Estádio da Madeira
32°40′14.25″N 16°53′00.69″W / 32.6706250°N 16.8835250°W
Choupana | |
 The new stand which was built in 2007 | |
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| Full name | Estádio da Madeira |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estádio Eng. Rui Alves |
| Location | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal |
| Owner | CD Nacional |
| Capacity | 5,200 |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1998 |
| Opened | 2000 |
| Expanded | 2007 |
| Construction cost | €23 million (Complex) |
| Tenants | |
| Nacional União (2012; some other major matches) | |
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The Estádio da Madeira, formerly named Estádio Eng. Rui Alves and informally known as Estádio da Choupana, is a football stadium located in the city of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, and is owned by Clube Desportivo Nacional, where it plays its matches. The stadium currently has a capacity of 5,200 people.[1]
The stadium is located in Cidade Desportiva do C.D. Nacional (English: C.D. Nacional Sport City), which also includes training pitches and a youth campus called Cristiano Ronaldo Campus Futebol, in honour of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Cidade Desportiva is located in the north of Funchal, high up in the mountains in the Choupana neighbourhood.[2]
History
[edit]It was in 1998, with president Rui Alves at the helm, that construction began on Nacional's new stadium, named Eng. Rui Alves, which was inaugurated in 2000 with just one stand for 2,500 spectators. That same year, the club moved permanently to Choupana and stopped playing at the municipal stadium, Estádio dos Barreiros, which was shared between the region's three biggest clubs.[3]
In January 2007, after a period of construction, the stadium underwent its second expansion, increasing its capacity to 5,200 seats with a new fully covered stand. Since then, the stadium has had just two stands running the length of the pitch, with the two ends of the pitch occupied by high fencing.[4]
On 1 June 2007, the stadium was renamed Estádio da Madeira, after the club reached an agreement with the local government to promote the Madeira Region. The name also symbolises the fact that, at the time, the stadium was the most modern sports venue on the Madeira Island, although not the largest. That position was held by the old municipal stadium, Estádio do Marítimo, home of Nacional's rivals, C.S. Marítimo, which has since been renovated. Also in 2007, the academy campus was renamed the Cristiano Ronaldo Campus Futebol.[5]
The official inauguration of the Cidade Desportiva took place on 16 November 2007 in an event that pitted C.D. Nacional against S.L. Benfica, with the Reds coming out on top with a single goal from Yu Dabao.[6]
The investment of 23 million euros by the Regional Government of Madeira has put Nacional on a level of infrastructure like few others in Portugal. In addition to the stadium, the club now has three grass pitches for training and other support infrastructures.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Estádio da Madeira". zerozero.pt.
- ^ admin (2017-04-07). "Cidade Desportiva - um projeto exemplar". Clube Desportivo Nacional - Madeira (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Jasmins, João (October 2014). "Clube Desportivo Nacional: O Valor da Marca" (PDF). Instituto Universitário de Lisboa: 29. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Estádio da Madeira". Clube Desportivo Nacional - Madeira (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo Campus Futebol". Clube Desportivo Nacional - Madeira (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (2007-11-16). "Benfica ganha (0-1) na festa do Nacional". Benfica ganha (0-1) na festa do Nacional (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "Foi você que pediu um estádio de futebol?". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-03-26.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Estádio Eng. Rui Alves at Wikimedia Commons- Stadium pictures
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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