Lezama Facilities
The Lezama Facilities (Basque: Lezamako Kirol-instalakuntzak, Spanish: Instalaciones de Lezama), is the training ground and academy of the Primera Division club Athletic Bilbao. Located in the Lezama village around 10 km east of Bilbao, it was opened in 1971.
![]() An aerial view of the complex, 2019 | |
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Location | Lezama Basque Country |
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Owner | Athletic Bilbao |
Type | Football training ground |
Construction | |
Built | 1971 |
Tenants | |
Athletic Bilbao (training) (1971–present) Athletic Bilbao B (1971–present) Athletic Bilbao cantera (1971–present) Athletic Club Femenino (2002–present) Athletic Club Femenino B (2002–present) | |
Website | |
Lezama Facilities |
Lezama hosts Athletic's first team for training and the league matches of Athletic EFT (women's team), as well as ten base youth teams: Bilbao Athletic (reserve team, currently playing at the Segunda División B level), women's B team, two junior teams (17 to 19 years old), two cadets (with ages between 15 and 16), two youngster teams (13 and 14) and three children's teams (the youngest, 11 and 12 years of age) which make up the club's football academy.[1]
Currently, the total area of the facilities is 14,760 m².[2]
Facilities
![](../I/m/Primera_plantilla_en_Lezama.jpg)
- Field 2 with a capacity of 3,250 seats, is the home stadium of Bilbao Athletic, the reserve team of Athletic Bilbao, and the club's senior women's team.[3]
- 4 full-size natural grass pitches including Field 1, the senior team's training zone and Field 5, used by the Juvenil (under-19) academy teams.
- 3 full-size artificial turf pitches including Field 8 used by the women's B team.
- 1 mini football artificial turf pitch.
- Service centre with gymnasium, press rooms and medical facilities.
- Athletes' residence.
The Arch
![](../I/m/San_Mames_arch_at_Lezama.jpg)
The iconic arch over the main stand of Athletic's San Mamés Stadium (which originally supported its roof) was preserved in the ground's demolition in 2013 and moved in several pieces to Lezama, where it was installed at the side of the Field 2 used by the reserves and women's team, with a small area of spectator seating added below.[1][4][5]
The complex also features busts of iconic Athletic players Zarra[6] and Piru Gainza.[7]
References
- Alex Clapham (30 October 2018). "How does Athletic Bilbao's academy manage to produce 85% of their team?". Caño Football. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via The Guardian.
- Lezama Facilities
- "El campo 2 de Lezama sube su aforo hasta los 3.250 espectadores" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- "El arco de San Mamés ya está instalado en Lezama" [The arch from San Mamés has been installed at Lezama]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 18 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- "El arco ya ilumina las instalaciones de Lezama" [The arch illuminates the Lezama facilities]. El Desmarque (in Spanish). 14 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- "El busto de Zarra vigila desde lo más alto la cantera de Lezama" [The bust of Zarra watches the quarry of Lezama from its highest point]. El País (in Spanish). 5 December 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- "Mikel Vesga, el timonel del Sporting" [Mikel Vesga, the helmsman of Sporting]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 23 March 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
External links
- Official website
- Estadios de España (in English)