108 years since the last Athletic match at Jolaseta
108 years since the last Athletic match at Jolaseta
Athletic club have played their official home matches at seven different grounds
On June 24 1913, Athletic Club played their last home match at Jolaseta, one of the four grounds where Athletic have turned out as the local team throughout their history. From our beginnings at Lamiako to the current San Mamés, with the odd fixture at Atotxa, Mendizorroza and Anoeta in between, we take a look at all the grounds where the Lions have played a home match.
The first proper pitch the Lions called home was Lamiako -situated in the town of Leioa- in 1901. Until then matches were held on basic playing fields. The pitch in Lamiako was also used by other clubs, such as the Bilbao Foot-ball Club.
Although no official competition fixtures were played on this pitch, “formal” matches did take place against other top teams of the time, like Stade Bordelais and Real Santander. The last “formal” match Athletic played at Lamiako was on March 19 1911, against the French team La Vie au grand air du Medoc. The Lions won 3-0.
Athletic starting XI from a match played at Lamiako.
After winning the Copa in 1910, Athletic was placed in charge of organising the following season’s edition. In order to give the fans a venue with better facilities, the club moved to Jolaseta in the town of Getxo. The pitch was used for the first time on April 9 1911 for the opening Copa match, which saw Athletic face Fortuna de Vigo (2-0).
The first match against an English team, the Civil Service, also took place at Jolaseta. The day after the Copa final between Athletic and RCD Espanyol (3-1), a team consisting of players from both teams was defeated by the Civil Service (7-0).
In the summer of 1913, San Mamés was ready. So, in June of the same year, Athletic played their last home matches at Jolaseta. In fact, the last ever match was a 1-2 defeat against the now extinct London-based side Nunhead FC.
Athletic’s XI for the 1911 Copa final played at Jolaseta.
On August 21 1913, at 15:30, San Mamés opened to the public. It was one of the first purpose-built football stadiums around, and it was situated in the heart of the city. A full house was there to witness Athletic Club draw 1-1 with Racing de Irún in the stadium’s inaugural match.
The construction of San Mamés was paid for by all the members and supporters of Athletic Club. What’s more, two club employees were in charge of taking applications and slips from house to house in order to collect the money needed to build the stadium.
In 2013, after 100 years and 3,695 matches, The Cathedral made way for the new San Mamés. On May 26 2013, Athletic played their last official match at the old San Mamés, a LaLiga fixture against Levante UD. On June 5 2013, the old San Mamés saw its last clash altogether. It was a tribute to local football, a family farewell against Biscay XI.
Atotxa has been Lions ‘home away from home’ on more often than any other stadium, with Athletic having played three home games there. The first time the Rojiblancos played a home match at the former Real Sociedad stadium was in 1981.
They beat Sevilla FC 2-0 in San Sebastian, due to San Mamés being upgraded for the following summer’s 1982 World Cup. The other matches were in 1986 and 1990, against Real Zaragoza and Real Valladolid. These were due to incidents at San Mamés which forced the temporary closure of the stadium.
Athletic’s XI against Sevilla FC in 1981.
Three years later, in 1993, Mendizorroza hosted Athletic in LaLiga. The Lions had to play at Alavés’ ground for a Copa match against UD Las Palmas (3-1). This was because in the LaLiga opener against Real Madrid, once again there were incidents forced that prevented Athletic from playing at The Cathedral.
Athletic vs Las Palmas in the Copa at Mendizorroza in 1993.
The last two times Athletic had to travel to other grounds for their home games were in 1997 and 2013, against Sevilla FC (0-0) and CA Osasuna (2-0), respectively. Anoeta was tasked with accommodating Athletic on both occasions.
The first was due to an incident against Real Zaragoza which led to the club having to play away from San Mamés. The second time was the result of the construction of the new San Mamés stadium, which opened its doors three days after the match against Osasuna.
Athletic vs CA Osasuna at Anoeta.
The new San Mamés was built on the same site as the previous ground. It is a state-of-the art stadium which is living up to its inherited nickname: The Cathedral. With a larger capacity of 53,000 spectators, the new San Mamés has helped the Club adapt to the ever-changing demands and necessities of modern-day football.
The new San Mamés.