Cagliari - The Sant'Ella - Capacity: 23,486 All Seater
About the Sant’Ella The Sant’Ella is one of a few stadiums built during the past thirty years or so that today look and feel very dated. After Cagliari Calcio surprised the footballing world by winning the Serie A title in 1970, the local council built the Sant’Ella on the outskirts of the town, in the hope of bringing glory on a more regular basis to the island. Unfortunately their ambitions were never realised, and the club fell into Serie B during the 1970’s and did not return for nearly 30 years.
The stadium was constructed as a multi-sports venue with an athletics track that today is hardly used. Within a few seasons the few thousand that were regularly coming to watch games here felt very lonely and isolated. In 1985 when it was announced that Italy would host the 1990 World Cup, the local government wined and dined the organising committee and were rewarded with a place for the stadium at the tournament. The stadium received a multi-billion Lira facelift, with new seats in the main stands, and improvements made to the terraced areas. The stadium went on to host all three of England’s group games in front of sell out crowds. The venue was chosen specifically for the English fans whose reputation meant that the Italian Police wanted to isolated them as much as possible.
Today the stadium capacity has been reduced to make the arena all seater. Views are not particularly good due to the running track, and only the Tribuna stand is covered. Plans have been drawn up for further work to redevelop the stadium, and improve sightlines but do not expect this work to start in the near future.
Who plays there? Since regaining a place amongst the elite in 2004, Cagliari have waged a constant war against relegation, with a backdrop of continuous changes in the coaching area. Last season the club averaged just over 10,000.
How to get there Bus line 6 runs from the north of the town centre, past the railway station, terminating on the east side of the stadium every 20 minutes, more regularly prior to a game. The Stadium is accessible on foot as well – simply follow Viale Cristofor Colombo out to the south east of the city along the waters edge and this road will eventually become Viale Salvatore Ferrara and will pass around the stadium. Allow 20 minutes to walk from the port area.
For a better view on who plays where in the island, go to Footiemap.com.
Getting a ticket With Cagliari seeming to hang onto their Serie A status on the last day of the season on an annual basis, locals have become disillusioned with the poor football and constant change in coaches and have stayed away in most instances. The arrival in town of Juventus or AC will bring the neutrals out but in most instances tickets are not hard to come by. They can be purchased from the stadium or from the club shops in Viale la Playa 15 or Via Ariosto 26. They are also sold in a number of bars throughout the town – check http://www.cagliaricalcio.net for more details. Alternatively you can use http://www.ticketone.it to purchase a seat in advance.
Ticket prices are actually quite reasonable compared to other Serie A clubs. The most expensive tickets are in the Tribuna Centrale or Banco di Sardegna stand which are €52, whilst the Curva seats are €12. The Distinti stand, whilst being uncovered are good value at €32.
Getting around The best way to get around town, as well as to some of the fabulous beach resorts such as Pula is to use the CTM buses which run outwards from the central station. The are plans underway to build a metro line that will hopefully alleviate the crippling traffic. Single bus tickets are €1.
Since the recent upgrade of the terminal facilities at the Elmas, passenger numbers have grown to the 2.5m mark on an annual basis, mainly thanks to the increase in charter flights during the warm summer months. The airport is well served from the UK. BMI fly here daily from London Heathrow and Manchester, British Airways from London Gatwick and Easyjet from London Luton. The airport is linked to the town centre by a ARST bus that runs twice an hour and costs less than €1 each way.
About the Sant’Ella