Aupa Athletic! A visit to San Mamés stadium hits the back of the net with our students

On Wednesday, 28th September, the football-mad students of the Instituto Hemingway went to explore the famous San Mamés stadium, home to Athletic Club Bilbao. Athletic is unique in that every team in its history has been composed entirely of players from the Basque country, a tradition of which the club is very proud. It is also famous for its “cantera” (lit. quarry) policy; the club places great importance on the training of young Basque players and has produced many greats over the years, to the benefit of the Spanish national side. Along with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, Athletic is one of only three teams never to have been relegated from La Liga, the Spanish first division.
Our visit began with a wander around the club museum, which provided a fascinating insight into the club´s history. Particularly interesting was the display of gifts received by the club on important anniversaries; some of the students were even able to spot pennants from their own clubs. We also enjoyed the special exhibition on Mister Pentland, a legendary coach from the 1920s and 30s.
It was with much excitement that we then started our guided tour of the stadium itself: after a brief but fascinating discussion of the club´s history in the President´s box, we walked out through the players´ tunnel onto the pitch, each undoubtedly imagining themselves a famous footballer surrounded by cheering fans. By the time we´d sat on the opposition benches and touched the grass, even the less football-mad of the students were making plans to see a game. In fact, there would be a game the next day: although this meant that we couldn´t tour the changing rooms, seeing the kit laid out ready through the door was, for some, the highlight of the visit.

Aupa Athletic!