Athletic Bilbao - San Mames - Capacity: 39,750 All Seater
The Stadium – San Mames Filipe Serrate s/n, Bilbao 48009
The San Mames stadium is often referred to as the Cathedral of Bilbao, so much is the affection the city’s people have with the club. Whilst the crowds have fallen over the years, the atmosphere is still there, and for those big games with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and the Basque derby with Real Sociedad, the crowd really rise to the occasion.
Athletic average around 37,000, with sell out’s against the big two and the Basque teams (Sociedad, Santandar and Alaves) a given on a season-by-season basis. The stadium was opened in 1913 and is now Spain’s oldest stadium. The stands sit snugly to the pitch, giving the appearance that the fans are almost touching the players. Today the defining feature is the white arch that sits above the main stand (The Preferencia) and can be seen across the city. The home fans congregate in the north stand.
The stadium has undergone a number of redevelopments in its 90-year history, most notably the rebuilding of three stands in time for the 1982 World Cup when the stadium hosted England’s three group games versus France, Czechoslovakia and Kuwait. More recently plans have been approved to completely rebuild the North, West and South stands taking the capacity to over 50,000. The views from all parts of the stadium are excellent, although it may be worth avoiding the first few rows as the stands are built below pitch level.
The club has a small museum and trophy room that is open to the public and can be accessed through gates 26 and 27 daily except Monday’s. Tours are also available of the stadium four times a day – costing €6.
Who Plays There? Athletic Club Bilbao are one of the proudest and most traditional clubs in the whole of Europe. Their identity and principals have not changed at all in their 93-year history despite the game evolving constantly around them. They still stick by their rule that only players with roots traceable back to the Basque country can pull on the famous Red and White striped shirts (known as Cantara). They also do not have a sponsors name on the shirt that, Barcelona apart, is unheard of in modern football. Finally, they have refused to change their name despite the pressures of the Franco regime during the 1960’s and 1970’s to the Spanish version – Athletico.
In fact the club’s refusal to change their name is not as a finger’s up salute to the central Castilian ruling of the country – but more to do with their origins. As a major port in the 19th century, Bilbao had many sailors visiting from abroad. One such group, from Sunderland and Southampton brought the game of football to the region and helped set up the first football club in the city. Of course they decided to adopt the red and white striped shirts of their teams back in England.
At the same time the locals decided to form their own team, know as the Athletic team. In 1902 the two teams merged under the name Club Vizcaya and entered the Copa del Rey, and beating the famous Barcelona in the final to bring home the trophy. More honours soon followed, including 10 further Cup titles before the 1920’s had finished.
In 1930 the club completed a famous League and Cup double, and repeated the feat in 1931 and 1933 under English coach Fred Pentland. With the start of the Spanish Civil War, the club were forced to adopt the name Athletico Bilbao. This spurred the club on further and they captured further honours with the league title in 1943 as well as seven more Copa del Ray titles between 1943 and 1958.
With the death of Franco in the 1970’s the club began to regain its traditional roots. In 1977 after reverting back to Athletic Bilbao the club reached their first European final, losing on away goals to Juventus in the UEFA Cup final. The golden period for the club came in 1981 when Javier Clemente was appointed manager. Less than two years later the club won the La Liga title, and followed it up with the League, Copa del Ray and Supercopa titles in 1984.
All too recently the story has been one of under achievement. A big fanfare was made of the appointment of Howard Kendall in the mid 1980’s but he could not repeat his success he had at Everton. Louis Fernandez had limited success – taking the club to 2nd in 1998 and thus giving the club their first shot at the Champions League where they finished bottom of a weak group containing Juventus, Galatasarary and Rosenborg with just one win from six games.
The new millennium has brought troubles on and off the pitch with a string of managers being unable to rise to the high expectations of the home fans. Javier Clemente has brought back in during 2005 when the club were bottom of the league, and he worked his magic again to keep them in La Liga to fight another day. For the 2006/07 season the club have promoted from within as Felix Sarriugarte has taken the hot seat.
How to get to the San Mames The stadium is located close to the city centre, around a 10-minute walk westwards. With loads of bars lining the streets close to the stadium, allow yourself a good hour to get into the mood for the game. Alternatively, the stadium has its own stop on the fantastic Sir Norman Foster designed metro system that is just two stops from Moyua in the centre of the city. Close by the south end of the stadium is the bus station that is where you’ll tend to arrive from San Sebastian, Vitoria and Santandar.
For a more detailed map of the city and where the stadium is, go to Footiemap.com to access their excellent Bilbao map.
How to get a ticket for the San Mames Tickets go on sale for most home games 7 days before the match. Initially tickets are sold to members only from the ticket office at the ground – although it is free to register online to become a member. Tickets are available for most areas of the group – although the hardcore fans tend to take all the seats in the Fondu Norte. A good bet is a ticket in the Lateral 2nd Graderia, which should cost around €35. At the moment you are not able to book tickets online.
Around the San Mames The San Mames sits close to the city centre of Bilbao, and is walkable within 10 minutes. Around the ground to the east are hundreds of bars and cafés where fans meet and discuss the game before and after the match. Click here to buy a full guide to Bilbao.
Getting around Bilbao is a compact city, with most of the attractions, bars and restaurants concentrated around a number of small areas. Most of the city is walk able – for instance the San Mames is around a 15 minute walk from the main station. However, there is also a metro system with a couple of lines, supplemented by a new tram line that runs along the river side from the Guggenheim. Single tickets are €1.15 or a day pass is €3.
Bilbao’s smart modern airport is one of the most pleasing to the eye in Europe, having been redesigned by Santiago Calatrava in 2000. Located in a lush green valley around 6 miles north west of the city centre, it is served daily by Easyjet from London Stansted as well as a code share flight from London Heathrow operated by British Airways and Iberia. The Bizkaibus 3247 bus runs every 30 minutes from outside the arrivals door to Plaza Moyúa in the centre of town and costs €1.20 each way. A Taxi will cost around €18.
The Stadium – San Mames
Who Plays There?