Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Football stadium in Guimarães, Portugal
Estádio D. Afonso Henriques is a football stadium in Guimarães with around 30,000 covered seats and serves as home to Vitória Sport Clube. The venue features distinct seating sections and facilities designed to accommodate both domestic matches and European competitions.
Vitória SC opened the Estádio Municipal de Guimarães on 3 January 1965, before works were finished, after the Portuguese Football Federation required a grass pitch; the first match beat Os Belenenses 2-1. The council sold it to the club by deed of 21 September 1990 for 1,000 contos. On 30 September 1995 members chose the name D. Afonso Henriques by 453 votes to 358. Rebuilt by architect Eduardo Guimarães for Euro 2004, it reopened on 25 July 2003.
The name was chosen by members' vote on 30 September 1995: D. Afonso Henriques won with 453 votes against 358 for Vitória Sport Clube, after Estádio da Amorosa and José Maria Castro Rodrigues were dropped. The seat layout makes supporters picture a medieval tournament: Afonso Henriques is drawn in the south stand, coloured flags elsewhere, and the bathroom and bar tiles show Guimarães Castle, shields, helmets and swords.
The stadium sits in the city centre, a short walk from the historic centre of Guimarães. The south stand is closed off from the street like a building, so the ground is easy to reach on foot. The renovation included green surrounding spaces and improved access routes, and the venue is described as one of the most accessible in the country.
The seat layout makes supporters picture a medieval tournament: Afonso Henriques is drawn in the south stand, while the other stands show coloured flags. The tiles in the toilets and bars carry the Castle of Guimarães, shields, helmets, swords and a sketch of the stadium model.
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