Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium

RAMÓN SÁNCHEZ-PIZJUÁN STADIUM

Christened on the 7th of September 1958 in a friendly against Real Jaén, its construction responded to the new demands of football, providing the commodities and capacities that the ancient ground of Nervión could not satisfy.

The idea for its construction had been planted two decades before, when the purchase of land and an adjacent plot in Nervión was negotiated for the construction of the new stadium. D. Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán held the office of Chairman at the time and was the primary proponent of the project.

In 1954, Sevilla FC held a contest for construction ideas. The winner was Manuel Muñoz Monasterio, who had built the Santiago Bernabeu and Mestalla years before. His proposal – eventually approved – consisted of a stadium with a capacity of 70,329 supporters.

The sudden death of Sánchez-Pizjuán in 1956 prevented the Chairman from witnessing his dream come to life, though Chairmen who succeeded him did not fall short of the mark and set the construction of the stadium in motion. It would be first used incomplete, with upper sections in the north and south of the stadium missing, and part of the west stand out of action.

Over the course of the 58/59 season the West Stand would be finished. One year later, the stadium would see its first game with artificial lighting against Bayern Munich. It was only in 1975 that the upper sections of the North and South stands were completed.

In 1982, owing to legal regulations, the stadium’s capacity was reduced to 66,000 spectators, with a large part of the stadium remodelled to host the World Cup semi-final of France vs. Germany. Changes made included: the removal of fences, the construction of walkways, the installation of a roof over the West Stand and construction of the West Stand’s mosaic – brought to life by Santiago del Campo.

On the 21st of April 1986, the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium would host the European Cup final between FC Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest.

One decade later, UEFA enacted a decree which obliged all stadiums to become all-seaters, meaning the Sánchez-Pizjuán’s capacity was reduced dramatically to 43,000 spectators.

In 2015, another integral remodelling would begin: the adjustment of the colour of the seats, the covering of exterior stands with metal facades and LEDs, the renovation of refreshment stalls and toilets, the replacement of fences with glass panels, the renovation of the away changing room and referees’ changing room, the installation of two new scoreboards, the expansion of the lower East Stand, etc. To this day, renovation works continue.

Finally, it should be remembered that the Spanish National Team have never lost a match in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, since their first fixture in 1961 to their latest in 2015. In total, the team has played 25 matches at the stadium, with a record of 20 wins and 5 draws.