The Estadio GEBA is a stadium located in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Owned by Club Gimnasia y Esgrima, the stadium is located on the "Sede Jorge Newbery", one of the three facilities of the club. Its current capacity is 12,133 spectators.World Soccer Yearbook, 2002-3: The Complete Guide to the Game by David Goldblatt (2002), published by Dk Pub –
The stadium was the main football venue during the 1900s and 1910s, having held matches of the Argentina national team and some club matches during that period. The football team of the club (that played in Primera División from 1911 to 1917) also used the stadium for its home games. After the arson of 1916, the stadium was for a time used mainly for rugby union matches. Nowadays, Estadio GEBA is used for music concerts, having hosted many artists performing there."Estadio GEBA sede Jorge Newbery" on Entradasx.com
History During its first years of existence, the club used facilities such as Sociedad Rural Argentina's La Rural venue in Palermo, where athletics competition were held. In 1900 the Municipality of Buenos Aires gave in concession to the club a land that had been used by the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway (BA&RR). On 12 October 1902, Gimnasia y Esgrima inaugurated its field, built on that land. The field was also known as "Maldonado" due to its proximity to the homonymous stream.
The football team of the club affiliated to the Association (AFA) in 1906, promoting to Primera División in 1910. The stadium was a frequent venue for the squad during its years in Primera, from 1911 to 1917, the year the club disaffiliated from the Association. The GEBA stadium also hosted athletic competitions and rugby union matches, being often used by athletic teams of the University of Buenos Aires."El estadio de Maldonado" on Viejos Estadios website
The Argentina national football team played in GEBA on 13 September 1908, for the Copa Newton v. Uruguay. That match has a historic relevance for being the first time Argentine wore the light blue and white striped jersey, which would be the definitive uniform up to present days.Argentine national team archives by Héctor Pelayes on RSSSF.com The stadium also hosted the matches where River Plate beat Racing Club by 2–1 before promoting to Primera División for the first time.Racing - River y una muy sospechosa final by Ricardo de Titto on La Nueva.com, 14 Dec 2014 In 1911, defunct team Alumni played its last game at GEBA on 26 November 1911, when the team beat Porteño by 2–1 winning its 10th. Primera División title.Argentina 1911 by Pablo Ciullini on RSSSF website The club would not play any official match again, being dissolved two years later.Alumni, Cuna de Campeones y Escuela de Hidalguía by Ernesto Escobar Bavio – Editorial Difusión, Buenos Aires (Published 1953)"Alumni: en el nombre del fútbol" on Clarín, 2003-04-21Due to the small dimensions of the field, spectators often placed under a BA&RR viaduct to watch the matches held in GEBA. The club took advantage of that and built a grandstand just below the viaduct, that was inaugurated in 1909 during a Copa Lipton match between Argentina and Uruguay national teams. Nevertheless, in 1910 the BA&RR dismantled the viaduct to move the tracks. It allowed the club to expand the lateral grandstand of the venue. The stadium was completely refurbished to hold the football matches of "Juegos Deportivos del Centenario", sport competitions in commemoration of the Argentince Centennial. A grandstand was built on the side next to the railway. On the side next to Río de la Plata, another one was built while the official grandstand was located on the Maldonado stream side. It consisted in a two-floor wooden structure, similar to the existing in the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo. GEBA was also a frequent venue for Tie Cup, an international football club competition, since 1909. Cup Tie Competition - detailed tournaments on the RSSSF
The refurbished stadium hosted two matches of Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo held in 1910 and considered a predecessor of current Copa América. In 1910, English club Swindon Town played in GEBA some matches during their tour on Argentina where the team also played San Isidro, Estudiantes de Buenos Aires and the Argentina national team.Argentina national team - List of Other Matches 1901-2008 by Héctor Pelayes on RSSSF.com Legendary team Alumni played its last official game (the 1911 championship playoff vs. Porteño) at Gimnasia y Esgrima before being dissolved that same year.Argentina 1911 at RSSSF Even one of the Superclásico editions was played at GEBA, on 9 May 1915 for the Copa de Competencia Jockey Club.
GEBA also hosted all games of the first edition of Copa América, held in Buenos Aires in 1916.Southamerican Championship 1916 at RSSSF The final between Argentina and Uruguay was attended by more than 40,000 spectators that largely exceeded the capacity of the venue, calculated in 10,000. Because of that, the match had to be suspended. In disagreement with the decision, the angry crowd set fire to the stadium. The match had to be reprogrammed for the next day in the Racing Club stadium. The arson caused a large inactivity for the venue, which would not be reopened until 1918. The club did not rebuild the fired grandstands, replacing them with a running track
The Argentina national team played its last game at GEBA on 19 October 1919, when the squad won the Copa Premier Honor Argentino after thrashing Uruguay by 6–1,Copa Premio Honor Argentino on RSSSF During the 1920s, the venue was still one of the biggest in Argentina, hosting some Primera División matches of both associations, AFA and AAmF. A match between AFA and AAmF was played at GEBA on 9 December 1924, as an attempt to reunify both associations, although it would not be carried out until 1926. The attendance was higher than expected, largely surpassing the capacity of the field. That was the last football match held in GEBA.
From 1925 on, the stadium mainly hosted rugby union matches. During 45 years it would be the most frequent venue for that sport, with the Argentina national team playing there its international games. In 1927, the stadium hosted its first international rugby match when Argentina played v the British Isles during their second visit to the country.El Gráfico No. 424, 20 August 19271927 Argentina on British Lions website (Archive, 21 Jan 2012)"Lions (segundo viaje olvidado)" by Ricardo Sabanes on Periodismo Rugby, 24 May 2017
In the middle 1930s, the stadium was completely refurbished, building new concrete grandstands. Once more, GEBA hosted an international rugby game when Argentina played v the British Lions during their third tour on the country in 1936.Lions (tercer viaje olvidado) by Ricardo Sabanes on Periodismo Rugby website, 1 Jun 2017
In 1951, GEBA and Ferro Carril Oeste were the stadiums of the first South American Rugby Championship held in Buenos Aires.Un siglo en pequeñas historias by Martín Estévez, El Gráfico, 28 Mar 2017 The 1969 Scotland tour on Argentina would be the last time the national team played their home matches at GEBA.Memoria y Balance 1969 on UAR website
Since 1970, the Argentina national rugby team started using larger stadiums,Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires y su historia, a Primera by Jorge Búsico, La Nación, 25 Sep 2014 such as Ferro Carril Oeste (1970–85)Memoria y Balance 1970 on UAR website or Vélez Sársfield (since 1986).Memoria y Balance 1986 on UAR website Nevertheless, the Estadio GEBA would continue hosting rugby union matches on some occasions, such as the 1993 South American ChampionshipLos Pumas hicieron historia, La Prensa, 17 Feb 2004 and some friendly matches that same year."Argentina at ground: GEBA", ESPN Scrum.com
Tenants Some teams that have played their home matches at Estadio GEBA are: Team Period Gimnasia y Esgrima football team c. 1906–1917 Gimnasia y Esgrima rugby team c. 1906–? Argentina national football team 1908–1919 Argentina national rugby team 1927–1969, 1993
Sporting events Along its existence, the stadium has hosted several sports events, the following list compiles some of the most relevant:
Football Event Year/s Copa Newton 1908, 1918 Copa Premier Honor Argentino 1908–1919 Tie Cup 1909, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1918 Copa Lipton 1909, 1911, 1915, 1919 Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo 1910 Primera División Final 1911 Copa Roca 1914 Copa América 1916 Copa Aldao 1916, 1918 Copa Campeonato del Río de la Plata 1923
Rugby Event Year/s British Lions tour 1927, 1936 France tour 1949, 1954, 1960 South American Championship 1951, 1993 South Africa tour 1959, 1966 Wales tour 1968 Scotland tour 1969 Ireland tour 1952 Notes
Gallery
Music concerts
The club usually rents two of its facilities for concerts and events, being the Jorge Newbery facility the most used for those purposes.
Many international artists touring in Argentina have played at Estadio GEBA, being some of them: Ozzy Osbourne, Luis Miguel, Duran Duran, Rush, Peter Gabriel, System of a Down, Sepultura, INXS, Lenny Kravitz, Noel Gallagher, Rod Stewart, and Bruce Springsteen, among many others.