Football stadium
Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, known for sponsorship reasons as the
Gewiss Stadium since July 2024 and as Stadio di💲 Bergamo in UEFA competitions,[2] is a
stadium in Bergamo, Italy. It is the home of Serie A club Atalanta and💲 has a capacity
of 21,000 seats. The field is 120 m (130 yd) long and 70 m (77 yd) wide.💲 Atalanta has
owned the stadium since 2024, having purchased it from the comune.
Atalanta's youth
team also sometimes plays competitive matches💲 at the Gewiss Stadium, most recently the
Supercoppa Primavera in 2024.[3] The stadium in Bergamo has also been used as💲 a home
ground by local club AlbinoLeffe from 2003 to 2024 (when it moved to Gorgonzola)—a
period during which AlbinoLeffe💲 spent nine years in Serie B and met Atalanta on several
occasions[4][5][6]—and for various matches of the Italy national team.
History💲 [ edit
]
Early years [ edit ]
With the growth of football in the 1920s, Atalanta needed a new
stadium with💲 considerably larger capacity than its previous grounds.[7] The new stadium
was constructed on Viale Margherita (now Viale Giulio Cesare),[8] replacing💲 a
hippodrome that once occupied the site.[9][10] Construction of the new stadium took one
year; it opened in 1928 and💲 cost 3.5 million lire.[7] The stadium was named after
fascist Mario Brumana; this was common naming practice in fascist Italy.[9][7]💲 The
Brumana stadium was much larger than the Clementina field, having a seated capacity of
12,000 spectators in two tribune💲 (side stands) and a larger field measuring 110 by 70
metres (360 by 230 ft);[11] it also featured a running💲 track, as it was planned to form
part of a larger complex. On 1 November 1928, Atalanta played its first💲 unofficial
match at the stadium (a 4–2 victory against Triestina); the stadium was then officially
inaugurated on 23 December 1928,💲 when Atalanta defeated La Dominante Genova 2–0 in
front of over 14,000 spectators.[9]
After World War II, the stadium was renamed💲 the
Stadio Comunale ("Municipal Stadium"), as fascism no longer existed in Italy.[4]
Expansion of the stadium began in the years💲 following the war: the construction of a
south stand (the Curva Sud) began in 1949,[10] and a second stand at💲 the north end (the
Curva Nord) followed during the 1960s, opening in 1971.[9] Later, in 1984, the running
track was💲 removed in order to expand the stadium's capacity upon Atalanta's return to
Serie A after five years.[10] The club's first💲 match in the 1984–85 Serie A, a 1–1 draw
against Inter, had an attendance of over 43,000 spectators, a record💲 attendance for the
Stadio Comunale.[13][a]
The Gewiss Stadium in 2024
Atalanta's Gewiss Stadium in
2024
Modernization projects [ edit ]
The Tribuna Giulio Cesare💲 underwent modernization
during the early 1990s, and the stadium was renamed the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia
("Blue Athletes of Italy")💲 in 1994.[7] In 1997, following the death of 22-year-old
forward Federico Pisani in a car accident, the Curva Nord was💲 nicknamed the Curva
Pisani in his honor.[14] Similarly, the Curva Sud was nicknamed the Curva Morosini in
2012 to posthumously💲 honor 25-year-old youth academy player Piermario Morosini,[15] who
died following collapse on the field during a Serie B match between💲 Pescara and
Livorno.[16] In 2024, the stadium also expanded its side stands to offer pitchside
views only several meters (feet)💲 from the benches, a revolutionary feature of Italian
stadiums at the time.[10][4] This phase of improvements also included improved bench
💲 facilities for players and the introduction of luxury boxes atop the grandstand.[17]
New seating areas for disabled spectators were also💲 added. At the same time, the press
box has been lowered and moved towards the pitch. These improvements came with💲 a
reduction in overall capacity by around 3,000 seats. The club paid €2.6 million for the
first phase of redevelopment.[18]
On💲 10 May 2024, Atalanta announced the acquisition of
the stadium from the comune for 8.6 million euros,[10] becoming one of💲 only four Serie
A clubs to own its home stadium.[19][b] This acquisition allowed the club to authorize
a renovation project💲 for the stadium,[19] for like many Italian stadiums, much of its
structure and facilities were considered outdated.[4][20] This renovation project💲 was
also necessary to upgrade the stadium to meet UEFA standards for hosting matches in
UEFA competitions. Because the stadium💲 was not ready at the time, Atalanta had to play
its Europa League home matches at the Mapei Stadium in💲 Reggio Emilia and its Champions
League home matches in its debut season at San Siro in Milan.[21][22] Despite not
playing💲 in Bergamo, though thanks to the additional capacity of San Siro, Atalanta
recorded its record home attendance of 44,236 during💲 a Champions League knockout stage
match against Valencia on 19 February 2024.[23]
Following a sponsorship agreement with
electronics company Gewiss lasting💲 at least until 2025, the stadium was renamed the
Gewiss Stadium on 1 July 2024.[24][25] On 30 April 2024, a💲 new phase of renovations
began with the demolition of the Curva Nord "Federico Pisani" (North Stand).[26] On 6
October 2024,💲 the renovated Curva Nord was inaugurated for Atalanta's home match
against Lecce;[27] it has covered seating for over 9,000 spectators.[28]💲 A year later,
both side stands underwent modernization and the Curva Sud had temporary seats
installed on the concrete.[29][30] These💲 upgrades allowed Atalanta to play its
Champions League matches in Bergamo starting in the 2024–21 season.[31][32] The final
phase will💲 feature a rebuilt Curva Sud (mirroring the rebuilt Curva Nord), which will
increase the stadium's capacity to about 25,000, as💲 well as construction of a new
underground parking garage and other improvements to the stadium's surroundings.[33] It
was originally expected💲 to be completed in 2024, though was delayed until February or
March 2024;[9][34] the start of construction was then further💲 delayed to spring 2024,
with expected completion in August of that year.[35] Atalanta will still be able to
play its💲 home matches at the Gewiss Stadium during construction.[33]
International
matches [ edit ]
The Gewiss Stadium has also hosted various international matches,
💲 though was not selected as a venue in any of the international tournaments hosted by
Italy. The Italy national team's💲 most recent match at the Gewiss Stadium was a 1–1 draw
with the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League on💲 14 October 2024.[36] Prior to this,
Italy had not played an international match in Bergamo since 2006;[37] renovations to
the💲 stadium in 2024–2024 brought it up to UEFA standards.[32] This match was played in
Bergamo as a homage to the💲 city, as it was an early epicenter during the COVID-19
pandemic in Italy.[36][37]
List of international matches [ edit ]
Awards [💲 edit ]
The
Gewiss Stadium received the Most Valuable Field award during the Serie A Awards in
2024.[39]
Notes [ edit ]
^💲 The club's home attendance record was later broken in 2024,
though that match was not played in Bergamo. ^ [19]💲 The other three are Juventus,
Sassuolo, and Udinese. All the remaining Serie A clubs play in municipally-owned
stadiums.
References [ edit💲 ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
