FinalWhistle:StadiumsThatAreGone

Image description: This image is a colored postcard, showing a crowded stadium during a sporting event in 1921. From left to right, we see the stands full of spectators, some seated and others standing. In the center, there is a raised platform where more people are gathered. In the foreground of the stadium, there is a metal fence separating the spectators from the playing field, which appears to be dark green grass. On the right, we see more people walking or talking near the fence. The sky is light blue, and there is a red and white flag at the top right of the image. In the lower left corner, there is a stamp with the text "Museu de Bangu" and an illustration of a train.

Long before FIFA-standard stadiums, multi-use arenas, pay-per-view, or even live TV broadcasts, even before the Maracanã and back when football was amateur, matches were played on fields very different from the stadiums we know today. Some of them remain to this day, while others disappeared completely.

In the city of Rio de Janeiro, perhaps the most emblematic case is that of the Estádio da Rua Campos Salles, in Tijuca. Home to América do Rio de Janeiro since 1911, it had a capacity of 15 thousand spectators and was the first stadium in Rio to feature concrete stands, replacing the wooden ones. It was demolished in 1961, and the club's social headquarters was built in its place.

Image description: This is an old sepia-toned photograph showing a stadium located in the midst of an urban area. On the left, there is a large expanse of land with vegetation, while the center features the stadium, with its running track and grandstands. On the right, there is a dense concentration of houses and buildings, forming part of the city. In the lower right corner, there is an inscription that appears to read "E.A.M. STADION LAMBERTUS FC F.C.G. B.O. 17.00-27-9-935".

Six years later, América opened a new stadium, named Wolney Braune, on Rua Barão de São Francisco, in Andaraí. With capacity for 5,000 spectators, it hosted games until 1993, when it was sold and demolished to build the Shopping Iguatemi.

On the other side of the city, in the West Zone, across from the old building of the Fábrica de Tecidos Bangu, was the Rua Ferrer field, the first playing field of Bangu Atlético Clube. The field was built parallel to the Factory's land in record time so that Bangu could take part in the 1st Campeonato Carioca football championship. Until then, the club had played in an area inside the Factory. Opened on May 13, 1906, it hosted matches until 1943, when the land was sold.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of an urban area. On the left side, we see a series of densely populated buildings and streets. In the center, there is a park with pathways and a circular structure in the middle. On the right, there is a large industrial complex with several buildings and a central factory. In the background, more buildings and green areas are visible.

The first playing field of Botafogo Football Club, before its merger with Club de Regatas Botafogo, was located on Rua Voluntários da Pátria. Situated where the Hortomercado Cobal do Humaitá and Rua General Dionísio are today, it was built in 1908 and had a small wooden stand to accommodate spectators. It was on this field that Botafogo won its first two state titles, in 1907 and 1910, and where it recorded its biggest ever win: 24-0 against Mangueira.

With the transformations of sport, the economy and the city itself, these and other stadiums remain only in memories and in the history almanacs of football.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a soccer stadium. From back to front, we see a green pitch with players in motion. On the right, there is a stand area where three people are seated, watching the field. The stand is made of concrete and has metal railings along the side facing the pitch. In the background, there is an empty stand structure and a distant building.

*This memory was written by Vinícius Martins