Coliseum Alfonso Pérez – stadium description

When was Getafe CF's new stadium built?

At the end of 1996, Getafe CF's former home, Campo Municipal de Las Margaritas, was demolished to make way for a housing development. The team had to move temporarily to Estadio Juan de la Cierva, but the city was already in the process of constructing a new stadium for the club at a cost of 801 million pesetas.

When was the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez opened?

The first match at the new venue took place on 30th August 1998, with the hosts suffering a 0:1 defeat to Talavera CF in the first leg of the 1998/99 Segunda División B season. The official opening of the stadium, however, took place on 2nd September 1998, with a friendly against Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Feyenoord Rotterdam. The first full capacity crowd was then gathered in the auditorium.

What has been happening at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez?

It was named after Getafe's most famous player, Alfonso Pérez, although in his professional career he never represented his hometown. The stadium has witnessed some of Getafe CF's greatest successes, including its historic promotion to the Primera División in 2004 and its European club football debut in 2007. It has also occasionally played host to national teams, and on 20th May 2010 it hosted the UEFA Women's Champions League final (Turbine Potsdam - Olympique Lyon 0:0, 7:6).

What does Coliseum Alfonso Pérez look like?

Situated in Getafe, a southern suburb of Madrid next to the M-45 motorway, the stadium has a football-specific stand layout, with a lower ring surrounding the pitch on all sides. The arena originally had upper stands on the west, north and east sides and could hold 14,500 spectators.

In 2005, shortly after Getafe CF's historic promotion to the top division, a second storey was added, also behind the south goal, increasing the capacity of the arena to 16,500 spectators, and the old roof on the west grandstand was replaced with a new one that now covers the entire upper tier. Four floodlight masts are located in the corners of the stadium and a digital scoreboard is situated behind the north stand.

How Coliseum Alfonso Pérez compares to other LaLiga stadiums?