Stadium
Boca Juniors used several locations before settling on their current ground on Brandsen. Their first ground was in la Dársena Sur but it was vacated in 1907 as it failed to meet the minimum league requirements. They then used three grounds in the Isla Demarchi area between 1908 and 1912. Between 1914 and 1915, the club moved away from La Boca for the only time in its history, moving to Wilde in the Avellaneda Partido of the Buenos Aires Province but a relatively poor season and poor attendances in 1915 forced them to move back to La Boca.
On 25 May 1916, Boca opened their new stadium at the intersection of Calle Ministro Brin and Calle Senguel, playing there until 1924 when they moved to their current location on Calle Brandsen and Calle Del Crucero.
Construction work on the concrete structure of their current stadium started in 1938 under the supervision of Engineer José L.Delpini. Boca played their home matches in the Ferrocarril Oeste ground in Caballito until it was completed in 1940. A third level was added in 1953, giving the ground its nickname La Bombonera ('The Chocolate Box'). The stand opposite the Casa Amarilla railway platforms remained mostly undeveloped until 1996, when it was upgraded with new balconies and VIP boxes. Three sides of the Bombonera are made up of traditional sloping stadium stands, but the fourth side had to be built vertically, with several seating areas stacked one on top of the other, to stay within the stadium's property. La Bombonera is renowned for vibrating when fans start to jump in rhythm; in particular, the unique vertical side will sway slightly, leading to the phrase, "the Bombonera does not tremble. It beats." (La Bombonera no tiembla. Late.)
The Bombonera currently has a capacity of around 49,000. The club's popularity make tickets hard to come by, especially for the Superclasico game against River Plate. There are further improvements planned for the stadium, including measures to ease crowd congestion, use of new technology and improved corporate facilities.
- Dársena Sud : 1908–12
- Wilde : 1914–15
- Brins y Sengüel : 1916–24
- Brandsen : 1924–
Read more about this topic: Boca Juniors
Famous quotes containing the word stadium:
“It’s no accident that of all the monuments left of the Greco- Roman culture the biggest is the ballpark, the Colosseum, the Yankee Stadium of ancient times.”
—Walter Wellesley (Red)
“In their eyes I have seen
the pin men of madness in marathon trim
race round the track of the stadium pupil.”
—Patricia K. Page (b. 1916)
“The final upshot of thinking is the exercise of volition, and of this thought no longer forms a part; but belief is only a stadium of mental action, an effect upon our nature due to thought, which will influence future thinking.”
—Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)