Estadio Nacional Rod Carew – stadium description

How was Panama's national baseball stadium built?

Baseball is Panama's most popular sport. For many years, the country's main baseball venue was the Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, opened in 1938 in conjunction with the hosting of the 4th Central American and Caribbean Games. In the 1990s, efforts began to build a new facility to take over as Panama's primary baseball arena.

The initiative was led by the Stadium Building Committee, led by David Menasche. The president of the country, Ernesto Pérez Balladares, was a supporter of the construction and the preliminary plans were presented to him on February 1, 1995. Fundraising began, with contributions from the government, private companies, pre-sales of skybox seats and donations from ordinary citizens.

Construction began on March 17, 1997 with Carla De Bello as the chief architect. Work lasted more than two years and the opening took place on July 31, 1999. There were also plans to carry out a second phase of construction, which would have included the addition of stands that would have almost closed the circle around the playing field and increased the capacity of the stadium to 40,000 spectators, but this did not happen in the end.

What events does Estadio Nacional host Rod Carew?

The venue, as intended, has become the most important baseball arena in the country. It hosts the games of the baseball teams of the capital metropolitan area and the finals of the most important national competitions. The Panama baseball team also plays here. The stadium hosted, among others, games of the baseball tournament at the IX Central American Games in 2010, as well as some of the games (including the final) of the last edition of the baseball world championship, played in 2011.

The arena is also occasionally used for football games, having converted the baseball field into a football one. Local clubs and national teams have played at the venue. In October 2002, the stadium witnessed the first ever promotion of Panama's youth national team to the U-20 World Cup, which took place in 2003 in the United Arab Emirates. The venue also hosts other sports, such as American football, as well as non-sporting events such as concerts (Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, among others, have performed here).

What does the Estadio Nacional Rod Carew look like?

The venue has semi-circular, two-storey stands with a capacity of 27,000 spectators. The second tier of stands has a canopy, and in the central part it is divided by a pavilion with VIP boxes, press seats, etc. Just beyond the end of the playing field is a secondary facility, with much more modest stands, called Estadio Leon Felipe Mota. The main facility is named after Rod Carew, the first Panamanian baseball player honored with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The stadium is also nicknamed El coloso de Cerro Patacón. The arena is located approx. 10 km north of the capital's centre.