Estádio do Junco

The Estádio Municipal Plácido Aderaldo Castelo sits in the Junco neighbourhood of **Sobral**, a town in the state of Ceará, Brazil. It is known locally as the **Estádio do Junco**. The ground opened in 1970, but its history is not just a matter of dates. It is a place where football in the region has played out in its rawest form, far from the polished arenas of the capital.

The pitch is a rectangle of natural grass, measuring 105 by 68 metres. The capacity is officially recorded at 10,000, yet the crowd has swelled to 23,000 on nights when the stakes were high enough to pull people from the surrounding hills.

The stadium has seen its share of turmoil. In 2021, a fire broke out in a vacant lot behind the structure. Yet, the ground remains in use. The renovations did not change the character of the place; they simply kept it running.