17th this year
to present its brand-new 27,000-m2 roof.

La Plata, Buenos Aires. The stadium started to be built in 1998 but, due to economic difficulties, construction works were paralyzed for several years. It was first opened on June 7th, 2003, hosting soccer matches and concerts. In July 2009, it was closed once again to carry out the remaining works, the most important of which was roofing the stands. On February 17th, 2011, it was finally reopened with all its innovations: seating capacity for 36,000 spectators, a 27,000-m2 waterproof cover over the stands, tens of new boxes, a modern removable playing field —made up by 5,800 lawn modules— and a giant screen with four 7-meter-by-5-meter faces, hanging from the center of the stadium at a 23-meter height. This stadium will not just host soccer matches, but also other sports such as rugby (Pumas will play a test match against French Barbarians there on June 11th), field hockey, tennis, and boxing.  Regarding sports, its first big challenge will be to be one of the venues for the Americas Cup, whose opening game —Argentina versus Bolivia— will be played on July 1st. But the stadium will not just host sports events; it will also be a luxury venue for big shows and concerts. U2 (with Muse as their support band) will be the first to perform there on March 30th, and April 2nd and 3rd this year.

• It was designed by architect Roberto Ferreira.

• It covers 36 hectares and is located on the northern border of La Plata City, on Circumvallation (532nd) avenue between 21st street and 25th avenue.

• The field has complete drainage and irrigation systems. It is surrounded by a three-meter-deep pit. Due to a sophisticated system, its 27,000-m2 cover will allow for a fixed roof and a natural grass playing field.

• It has 4 locker rooms for the players, each of which has a gym to warm up, massage rooms and plunge pools. It also has 3 locker rooms for the referees and commissioner.

• It can seat 36 thousand people, and has 30 security cameras, 24 radio and TV cabins, conference rooms, Wi-Fi in the boxes and playing field. It has 8 access ramps and 5,500 parking spaces. There are also some restaurants, coffee shops and first-aid rooms.

• It has a 2,200-meter aerobic circuit with 12 stations for physical training.