Estadio Akron
The Estadio Akron, formerly known as the Estadio Omnilife and Estadio Chivas (Estadio Chivas, Spanish pronunciation: [esˈtaðjo ˈtʃiβas]), is a multipurpose stadium that is used mostly for football matches, including home matches for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as the "Chivas". It is part of the JVC complex, and has a capacity of 49,850. Construction started in February 2004, but due to financial problems and other issues, the stadium's completion was delayed for a number of years.
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| Former names | Estadio Omnilife (2010–16) Estadio Chivas (2016–17) |
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| Location | Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 20°40′54″N 103°27′46″W |
| Owner | Jorge Vergara |
| Executive suites | 315 |
| Capacity | 49,850 (total capacity for football) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 2004 |
| Opened | July 30, 2010 |
| Construction cost | US$200 million[1] ($234 million in 2019 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Concept Design: Jean Marie Massaud & Daniel Pouzet Sports Architects: Populous (formerly HOK Sport) Architect of Record: VFO architects |
| Tenants | |
| Guadalajara (2010–present) | |
The stadium hosted its first major international event with the first leg of the 2010 Finals of the Copa Libertadores, and hosted the 2011 Pan American Games opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium's artificial field caused great controversy, drawing criticism from many notable players, and in May 2012, it was announced that the stadium would replace the artificial turf with natural grass.[3]
History
The third public football match at the stadium was a friendly between Guadalajara and Manchester United on 30 July 2010. Guadalajara won the game 3–2, with the first goal at the stadium scored by Javier "Chicharito" Hernández playing for Guadalajara.[4] This match was held to represent Hernández's transfer from Guadalajara to Manchester United, with Hernández playing the first half for Guadalajara and switching sides to Manchester United in the second half, thus symbolically sealing his transfer contract that had been signed in March 2010.[5]
The stadium hosted 8 matches of the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, including a semifinal, between Uruguay and Brazil.
It was also the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Pan American Games, where it also hosted all the matches of both men's and women's football tournament.
In December 2017, the stadium changed its name from Estadio Omnilife to Estadio Akron, after signing a sponsorship deal with a car lubricants firm for 10 years.[6]
Matches
References
- "Las Chivas estrenan estadio con triunfo contra el Manchester" [Las Chivas premiere their new stadium with a triumph over Manchester] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- Tovar, Sos (16 May 2012). "Chivas decide quitar el pasto artificial del estadio Omnilife" [Chivas decide to remove the artificial turf from Omnilife Stadium] (in Spanish). Huffington Post. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- "Las Chivas derrotan 3–2 al Manchester United" [Las Chivas defeat Manchester United 3–2]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Notimex. 30 July 2010. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- Marshall, Tom (8 April 2010). "Manchester United to play Guadalajara at new stadium". Guadalajara Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ""Estadio Akron", el nuevo nombre de la casa de Chivas". Proceso (in Spanish). 15 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Estadio Omnilife. |
| Preceded by Estádio do Maracanã Rio de Janeiro |
Pan American Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies 2011 |
Succeeded by Rogers Centre Toronto |
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Estadio Ciudad de La Plata (La Plata) |
Copa Libertadores Final Venues 2010 |
Succeeded by TBA |