Estádio Moisés Lucarelli – stadium description

Though little-known to today’s football fans worldwide, this stadium in Campinas has a very interesting and rich history, once being among Brazil’s most impressive. And, very significantly, it remains one of very few 100%-privately built stadiums in the country.

The dream launched already in 1900 began coming to fruition thanks to Moyses Lucarelli, entrepreneur and leader of Ponte Preta football club. In 1940s he launched various campaigns to raise funds and other resources. Notably, in 1946 in just two months the club gather a quarter million bricks in a ‘Caravan of 250,000 bricks’ action. This along other donations allowed for construction to begin in 1947. Within a year the first game was possible to take place, though construction only finished in 1960!

Upon opening the stadium could accommodate 35,000 people, becoming the third largest across Brazil and earning the nickname Majestoso (Majestic). And while its size wasn’t impressive for long with the new 1950 World Cup venues, the nickname prevailed.

The walls existing to this day, especially the impressive art deco eastern gate, are the very same that were built in 1947-1960, even if renovated several times. Inside the history proved a slight burden as the old audience layout puts fans behind goals far away from the pitch. Recent years saw Ponte Preta use this situation to provide… 38 parking spaces between fans and the pitch in the east.

Interestingly, the man behind Ponte Preta’s private stadium refused to become the stadium’s patron. It wasn’t until he left the country temporarily that other stakeholders secretly wrote his name into the stadium’s, also changing the original spelling (Moises instead of Moyses).