Estádio Municipal de Braga
Encyclopedia
Estádio Municipal de Braga (Braga Municipal Stadium) is a football
stadium
in Braga
, Portugal
, with an all-seated capacity of 30,154, built in 2003 as the new home for local club Sporting Clube de Braga, and as a UEFA Euro 2004 venue. Its architect was Portuguese Eduardo Souto de Moura
. The stadium is also known as A Pedreira (The Quarry), as it is carved into the face of the adjacent Monte Castro quarry
.
Sporting Clube de Braga pays a monthly rent of for the use of the stadium. In July 2007, Sporting de Braga announced a three-year sponsorship deal with French
insurance company AXA
, which included the change of the name by which the club refers to the stadium to Estádio AXA (AXA Stadium). However, the municipality, as landlord, clarified that the stadium had not been officially renamed as this was a deal involving its tenant only.
The stadium was carved from a quarry (Monte Castro) that overlooks the city of Braga. Stands run only along both sides of the pitch. Behind the goal at one end are the rock walls of the quarry and at the other is an open view over the city sprawling in the distance. Each stand is covered with a canopy-style roof, and both are connected to each other across the pitch by dozens of steel strings, a design inspired by ancient South American Inca bridges.
Once inside the stadium, moving from one stand to the other is done through a 5,000 sq.m plaza under the pitch.
The enormous rock moving process contributed heavily to the final €83.1 million cost, the fourth most expensive of the ten new stadia built for Euro 2004, after Estádio da Luz (capacity: 65,647) and Estádio José Alvalade
(capacity: 50,049), both in Lisbon
, and Estádio do Dragão
(capacity: 50,399) in Porto
.
The Stadium is also UEFA
approved to host the UEFA Europa League final as well as participate in the elite competition for Europe
's top clubs, the UEFA Champions League
.
matches were held in the stadium.
’s stadium for Braga in Portugal, a breathtaking arena carved into the side of a rock face on the site of a former quarry".
In 2006 the stadium won the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award for the best new global design.
In 2011 the architect, Eduardo Souto de Moura
, won the Pritzker Prize
.
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...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, with an all-seated capacity of 30,154, built in 2003 as the new home for local club Sporting Clube de Braga, and as a UEFA Euro 2004 venue. Its architect was Portuguese Eduardo Souto de Moura
Eduardo Souto de Moura
-Life and career:Souto de Moura was born in Porto, and studied sculpture before switching to architecture at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, the current FAUP - Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto, and receiving his degree in 1980. From 1974 to 1979 he worked with...
. The stadium is also known as A Pedreira (The Quarry), as it is carved into the face of the adjacent Monte Castro quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
Sporting Clube de Braga pays a monthly rent of for the use of the stadium. In July 2007, Sporting de Braga announced a three-year sponsorship deal with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
insurance company AXA
AXA
AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
, which included the change of the name by which the club refers to the stadium to Estádio AXA (AXA Stadium). However, the municipality, as landlord, clarified that the stadium had not been officially renamed as this was a deal involving its tenant only.
Construction
Once inside the stadium, moving from one stand to the other is done through a 5,000 sq.m plaza under the pitch.
The enormous rock moving process contributed heavily to the final €83.1 million cost, the fourth most expensive of the ten new stadia built for Euro 2004, after Estádio da Luz (capacity: 65,647) and Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, home of Sporting Clube de Portugal, one of the country's biggest clubs. It is the center of a complex called Alvalade XXI , designed by Portuguese architect...
(capacity: 50,049), both in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, and Estádio do Dragão
Estádio do Dragão
The Estádio do Dragão is a football stadium located in Porto, Portugal, with an all-seated capacity of 50,399. Inaugurated on November 16, 2003, it is the current home ground of F.C. Porto, having replaced the club's old venue, the Estádio das Antas...
(capacity: 50,399) in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
.
The Stadium is also UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
approved to host the UEFA Europa League final as well as participate in the elite competition for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's top clubs, the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
Other events
- The stadium plaza held the Minho Campus PartyMinho Campus PartyMinho Campus Party is Portugal's first and largest recurring LAN party. It takes place in the Minho region.-A bit of history:...
, a LAN party, in 2004. - The CorrsThe CorrsThe Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
Performed at the stadium in 2004 on their Borrowed Heaven TourBorrowed Heaven tour-Additional notes:"Borrowed Heaven" had a release date of June 1 in Canada and June 8 release date for the US. "Borrowed Heaven" is the first studio album the group has released since their platinum certified album "In Blue"...
.
Portugal national football team
The following national teamPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
matches were held in the stadium.
| # | Date | Score | Opponent | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 31 March 2004 | 1–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2. | 15 October 2008 | 0–0 | World Cup 2010 qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of... |
|
Reviews
The stadium is often considered one of the most original and beautiful stadia in the world. The Financial Times, in an article about Britain's stadia, refers to AXA as one of the four examples of "beautiful grounds". It states that: "There has been nothing in this country to match the architectural delight of Eduardo Souto de MouraEduardo Souto de Moura
-Life and career:Souto de Moura was born in Porto, and studied sculpture before switching to architecture at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, the current FAUP - Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto, and receiving his degree in 1980. From 1974 to 1979 he worked with...
’s stadium for Braga in Portugal, a breathtaking arena carved into the side of a rock face on the site of a former quarry".
In 2006 the stadium won the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award for the best new global design.
In 2011 the architect, Eduardo Souto de Moura
Eduardo Souto de Moura
-Life and career:Souto de Moura was born in Porto, and studied sculpture before switching to architecture at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, the current FAUP - Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto, and receiving his degree in 1980. From 1974 to 1979 he worked with...
, won the Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honour "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built...
.
External links
- Braga stadium design page on WorldStadiums.com (with photographs)
- afaconsult: Engineering design firm of the Braga Municipal Stadium
- Stadium Guide Article