Estudiantes de La Plata

Estudiantes de La Plata is a sports club in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, with a history of achievement in professional football.

Stadium and Training Grounds

The Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium has room for 23,000 and is located on 1st Avenue, between 55th and 57th Streets, in central La Plata. The cheaper stands are wooden boards where fans stand up during the games; there are chairs on the eastern side, separated from the avenue by a row of tile trees; the western side is roofed and has the best seating arrangements.

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The noisiest fans occupy the northern (55th Street) popular, while visiting fans are welcome in the southern popular (on 57th Street, opposite a technical school). The club usually sets aside between 3,000 and 8,000 places for visiting fans.

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The police usually cuts off traffic on 1st Avenue both before and after the games.

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Even though a modern stadium has been built for the city of La Plata, neither Estudiantes nor rival Gimnasia y Esgrima have decided on relocating their home games. The matter has become a contested political issue between the clubs, their supporters, and mayor Julio Alak. Estudiantes has asked for permission to upgrade its stadium to no less than 20,000 seats plus 15,000 standing room.

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For international games, Estudiantes has traditionally used the Boca Juniors field (La Bombonera).

Related Topics:
Boca Juniors - La Bombonera

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As of September 2005, the stadium is not in use because of safety regulation compliance issues, and Estudiantes plays its home games in the nearby Gimnasia stadium. Estudiantes pays Gimnasia a rent of 10% gross income plus an amount for each season ticket attending.

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The training grounds are in the Country Club premises in City Bell, a few kilometres north of La Plata. The facilities have been upgraded through a gift from former player Juan Sebastián Verón.

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