LA BOMBONERA

Boca Juniors and their stadiums

In the year 1924, after playing in various rented football fields as the home team, Boca finally settled permanently between the streets Brandsen, Del Crucero (renamed Del Valle Iberlucea), Artistobulo de Valle and the train tracks. On this rented field, the stadium was built. Using an English style, typical of the era, the stadium was constructed of mostly wood, with columns high and narrow, and completed with a roof over the Honorable Section. In 1931, the Club decided to purchase the 21,471 square meters on which the stadium lay, with 2,000,200 pesos (of that era). A few years later, the President of the Club, Camilo Cichero, created the Commission for the Stadium and assigned the engineer Jose Luis Delpini to design and create, for the first time, a cement stadium with the capacity of one hundred thousand persons. On February 18, 1938, the foundation stone was laid, which in actuality was found in the exhibition of the Museo de la Pasion Xeneize. On August 30 of that same year, construction of the new stadium began.

On Saturday, May 25, 1940, dawn broke over the city of Buenos Aires with a powerful sun. That afternoon, Boca was scheduled to receive San Lorenzo in a friendly match for the presentation of the new “house” of the xeneizes, called La Bombonera. Though still a work in progress, the new stadium now had two upper tiers, a section behind the goal (la tribuna) on the river-facing side of the stadium, a section that became known as the “Casa Amarilla,” and ground level boxes, which took the form of the temple of the neighborhood of La Boca. The club’s dream of being housed in their own structure made of cement had become a reality. After an emotional ceremony, Boca won the match with San Lorenzo 2-0, and Ricardo Alarcon went down in history for scoring the first goal in the new stadium at the 12th minute of the first half. Alarcon also went on to score one of the two goals in the championship match versus Newell’s on June 2, when Boca won their first official title.

Work on the new stadium continued and on the November 16, 1941, the club celebrated the opening of the second tier behind the goal, which today carries the name of Natalio Pescia (an homage to the great player of the 1940s and 50s). Between 1951 and 1953, the third tier of the stadium was constructed, and a system of artificial illumination was installed. The total capacity after construction arrived at sixty thousand spectators, much less than the originally projected one hundred thousand, but with plenty of space for the uncontrollable passion of the devoted Boca fans.

The stadium waited forty-three years before its next modification. On the May 5, 1996, under the presidency of engineer Mauricio Macri, the space between one section behind the goal (tribuna social) and the bottom tier was closed in order to give more space to a new section, which added seats along the length of the field. This preferred box seating was opened in the space that previously held the yellow boxes (palcos amarillos). In addition, construction on the VIP boxes began, which had been auctioned off to bidders during the previous week. Two of these boxes were bought by Carlos Bilardo and Diego Maradona, trainer and team captain respectively, of the first professional football team of the time. The VIP boxes were opened on August 1st of that year with a friendly match against the Catholic University of Chile. The fine artists Perez Celis and Romulo Maccio were commissioned to paint various murals which remain today on the outside walls of these boxes. For the centennial celebration, in true Hollywood fashion, the one hundred best players and coaches left their footprints in the sidewalk of Brandsen Street.

La Bombonera, curous nickname. Why La Bombonera?According to legend, the architect who designed the stadium, the Yugoslavian Victorio Sulsic, when given the gift of a box of bonbons, was surprised at the similarity between the shape of the box and the stadium that he had designed. However, the first time that the stadium had an official name was on the April 20, 1986, when it became known as “Camilo Cichero,” after the former President of the club. That afternoon, Boca defeated the team Talleres de Cordoba, 4-2. On December 27, 2000, one month after they became World Champions in Japan, the Executive Committee decided to change the stadium name and re-baptized it with the name of Alberto J. Armando, the club President during the 1960s and 70s, on the 13th anniversary of his death.

Many years and many players have passed through the grass of La Bombonera. Its stands have held more than three generations of triumphant Boca fanatics (hinchas). A grand mystique draws tons of international tourists, who will not leave Buenos Aires without a visit to the stadium. La Bombonera does not tremble, it beats; it beats to the rhythm of the blue and gold hearts that every Sunday, suffer, laugh and cry for this unequalled passion.

La Bombonera

• Stadium Name: Alberto J. Armando
• Address: Brandsen 805, Capital Federal
• Date of Opening: May 25th, 1940
• Approximate capacity: 49,000 spectators
• Builder: Ingeniero José L. Delpini
• How to arrive to the stadium: Bus Lines: 10, 20, 22, 24, 25, 29, 33, 39, 46, 53, 54, 64, 70, 74, 86, 93, 102, 129, 130, 152, 159, 168, 186
• Sections: Boxes (“Palcos”), Tiers (“Plateas”), and General Seating (“generales”)
• Access Gates
  Brandsen street:gates 1-2-3-3a (“bis”)-4-5-5a (“bis”)-6
  Iberlucea streetgates (“puertas”) 7-7a-8-9-9a-10-10a-11-11a-12-13-14
  Inside the Club(entering from the streets Aristobulo del Valle or Espora): 17-18-19-20-21-22
  Box Office hours depend on the match. Box office opens on the street Wenceslao Villafane (by the annex Complex CASA AMARILLA).
  Wheelchair seating available on Platea L for wheelchairs and their guests. Entrance by elevator located in Gate 18 of the stadium.
• Parking: Peason ticket holders only:Entrance on Espora (on level (“Playa”) 1 or 2 or on Aristobulo de Valle and Irala (Playa 3).
• Services: Bar, Café, Concession stand