The National Stadium, in Oeiras, “will remain the most used venue in the country,” the president of the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ) assured this Thursday, despite no longer hosting professional football competitions.
‘Home’ of BSAD since 2018/19, after the split between the sports association and Belenenses, and of Casa Pia last season, due to works on the Pina Manique stadium, the National Stadium may no longer be able to host matches organized by the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP).
However, this does not prevent the venue from hosting, as usual, the final of the Portuguese Cup, between FC Porto and Sporting de Braga, on June 4, and the decisive match for the same women’s trophy, between Sporting de Braga and Famalicão. as early as May 27.
“The definition of the conditions and characteristics required for the infrastructure for hosting matches depends on the organizer of the competition. We must bear in mind that the National Stadium is an installation with almost 80 years of history, in the process of classification by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DGPC)”, began Vítor Pataco, in statements to the Lusa agency.
Even if clubs and professional football leagues leave Jamor – neither BSAD nor Casa Pia have expressed an intention to continue using the stage and the Taça de Portugal is categorized as non-professional – the venue will never be abandoned, Pataco guaranteed.
“The National Stadium has never taken that risk and will never take that risk. Jamor and its history must be respected. The use of the venue goes beyond professional football competitions. Triathlon, not only in the context of high performance, but also of informal physical activity. The National Stadium is and remains the most used location in the country,” he stressed.
The enclosure, inaugurated on June 10, 1944, has been the target of interventions since 2015 “in the buildings of the National Stadium, in accessibility and car parks, with an amount already exceeding 2.14 million euros, the majority by identified needs by the LPFP”.
“Regarding the turf, in the last assessment conducted by the LPFP two weeks ago, in the three indices assessed for structure (irrigation system, infiltration rate and turf hardness), Jamor received the highest score of all,” recalled Pataco.
And yet, nearly 79 years old, the National Sports Complex continues to undergo improvements, namely in the “requalification of the north access and the restoration and improvement of the south parking lot and respective accessibility”.
“Projects have also been developed, the implementation possibilities of which are being studied, given the size of the associated investment, for the conversion to LED of the light poles and the renovation of the outdoor lighting in the area around the National Stadium,” he concludes.
In 2023/24, BSAD will move to the south bank of the Tagus, following the merger with SAD in Cova da Piedade, while Casa Pia will be able to use the stadiums of Restelo, in Lisbon, or Bonfim, in Setúbal, until the works are carried out at Pina Manique.
Source: DN
