José Amalfitani Stadium
| El Fortín | |
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| Full name | Estadio José Amalfitani |
|---|---|
| Location | Avenida Juan B. Justo, 8900, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Coordinates | 34°38′7.35″S 58°31′14.56″W / 34.6353750°S 58.5207111°W |
| Owner | Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield |
| Capacity | 49,540 |
| Field size | 105 x 70 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1947-51 |
| Opened | 22 April 1951 |
| Expanded | 1978 |
| Tenants | |
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Vélez Sársfield 1943– Jaguares 2016- |
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Vélez Sársfield 1943–
The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station. The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield and is also known as El Fortín de Liniers or Vélez Sarsfield.
The original, temporary stadium was built between 1941 and 1943 in wood, and the current facility was built in cement between 1947 and 1951. It was renovated and enlarged 26 years later in preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The stadium has a capacity of 49,540 spectators, although it does not provide seating for all of them like most Argentine stadia.
The José Amalfitani Stadium is also the national stadium for the Argentina national rugby union team (Los Pumas). Although the team plays test matches throughout the country, their highest-profile tests are usually held here. The newly formed Argentine Super Rugby team, Jaguares, are playing its home games at the stadium.
Before buying the terrain to build the stadium, Vélez Sársfield played their home matches on rented grounds in the neighboring Villa Luro section. The original grounds earned the nickname El Fortín in 1932, for the team's strength playing at home.
After suffering relegation from the Argentine Primera División in 1940, Vélez was sacked from the Villa Luro ground they were renting. Three years later, in 1941, the club obtained the terrain of the current stadium, property of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The ground was a swamp of the Maldonado Stream, where construction was difficult. However, the club's president José Amalfitani led the construction of the first stadium at the site, which was inaugurated on April 11, 1943. The new stadium used the same wood stands from the old Villa Luro stadium, and was inaugurated in a 2–2 draw with River Plate. Vélez striker Juan José Ferraro scored the first goal in the stadium's history (the others were scored by Ángel Fernández for Vélez and Adolfo Pedernera twice for River). The current stadium was inaugurated on April 22, 1951.
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