Estadio Álvaro Gómez Hurtado is a football stadium located in the municipality of Floridablanca, department of Santander, Colombia. It is part of the Unidad Deportiva Álvaro Gómez Hurtado, which also includes an indoor coliseum with capacity for 2,000 spectators, used for sports such as indoor football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, and

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

, among other events that take place there.

Characteristics

The construction and inauguration of the stadium (with the coliseum) took place in 1996 on the occasion of the 15th National Sports Games in the department of Santander, hosting the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

competitions. The stadium and the Olympic village that houses it are named after the Colombian political leader

Álvaro Gómez Hurtado Álvaro Laureano Miguel Gómez Hurtado A.K.A. Álvaro Gómez Hurtado (May 8, 1919 – November 2, 1995) was a Colombian lawyer, politician, painter, writer, journalist and former active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was fou ...

, who was assassinated in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

the previous year. The stadium was the traditional home of

Real Santander Real Santander is a professional Colombian football team based in Bucaramanga, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. They play their home games at the Estadio Villa Concha in Piedecuesta, a municipality in the metropolitan area of B ...

, a club in the second tier of Colombian professional football. From 2013 to early 2015, it hosted the home games of

Alianza Petrolera Alianza Petrolera Fútbol Club was a Colombian professional football team based in Barrancabermeja, Santander, that last played in the Categoría Primera A. The club was founded in 1991 and played in the Categoría Primera B until 2012. They play ...

in the Primera A, while its stadium

Estadio Daniel Villa Zapata Estadio Daniel Villa Zapata is a multi-use stadium in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches. The stadium was originally built in 1960 with a capacity of 6,000 people, which was raised t ...

Barrancabermeja Barrancabermeja () is a municipality and city in Colombia, located on the shore of the Magdalena River, in the western part of the department of Santander. It is home to the largest oil refinery in the country, under direct management of ECOP ...

was undergoing renovation works. The defunct Real Floridablanca team also played at this stadium in the

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

seasons of the Primera B. The stadium initially had a capacity of 5,000 spectators accommodated in the western stand. After the construction of the north and south stands, its capacity was increased to 12,000 spectators, due to a remodeling done in 2013 on account of a financial contribution made by regional businessman

Carlos Ardila Lülle Carlos Ardila Lülle (; June 4, 1930 – August 13, 2021) was a Colombian entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Organización Ardila Lülle, a major Colombian conglomerate which controls companies such as RCN TV, the Postobon soft drin ...

, owner of the professional football team

Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other ...

, with the aim that

(with which the ''Verdolaga'' team had a cooperation agreement) would play its home games in this stadium, making it suitable to host professional matches in the top flight. After the stadium was renovated, the Santander department's trade unions proposed that the stadium be named after its benefactor, Carlos Ardila Lülle, to the detriment of the slain political leader. This was due to the $5.5 billion Colombian pesos contribution made by the businessman for the renovation and remodeling works. In 2014, the lighting system was completed and the spaces for access to the stands were renovated. During 2016 and part of 2017,

Atlético Bucaramanga Club Atlético Bucaramanga S.A., better known as Atlético Bucaramanga, is a Colombian professional football team based in Bucaramanga. The club plays its home games at the Américo Montanini stadium. The club was founded on 11 May 1949 by Rafa ...

, recently promoted to the top flight, played its home games in this venue. The club made a temporary return to the stadium for the 2025 season, due to refurbishment works that were being carried out at the Américo Montanini stadium in

Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander Department, Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and is the ninth most populous city i ...

References

{{Authority control Football venues in Colombia

Characteristics

See also

References