Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Encyclopedia
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Scotiabank is a multi-purpose stadium
in Alajuela
, Costa Rica
. It is currently used mostly for football
matches and is the home stadium of L.D. Alajuelense. The stadium is owned and operated by La Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and is located in El Llano de Alajuela. The project to find a proper site for a permanent home started in 1938 when the director of the club, Carlos Bolaños, proposed that the club should purchase its own land. The land was purchased in 1940, but the site would not be soccer-ready until 1942, when Alajuelense played its first match at the site. The first game was played on January 18, 1942 when Liga Deportiva Alajuelense played Club Sport Cartagines. The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto is known as the Cathedral of Costa Rican Soccer.
On July 20, 1966, due to a motion by the Municipality of Alajuela, the stadium was renamed to honor the great Alajuelense and Barcelona
player Alejandro Morera Soto
. On March 19, 1970 the stadium saw its first night game when Alajuelense faced Honduras Club team Motagua, beating them 4-1. The stadium is not only home to Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, but it is also shares itself along with Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
and Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica as the home of the Costa Rican National team.
The stadium holds 17,895 people. Named under Alejandro Morera Soto, known as "El Mago del Balon", former player of LD Alajuelense
, FC Barcelona
and Hércules CF
. Morera is one of the best and most important players in the Costa Rican soccer history.
One of the few concerts the stadium received was Elton John
during his tour "Made in England" in November 1995. Also, Korn
and P.O.D.
offered a joint concert at the stadium in 2010.
The stadium received two WWE
house shows, the first was a SmackDown show held on February 13, 2010. A second show was a RAW
show, held on February 25, 2011.
It is also the host stadium of the 2010 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.
On July 3, 2011, the stadium name was changed from "Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto" to "Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Scotiabank", due to a newly acquired sponsor from Scotiabank to the team.
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in Alajuela
Alajuela
Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. It is also the capital of the namesake province. Because of its location in the Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays englobed in the conurbation of Great Metropolitan Area...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It is currently used mostly for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches and is the home stadium of L.D. Alajuelense. The stadium is owned and operated by La Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and is located in El Llano de Alajuela. The project to find a proper site for a permanent home started in 1938 when the director of the club, Carlos Bolaños, proposed that the club should purchase its own land. The land was purchased in 1940, but the site would not be soccer-ready until 1942, when Alajuelense played its first match at the site. The first game was played on January 18, 1942 when Liga Deportiva Alajuelense played Club Sport Cartagines. The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto is known as the Cathedral of Costa Rican Soccer.
On July 20, 1966, due to a motion by the Municipality of Alajuela, the stadium was renamed to honor the great Alajuelense and Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
player Alejandro Morera Soto
Alejandro Morera Soto
Alejandro Morera Soto was a Costa Rican football player, who played as a striker mostly for LD Alajuelense in the Costa Rican Primera División...
. On March 19, 1970 the stadium saw its first night game when Alajuelense faced Honduras Club team Motagua, beating them 4-1. The stadium is not only home to Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, but it is also shares itself along with Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá is one of the main sports stadiums in Costa Rica. It is located in San Juan de Tibás, San José. With a capacity of 24,000, it has one of the highest capacity stadiums in the country. The stadium is the home of Deportivo Saprissa, and was named in honour of the team's...
and Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica as the home of the Costa Rican National team.
The stadium holds 17,895 people. Named under Alejandro Morera Soto, known as "El Mago del Balon", former player of LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
, FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Hércules CF
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
. Morera is one of the best and most important players in the Costa Rican soccer history.
One of the few concerts the stadium received was Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
during his tour "Made in England" in November 1995. Also, Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
offered a joint concert at the stadium in 2010.
The stadium received two WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
house shows, the first was a SmackDown show held on February 13, 2010. A second show was a RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
show, held on February 25, 2011.
It is also the host stadium of the 2010 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.
On July 3, 2011, the stadium name was changed from "Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto" to "Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Scotiabank", due to a newly acquired sponsor from Scotiabank to the team.