S 20 million by

Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay (also known as Banco República or BROU) is a state-owned bank in Uruguay, founded in 1896 under the presidency of Juan Idiarte Borda. It is the most important Uruguayan bank with the largest number o ...

, Uruguay's state bank, was agreed. The deal implied

Tenfield Tenfield is a broadcasting corporation which holds the commercial rights to broadcast the Uruguayan football and basketball. It was founded in 1998 by the Uruguayan business-men Francisco "Paco" Casal, and the former football players Enzo Franc ...

owned the rights to decide the field's commercial name, and all of the static & adboard publicity shown. On December 19, 2013 a symbolic

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

, which can now be found by the main building's hall, was laid by the club president, box holders and club celebrities. By 10 February 2014, the construction broke ground. Construction was expected to be concluded by September 2015, but due to several factors was delayed up to December. It was then finally delayed one more time to be finally inaugurated by March 2016.

Inauguration

In February 2016, details about the grounds inauguration were released. According to initial planning, an important show was meant to take place was on March 27, 2016, with about four-thousand artists and popular ex-footballers invited, such as

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...

,

Fito Páez Rodolfo Páez Ávalos, popularly known as Fito Páez (; born 13 March 1963), is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, singer-songwriter and film director. Biography Early career Paez was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province; ...

,

Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas (IKV) is a musical duo formed in 1991 consisting of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The duo split in 2001 to follow solo careers, but later performed together several times, ...

,

Néstor Gonçalves Néstor Goncálvez Martinicorena (27 April 1936 – 29 December 2016) was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a midfielder for Uruguay in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups. He mainly played for C.A. Peñarol and is considered to have been one o ...

,

Fernando Morena Fernando Morena Belora (born 2 February 1952) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. His most known nicknames were "Nando"(abridged form of Fernando) and "Potrillo" (Colt, although young stallion is a better tran ...

, Walter Olivera, and also the presence of Uruguayan president

Tabaré Vázquez Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (; ''Vázquez Rosas'' locally ; 17 January 19406 December 2020) was a Uruguayan politician who served as the 41st president of Uruguay from 2015 to 2020. He previously served from 2005 to 2010 as the 39th presiden ...

. The final date was then moved onto March 30.

Inaugural match

The stadium was inaugurated on March 28, 2016 with a friendly match against then current

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

champions

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...

from

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Peñarol won 4–1 and

Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi T ...

scored the first goal at the new stadium. On May 26, 1938

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...

inaugurated their stadium

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti Estadio Monumental (), officially Estadio Mâs Monumental for sponsorship reasons,Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

, which the locals won by 3–1. That's part of the reason why

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

opted for River Plate as their invitee.

Inaugural ceremony: ´La Fiesta del Siglo´

An approximately 2 hour-and-a-half-long show was held on March 30, 2016, divided into 4 particular segments about the club's history, which involved a ''cuerda de tambores'' of about 200 musicians, special presence of club legends such as

Fernando Morena Fernando Morena Belora (born 2 February 1952) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. His most known nicknames were "Nando"(abridged form of Fernando) and "Potrillo" (Colt, although young stallion is a better tran ...

or

Pablo Bengoechea Pablo Javier Bengoechea Dutra (born 27 June 1965) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer, who is currently a manager. A midfielder of exquisite technique, he played for several clubs in Uruguay and Spain. He was the captain of the club ...

, an open-air act about the club's history described as a modern opera, giant mobile structures akin to football players, music acts by

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...

-who wrote a song for the occasion, named ´La vida entera´-

Hugo Fattoruso Hugo Fattoruso was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1943. Fattoruso is a composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and vocalisAs well as developing a career as a soloist, he has participated and performed in many different genres: Trio Fattoruso ...

, Fito Paéz, Mandrake Wolf and others; and a final closure with the presence of all of the academy players following a choreography accompanied by 3-D mapped projections on the pitch.

Rubén Rada Omar Ruben Rada Silva (born 16 July 1943) is a Uruguayan percussionist, composer, and singer. He is closely associated with candombe, a genre built around a chorus of ''tamboriles'', Uruguayan barrel drums. Rada has recorded more than thirty albu ...

and

Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas (IKV) is a musical duo formed in 1991 consisting of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The duo split in 2001 to follow solo careers, but later performed together several times, ...

were also expected to star, but had to cancel due to calendar issues.

First official match

The first official match was held on Saturday, April 9, with

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

hosting

Danubio Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División. Founded in 1932, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity o ...

on the closing phase of the Campeonato Uruguayo 2015/2016. The locals won 2–1, with

Nicolás Albarracín Nicolás Gabriel Albarracín Basil (born 11 June 1993) is an Uruguayan Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, right winger for Montevideo Wanderers F.C, Montevideo Wanderers. He also holds an Italian passport. Club car ...

scoring the first official goal.

Stands

With a total capacity of 43,000 spectators, the stadium is divided in the Frank Henderson (North and Main), Washington Cataldi (West), José Pedro Damiani (South), and Gastón Güelfi (East) stands, named after notable club presidents.

Frank Henderson stand

''Capacity:'' 12.200 seated Estadio Club Atletico Peñarol (10)

Named after founder and first club president Frank Henderson, it is a two-storied all-seater stand that runs along the north edge of the pitch, in addition to three rows of boxes, destinated to VIPs, invitees, executive and familiar uses. Finally, a fourth -and final- row is destinated to broadcasting services. Because of this, it is denominated as the ''Main'' or ''Official'' stand. As of the time, it is the only all-seater stand, mainly designated to season-ticket holders, and thus, the most expensive of them all. The seats are arranged and coloured in such a way that a mosaic depicting the Campeón del Siglo – a motto adopted by fans in the late 20th century, which the club adopted as an institutional trademark after being awarded as ''Best southamerican team in the XX century'' by the

IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

– logo is formed. The stand also features the largest concourse area in the stadium, containing the club's headquarters, museum, administrative offices, first aid rooms, and conference rooms. It does also contain both the local and visitor reception areas, four dressing rooms (a pair for each team: one for the first team and the other for the youth team), and the dugouts. Being the main face of the stadium, monuments of all of the club glories depicting photographies, telling their club history and listing their achievements were erected right before the stadium's entrance, in a passage denominated ''Paseo de las Glorias''. A historic Henschel train engine from the 1950s was also placed at the stadium's entrance, in a manner to symbolize the club's tight relationship with locomotives at its origins. This action caused controversy between train enthusiasts and AFE, the state's rail administration; as the train's purchase was authorised by a state official which was, at the same time, a member of the club's Board of Directors.

Washington Cataldi stand

''Capacity:'' 8.400 standing Named after deceased club president Washington Cataldi, under whom -cooperating with Gastón Güelfi- Peñarol reigned locally and internationally, obtaining two Intercontinental Cups (

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

), three Copa Libertadores de América (

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

,

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

), and nine Primera División trophies (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968) in which the club achieved its first ''Golden Quinquenio'' by winning five consecutive titles. The stand runs along the western edge of the pitch, and is divided into two tiers, designated for local standing fans; and lacks any type of luxuries except for bathrooms and some food locals. Because of this, it is one of the denominated ''Popular'' stands (along with the eastern stand), and its pricings are way cheaper than both the north mainstand and the southern ''Family'' stand.

Gastón Güelfi stand

''Capacity:'' 8.400 standing Named after deceased club president Gastón Güelfi, who along Gastón Güelfi, gave Peñarol huge local and international successes, it is a two-tiered stand designated for both local and visitor standing fans, whose proportion is decided by the club along with local authorities based on the magnitude of the event. It does also belong to the ''Popular'' type of stand, lacking any luxury except for basic services, and being one of the cheapest along the Washington Cataldi stand. It runs along the eastern edge of the pitch. Peñarol does also own a basketball arena named after said person, the '' Palacio Peñarol Contador Gastón Güelfi''.

José Pedro Damiani stand

''Capacity:'' 14.000 seated A two-tiered stand, destinated to families (thus the ''Familiar'' stand), it is a standing stand for the moment, although club president

Juan Pedro Damiani Juan Pedro Damiani (born June 14, 1958) is a Uruguayan lawyer, and a former member of the FIFA Ethics Committee. Damiani resigned from the FIFA Ethics Committee on 6 April 2016, following allegation in the Panama Papers, connecting him to fel ...

has repeatedly stated it would be modified into an all-seater stand by September 2016. As of June 4, 2016, open boxes were made available for season-ticket holders. Because of this, pricings are moderate with focus on families. The stand is named after deceased president and father of actual president

Juan Pedro Damiani Juan Pedro Damiani (born June 14, 1958) is a Uruguayan lawyer, and a former member of the FIFA Ethics Committee. Damiani resigned from the FIFA Ethics Committee on 6 April 2016, following allegation in the Panama Papers, connecting him to fel ...

, whose management abilities saved the club from economical crisis and brought another ''Quinquenio'' to the club. Peñarol does own another field named after him, popularly known as Las Acacias.

Transport

The stadium is located approximately 16.6 kilometres (10.3 miles) northeast from the centre of Montevideo. It is accessible by car from routes 102 and 8, with parking lots are available in the stadium premises, plus future parking lots have started construction. Lateral streets are dirt-based, although their surfacing has started. Bus lines 103, 316, DM1 y D8 serve the stadium from Montevideo, while 703 704 724 757 serve the stadium from

Costa de Oro Costa de Oro is a long group of resort towns and beaches in Canelones Department, Uruguay, east of the Ciudad de la Costa.Peñarol Sports venues completed in 2016 Campeon del Siglo

History

Background

The Parque Rodó Stadium

The 'Damiani-Moore' Stadium

Project to build a stadium in the Franklin D. Roosevelt park

Stadium buyout projects

Stadium construction

Inauguration

Inaugural match

Inaugural ceremony: ´La Fiesta del Siglo´

First official match

Stands

Frank Henderson stand

Washington Cataldi stand

Gastón Güelfi stand

José Pedro Damiani stand

Transport