Estadio San Martín de Porres
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| Full name | Estadio Alberto Gallardo |
|---|---|
| Location | Lima, Peru |
| Owner | Instituto Peruano del Deporte |
| Operator | Sporting Cristal |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1960s |
| Renovated | 1995 |
| Tenants | |
| Sporting Cristal | |
Estadio Alberto Gallardo is a football stadium in the Rimac District of Lima, Peru, current home ground of the football club Sporting Cristal. The stadium was built in the 1960s along the Rímac River for local football use and originally named Estadio San Martín de Porres. Many clubs playing in the Primera División, Segunda División, and district leagues of San Martín de Porres were among the many tenants the stadium had. In 1995, Sporting Cristal—one of the regular first division tenants of the stadium—decided to lease the venue from the Instituto Peruano del Deporte. The club recently signed a new lease contract for 10 years and will expire in 2022. The stadium itself has hosted few high-risk matches due to the limited access to the stadium and the low capacity of 18,000.
The stadium was built in the 1960s for the practice of football in Lima. The venue was regularly used for matches in the Segunda División and the district leagues of Lima. In 1979, Sporting Cristal began to host its home matches in the San Martín de Porres and again in 1983. In the middle of 1995, Sporting Cristal signed an agreement with the Instituto Peruano de Deportes which would lease the stadium to the club. The club then invested $200 thousand in the stadium for renovations which included grass imported from the Netherlands. On 24 September 1995, the stadium re-opened its doors to a first division match between Sporting Cristal and Cienciano, where Cristal defeated Cienciano 6–0.
The stadium had a total capacity of 16,000 spectators in its four stands. However, the southern stand overlooks the cliff of the Rímac River. This stand is never open to the public and in practice the stadium's capacity is 15,000 spectators. The restriction of this stand has prevented high-risk matches from being hosted in recent times, notably against rivals Alianza Lima and Universitario de Deportes which are customarily played in the Estadio Nacional. In 2010, Sporting Cristal took advantage of the ongoing renovation of the Estadio Nacional to play rivals Alianza and Universitario in their home stadium. In May 2012, Sporting Cristal was able to legally change the name of the stadium from Estadio San Martín de Porres to Estadio Alberto Gallardo, which is the name of an iconic former player of the club following the signing of the new ten-year lease.
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