San Mames Stadium

San Mamés (also known as Nuevo San Mamés or San Mames Barria) is an all-seater football stadium in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. Inaugurated on 16 September 2013, the stadium replaced the "old" San Mamés as the home of Athletic Bilbao. With a capacity of 53,289 seats, San Mamés is the 8th-largest stadium in Spain and the largest in the Basque Country.

Stadium features

The stadium facade by daylight

The stadium is equipped with a sophisticated lighting system on its exterior which can be programmed to illuminate the panels on its facade (which by day are white) in solid colours, or to show flashing or moving graphics (such as when a goal is scored, or the UEFA Champions League star-ball motif when Athletic qualified for that competition). It has similarities in this respect with the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The facade at night, illuminated

It is also situated closer to the Nervión than its predecessor, overlooking the river from a high bank. Its elevated position presents an striking image of the stadium, particularly when illuminated.

Since 2015 the stadium also features a giant external video screen (15.5m X 9.8m), placed in a prominent position at the same point where the original San Mamés featured a large club crest. It looks onto the Pozas, a street running to the stadium from the heart of the city which is a popular walking route for fans on matchdays and is lined with Athletic-themed bars.

External video screen

It is a club tradition for captains of teams visiting the Athletic ground for the first time pay homage to the fallen idol of its early years, Pichichi, by leaving a bouquet of flowers at a bust of the player. In the old stadium, this was situated near the directors' box. Despite concerns that this iconic feature might not be accommodated at the new stadium,[23] a suitable spot was identified at the entrance to the players' tunnel, allowing the tradition to continue at the new location from 2013 onwards.

In August 2017, Athletic opened their new club museum at the stadium.[25][26] The feature had been absent since the closure of the old stadium over four years earlier.