Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia

Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia

Former names	Stadio Mario Brumana (1928–1945)
Location	Bergamo, Italy
Coordinates	45°42′32″N 9°40′51″E / 45.70889°N 9.68083°ECoordinates: 45°42′32″N 9°40′51″E / 45.70889°N 9.68083°E
Owner	Municipality of Bergamo
Capacity	26,562[1]
Surface	Grass 120x70m
Construction
Broke ground	1927
Opened	23 December 1928[2]
Tenants
Atalanta B.C. (1928-present) U.C. AlbinoLeffe (2003-present)

The Atleti Azzurri d'Italia is a stadium in Bergamo, Italy, used by the Atalanta and Albinoleffe football teams. The field is 120 m long, and 70 m wide. The stadium has a capacity of 26,562 seats.

The stadium is seen by many to be outdated and not up to standard for Serie A due to inadequate facilities, poor views from a number of stands and because most of the stadium has no roof cover.

In the last decade some projects for a new stadium have been put forward, though issues with funding and location has stifled these plans. As a result, a plan of action was proposed to gradually develop the existing stadium, and finally, the first stage of improvements were completed just after the beginning of the 2015-2016, with future work to be carried out if a 99-year lease can be agreed with the city council.

The first stage improvements included a revelation in the removal of the pitch side barrier, one of the first Serie A clubs to make this change, along with better management and substitute bench facilities and the introduction of luxury Sky Boxes atop the grandstand complete with sofas, TV screens and amenities. There have also been areas dedicated to cater for disabled spectators. At the same time, the press box has been lowered and moved, bringing reporters closer to the action offering them a better all-round match experience. These improvements have come at the cost of reducing the overall capacity by around 3,000 seats.

If the 99-year lease clause can be agreed, more drastic work on the stadium has been planned with funding coming from the club and the city council, including the complete rebuilding of both main stands and the entire stadium being roofed over.

Atalanta have also chosen to be one of the first clubs to introduce a smoking ban within the stadium, even though this is not required by any current legal guidelines.

References

1. "Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
2. http://www.worldofstadiums.com/europe/italy/stadio-atleti-azzurri-ditalia/

2. "L’Atalanta all’esordio nel nuovo stadio" ]