EURO 2004, Porto

The stadium of the “checked shirts” ..... but there’s no puzzle!!

Did you know that Boavista Futebol Clube was the only club that never stopped playing at its own ground, even when the new Bessa XXI Stadium was being built? Well, it’s true! In fact, in keeping with its traditions, Boavista is the only Portuguese Club whose ground has always been the same since the foundation of the team, known as the “checked shirts”. The new stadium has been built entirely from scratch, literally “on top” of the former Bessa stadium (originating from 1972) and it is located in an important, busy area of Porto, Boavista, a residential district with several schools. In this “chic” area, “The Boavista Footballers ” first came into being at the start of the 20th Century, originating from the great passion for football shared between the Portuguese and the local English residents. In fact, this ancestral link between Boavista and the English has had an influence on the design of the present-day building, where preference has been given to the height of the structure, resulting in a ground whose architecture is reminiscent of that of the old English stadiums. And, either with or without English inspiration, evidence of innovation is to be found everywhere, both inside and outside the ground. The Bessa XXI Stadium is part of a much vaster sports complex that includes a gymnasium and sports pavilion (currently under construction), tennis courts, training pitches, etc.. Four new stands have been built, one of which – the northern stand – houses four gymnasiums. All of them are covered The Bessa XXI Stadium is one of two “monuments” – amongst many others – that give the city its distinctive appearance, standing proudly alongside the famous Antas Stadium , the “home” of Futebol Clube do Porto.

Capacity: 30.000 covered seats

GAMES:
Denmark - Sweden - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto - 2nd June - 7.45 pm

Greece - Spain - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto –16th June – 5 pm

Latvia - Germany - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto - 19th June – 5 pm

Equipment: ACCESS:
The Bessa XXI Stadium is situated in an urban area in the city of Porto. Access to the southern entrance is from Avenida da Boavista, the city’s main distributional axis.If you are approaching via the A1 Motorway from Lisbon to Porto (310 Km - approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes by car), there is an immediate connection to VCI, the Porto inner ring road that links up with all the main local and national road networks. The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is 17 Km from the Stadium Access by local buses.

GAMES:

Greece - Spain - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto –16th June – 5 pm

Latvia - Germany - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto - 19th June – 5 pm

Denmark - Sweden - Bessa XXI Stadium – Oporto - 22nd June - 7.45 pm