Estadio George Capwell, Football stadium near Rio Guayas in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Estadio George Capwell is a football stadium near the Rio Guayas in Guayaquil with four steel circulation towers and hundreds of luxury boxes integrated throughout its structure. The venue holds over 40,000 seats and features modern floodlighting for evening matches.
Construction began in September 1940, when Guayaquil's council approved leasing four blocks for the stadium; the land was donated in 1942 and the first stone laid on 24 July 1943. It opened on 21 October 1945 with a baseball game between Emelec and Oriente before 11,000 spectators, and hosted its first football match on 2 December 1945, a 5-4 Emelec win over a Manta-Bahía de Carabobo selection. In 1947 it was the sole venue of the South American Championship.
The stadium serves as the main gathering place for C.S. Emelec supporters and has shaped the city's sports culture for generations. Game days bring thousands of fans together to cheer for their team.
The stadium sits between General Gómez, San Martín, Quito Avenue and Pío Montúfar streets in southern Guayaquil. The 2014–2016 remodeling added 200 suites, 840 boxes and a rebuilt pitch with drainage, irrigation and lighting. The San Martín stand was kept from the old ground.
The stadium's first match, on 21 October 1945, was a baseball game between Emelec and Oriente before 11,000 spectators; football only arrived on 2 December 1945, when Emelec beat a Manta-Bahía de Caracas selection 5-4. George Capwell had planned a baseball diamond, not a football ground.
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