Estadio George Capwell
| Estadio George Capwell | |
|---|---|
| La Caldera | |
|
|
| The Estadio George Capwell as the stadium reopened on February 8, 2017 | |
| Data | |
| place | General Gómez 1312 y Av. Quito Guayaquil 090315, Ecuador
|
| Coordinates | 2 ° 12 '23.8 " S , 79 ° 53' 37.5" W |
| owner | CS Emelec |
| operator | CS Emelec |
| start of building | June 24, 1943 |
| opening | October 21, 1945 |
| First game |
Opening: December 2, 1945 CS Emelec - Selection Manta - Bahía 5: 4 Reopening: February 8, 2017 CS Emelec - New York City FC 2: 2 |
| Renovations | 1989–1991, 1999, 2005–2006, 2015–2017 |
| surface | Hybrid lawn |
| costs | 2 million sucre (1943) 1.8 billion sucre (1989) |
| architect | Ricardo Mórtola di Puglia Luis Valero Brando (1989) Ricardo Mórtola di Puglia (2014) |
| capacity | 40,000 seats |
| playing area | 105 × 68 m |
| Societies) | |
|
|
| Events | |
The Estadio George Capwell (full name: Estadio George Lewis Capwell ) is a football stadium in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil . The football club CS Emelec ( Serie A ) owns the facility and uses it for the club's home games. The stadium is named after the club's founder, US entrepreneur George Lewis Capwell. The building is located in the city, in the middle of residential buildings, near the Río Guayas . It is nicknamed La Caldera ( German Der Kessel ).
history
George Lewis Capwell was the director of the electricity company Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador (EMELEC), after which the association is named. He is not only the namesake, but also the initiator of the stadium construction. In December 1940, the city of Guayaquil approved the rental of a plot of land, four blocks in size, for the new building. On September 8, 1942, the municipality donated the site to the association. On October 15 of that year, the National Congress of Ecuador approved the donation. On July 24, 1943, the foundation stone was laid for the new home of CS Emelec. After around 27 months, the opening was celebrated on October 21, 1945. At that time the construction cost two million sucre . Unusually, the facility was inaugurated not with a soccer game, but with a baseball game. The first football game took place on December 2, 1945. The CS Emelec met a selection by Manta - Bahía and won 5: 4. The venue celebrated its international premiere at the Campeonato Sudamericano in 1947 (today: Copa América ). From November 30th to December 31st, all 28 games of the tournament were played at the Estadio George Capwell.
In the next few decades there was little structural work in the stadium. In the late 1970s, the Estadio George Capwell was so dilapidated that the club tried to sell the stadium in 1978. Four years later again, but all attempts were prevented by fans, the city and journalists. An extensive renovation of the facility did not begin until 1989. A new grandstand was created in the south with 150 boxes . A number that was still rare at the time. The renovation continued until 1991 and cost 1.8 billion sucre. In 1993 the Estadio George Capwell was a venue for the Copa America . In 1999 the stadium was supplemented by a two-storey new building in the east with 32 boxes. This was another step in bringing the stadium to 45,000 seats. From 2005 to 2006 a new west stand was built with 8,000 standing places.
In February 2014, CS Emelec presented plans for a self-financed renovation and expansion of the stadium. The costs are estimated at 17 million US dollars estimated. Since the stadium is surrounded by streets, there was little opportunity to expand the area of the venue. The main focus was placed on a new construction of the north stand, which had been in existence since 1945. The renovation began on January 28, 2015 when the audience was demolished. The new building in the north was laid out on two floors with seats and above it are three rows with 124 boxes. With the additional lodges in the north, the number is expected to rise to 304. Renting the boxes should bring in half of the construction costs. In addition, the facades of the other tiers were aligned, the roofs, the comfort for the audience and the access routes improved. At the end of the redesign, the Estadio George Capwell will offer 40,000 seats.
On February 8, 2017, the converted home of Club Sport Emelec was officially reopened in front of 40,000 spectators with a game against the American football franchise New York City FC from Major League Soccer (MLS).
In 2023 the Copa América will take place in Ecuador again. The modernized Estadio George Capwell would be a possible venue for the tournament.
Web links
- emelec.com.ec: Stadium on the CS Emelec website (Spanish)
- stadiumdb.com: Estadio George Lewis Capwell (English)
- stadiumdb.com: Estadio Capwell (English)
- skyscrapercity.com: site for stadium remodeling (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ stadiumdb.com: Estadio George Lewis Capwell (English)
- ↑ skyscrapercity.com: Start of renovation work (Spanish)
- ↑ stadiumdb.com: New design: Stunning expansion of Estadio Capwell Article from February 13, 2014 (English)
- ↑ hudsonriverblue.com: New York City FC 2, CS Emelec 2: Okoli, Stertzer strike late in Guayaquil article from February 9, 2017 (English)