Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A football club Atlético Mineiro has detailed plans for a series of initiatives to mark the transition to its new stadium, Arena MRV.
Arena MRV staged its inaugural event in April as around 9,000 fans were given their first look at the 46,000-seat stadium, but the venue is yet to stage a competitive fixture. April’s Nascimento do Campo (Birth of the Field) event was held under the BH Festival banner and featured concerts and tributes to celebrate the opening of the stadium.
Atlético is continuing to play matches at the Mineirão before moving to Arena MRV. On Sunday, the club hosted Bahia at the Mineirão, and a ballot box was placed outside the stadium for fans to share their hopes for Arena MRV.
The box will be transferred from the Mineirão to Arena MRV and will be opened in a year’s time on the latter’s first anniversary. Car rental company MM Aluguel de Carros will be responsible for transferring the time capsule between the two stadiums.
Other initiatives are planned for the coming weeks, and fans have been invited to share their thoughts on the stadium move using the #CasasDoGalo (Home of the Roosters) hashtag on social media.
Arena MRV is ready to be inaugurated with a competitive Atlético match in the coming weeks, although the club has not yet announced the first fixture.
Samuel Lloyd, commercial director of the Mineirão, said: “We are convinced that Mineirão and Arena MRV will have a more cooperative relationship than a competitive one. And following Atlético’s plans, we know that, even after going home, they will still have the opportunity to play several games at Gigante.”
Bruno Muzzi, chief executive of Atlético and Arena MRV, added: “Atlético has a huge history of achievements at the Mineirão, which will always be the club’s home. Now, we will start another important period in the centenary trajectory of the Galo.”
The Mineirão has hosted Atlético matches for almost 58 years and was the club’s home venue for championship wins in 1971 and 2021, as well as the Copa Libertadores triumph in 2013.
