Key facts
Club: Santa Cruz FC | Opening: 1972 | Capacity: 60,044
History and description
Plans for the construction of Estadio do Arruda, offically called Estádio José do Rego Maciel, were made as early as 1955 when the major of Recife, Jose de Rego Maciel, gifted the club a piece of land that it had leased 12 years earlier.
Santa Cruz, which had until then moved between various grounds, started making plans for the construction of a new stadium, but it took until 1964 for concrete plans to be presented for a stadium that could hold 64,000 spectators.
Estadio do Arruda offically opened in 1972 with a match between Santa Cruz and Flamengo (0-0).
Soon after, plans were made for a major expansion by adding a second tier to three-quarters of the stadium. Works were completed in 1982 and the stadium could theoretically hold over 100,000 spectators though these never entered as real capacity was lower due to safety restrictions.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Estadio do Arruda hosted various internationals. During a qualifier between Brazil and Bolivia in 1993, more than 96,000 spectators were said to have packed the stands, though official attendance was set at 75,000.
Over the years, capacity gradually reduced due to further safety restrictions, now standing at just over 60,000, though generally limited to about 55,000.
Since 1982, the stadium only underwent minor refurbishments. For the 2014 World Cup, instead of redeveloping any of the existing arenas in Recife, the local government opted to build the new Arena Pernambuco in nearby Sao Lourenco da Mata.
How to get to Estadio do Arruda
Estadio do Arruda is located in the north of Recife in the Arruda area at about 5 kilometres from Recife’s old town and a little over 10 kilometres from the popular Boa Viagem beach resort area, which lies in the south of the city.
Recife’s long distance bus terminal, TIP, is located in on the western outskirts of the city. First take metro line 1 into the centre. The airport is located in the south near the Boa Viagem beach area and lies on metro line 2.
Estadio do Arruda is not on the metro thus either take a taxi or inquire locally about bus routes.
Address: Av. Beberibe 1285, Arruda, Recife , 52120-130
Santa Cruz Tickets
Santa Cruz tickets can be bought online through Futebolcard.com, at the ticket windows of Estadio do Arruda, or at the club shops (Cobra Coral or PE Retro) at Tacaruna, Patteo, Guararapes, and Riomar shopping centres.
Tickets typically go on sale from two days before the match. Tickets are also available at the stadium before the start of the match.
Ticket prices depend on the opponent, but expect to pay from R$ 20.00 for an upper-tier seat behind the goal to R$ 80.00 for a seat at the main stand.
Useful Internet links
Santacruzpe.com.br – Official website of Santa Cruz FC.
Photo credits: Jmicolas