San Mamés (Bilbao)

San Mamés (also known as Nuevo San Mamés or San-Mamés Barria) is the all-seater local football stadium in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. Opening on September 16, 2013, the stadium replaced the “old” San Mames as the home of Athletic Bilbao.

Basic information

Official website: http://www.bilbaostadium.com/ 

Arena capacity: 53,289 spectators

Address: Rafael Moreno Pitxitxi, s/n, 48013 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 43 ° 15′51 ″ N 2 ° 57′01 ″ W 

Year Built: August 25, 2014 

Construction cost: €211 million

Field: a lawn measuring 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)

Plan seating San Mames

As with most modern European stadiums, San Mamés has a bowl with a continuous fit, which runs along the perimeter of the field. This is a noticeable change compared to what you are used to in England, where each stand usually has its own structure and one on each side of the field. Here is a guide to each section.

Tribuna Principal — As the name suggests, this is considered the main stand at the stadium. It contains dugouts, player tunnels, locker rooms and much more.

Tribuna Norte — Like the rest of the land, it has a two-level structure, each level of which is divided by a section of executive chairs. This stand, located beyond the northern target, gathers the most ardent fans of Bilbao.

Tribuna Este — Located directly opposite the Tribuna Principal and with a similar design, the left edge of the upper tier was part of the land that was not finished until the old stadium was demolished.

Tribuna Sur — The South Stand is almost identical to its Northern counterpart. As with the Tribuna Este, the right side of the upper level was not built when the ground first opened in 2013.

Where to buy tickets?

Atletico Bilbao is a club that follows the same model as Barcelona, ​​and is partially owned by supporters. These “participants” receive tickets at a special price, while the general population is asking to pay more. How much you have to pay will depend entirely on your age and the place in the stadium where you would like to sit.

Places in the Tribuna Principal will cost you, for example, from 40 to 110 euros, if you are an adult. If you prefer to visit Sur Baja in Tribuna Norte, you will pay between 30 and 60 euros. The cheapest tickets are on the Tribune Norte Sur Alta for the same price of 30 euros, and the most expensive — up to 80 euros. You can get a discount if you have a concession, but the size of the discount is not clear.

How to get tickets for Atletico Bilbao

Without a doubt, the best place to get tickets is through the club’s official website. It is rather problematic, however, they will not go on sale two days before the game. If you are in the city and do not have Internet access, you can get tickets at the stadium itself or through ATMs of any kutxabanks that you will find in this place.

How to get there?

Bilbao is located in the Basque region of Spain, in the northern part of the country. Here are some of the usual methods you could use to get there and then to the stadium itself.

Train

A trip from London to Bilbao will take about thirteen hours. You will travel from the English capital to the French, and then take the domestic train to Bayonne. You will then receive a bus that will take you across the border to Bilbao.

When it comes to the stadium, you need to either take the train to Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, or take the metro station San Mamés, which is located right on the ground.

Bus

There are more than forty bus routes in Bilbao. All the services BAI, DG01, DG02, DO01 and DO03 call near the stadium of San Mamés, and others are likely to be available if you want to talk with the locals.

Car

Drive along the A8 motorway until you see exit 117. There you can see where you are heading, but keep an eye on the stadium or from the signs to it.

By plane

Bilbao Airport is just ten miles from the city center. You can get a bus from there th e center of the city quite easily.

Taxi

A taxi from the center of Bilbao to the earth will only take about five minutes and should not cost you more than six or seven euros.

Parking near San Mames

Parking for the general public is not provided, parking spaces at the entrance are occupied by VIPs and club guests. Given that the stadium is so close to the center of Bilbao, it is best for you to park and take a walk.

San Mames Hotels

Bilbao is a beautiful city that is the heart of the Basque region of Spain. Consequently, there are many hotels to choose from when you visit for football. Here are some of our top picks.

Zenit Bilbao — £ 55 +

C / Autonomía, 58, Bilbao, Vizcaya, 48012

Zenith is a four star hotel that has a restaurant and bar. It is located about fifteen minutes from the Guggenheim Museum, possibly Bilbao’s most famous landmark. It is also about half a mile from the stadium, and offers self parking, a business — Centre and free Wi-Fi.

Barcelo Bilbao Nervion — £ 70 +

Paseo Campo Volantin 11, Bilbao, Vizcaya, 48007

About a mile from the ground is this member of the Barceló hotel chain. It has 350 rooms, so there is a good chance that you can stay there if you want. It has a fitness center, conference room and restaurant, as well as a bar and self parking. If you like to surf the Internet, you will be pleased to know that you have free Wi-Fi.

Hotel Miro — £ 90 +

Alameda Mazarredo 77, Bilbao, Bizkaia, 48009

Hotel Miro is just five minutes from the Guggenheim and about half a mile from San Mames. It offers free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour fitness center and spa. There is also a bar where you can enjoy a relaxing drink after the match.

Pubs and Bars Near San Mames

Spain is always good for drinking with sangria and paella, ready to eat at any time. Here are some of our favorite pint spots before the match.

Building Kirol & Bar

Urkixo Zumarkalea, 73, 48013, Bilbao

KIROL is the definition of a sports bar, with loads of different TVs scattered around a place, covering as many sports as possible. If they don’t show the event you want to watch, just ask the bar staff and they will do it for you if they can. In addition to numerous drinks, you can also have a bite to eat if you want.

El Dinamico

Poza Lizentziatuaren Kalea, 45, 48009, Bilbao

Not a sports bar, but still worth a visit. El Dinamico promises the best home burger in all of Bilbao. By “home” we mean that they mean that they are made indoors, not in the chef’s house, and then brought back, but you will never know. A lot of drinks are available here, and there is also a good atmosphere.

Peña Athletic Casco Viejo

Pelota Kalea, 7, 48005, Bilbao

La Peña Athletic de Bilbao, founded in 1973 by a group of supporters of Athletic Bilbao, is a restaurant with the shameless Bilbao style. Of course, there are many memorabilia scattered throughout the place, and they show every match live. The food is delicious and there are many drink options for you too.

Facilities

UEFA classifies the stadium as “Elite”, so this should give you an idea of ​​what to expect from your visit there. Great views open from all over the stadium, there are wonderful wide and safe rooms, as well as many places where you can buy a drink or a snack.

Hospitality

A whole series of VIP seats runs along the perimeter of the field and divides the two tiers of the stadium. In addition, there are numerous halls and rooms that welcome those who love hospitality. For more information about what exactly you can expect from your visit, it is best to contact the club directly.

Private rental

As with hospitality packages, if you want to know what conferences and meetings you can hold in San Mames, then leave the club on the line. What we can tell you is that there are several conference rooms and boxes in which you can place anything from a small meeting to a full presentation.

Completion

The first match at the stadium in full force was on August 27, 2014 in the Champions League playoff match against Napoli, in which 49 017 people took part. Athletic won with a score of 3:1 to go to the start stage.

Roof extension

Since the opening of the stadium, fans have often expressed their displeasure on the roof, which did not protect all places from the often rainy conditions of Bilbao. By the end of the season 2015-16, during the summer holidays and at the beginning of 2016-17, add-ons worth €12.6 million were added to the roof, which is estimated to increase efficiency against damp weather by 70%.

Finally, work was completed on November 20, 2016, and the expansion of the roof was fully functional in a 1-0 victory over Villarreal in the La Liga match. The lack of sunlight on the field from the roof is compensated by internal lighting modules that support the condition and growth of the lawn, and this system is used in other Spanish stadiums.

Stadium features

Outside the stadium is equipped with a sophisticated lighting system that can be programmed so that it is lit on the front panel (that day are white) solid colors or show flashing or moving graphics. For example, when the target is clogged, or based on Star Ball of the UEFA Champions League when Athletic will participate in this competition. In this regard, it has similarities with the Allianz Arena in Munich.

It is also located closer to Nervion than its predecessor, overlooking the river from a high bank. Its elevated position is a striking image of the stadium, especially under lighting.

The stadium also was equipped with a giant external video screen (15.5 x 9.8 m), located in a prominent place in the same place where in the original San Mamez there was a large club coat of arms. It overlooks Pozas, the street leading to the stadium from the city center, which is a popular walking route for fans on match days and lined with athletic bars.

It is a club tradition when team captains visiting the Athletic Ground for the first time pay tribute to the fallen idol of their early age, Pichichi, leaving a bouquet of flowers at the player’s bust. In the old stadium, this was located near the directors ‘box. Despite fears that this iconic feature may not occur in the new stadium, a suitable place was found at the entrance to the players’ tunnel, which allowed us to continue the tradition in the new place from 2013.

In August 2017, Athletic opened its new museum at the stadium. This feature has been missing since the closure of the old stadium more than four years ago.