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 ]
