Estádio Leão do Sul

The ground in Barra Mansa does not sit quietly in the city. The pitch measures 110 by 75 meters, a strip of green that has to survive the sun without artificial light. An artesian well keeps the grass alive, watering it day after day.

The structure itself is open, with stands that slope down to the touchline. There are no floodlights, so the game is played in daylight. The club surrendered the concession to the city hall to get the repairs done, and between 2015 and 2019 the place sat closed while paperwork was sorted and fences were put up. When the doors finally reopened in 2019, the visitors had their own access, and the stands were separated by a barrier.

The registered capacity is 5,000, but the fire department’s safety authorization is far lower, listing just 1,330 people as a limit. On the day of the 2014 Taça Santos Dumont final, more than that had turned up on the embankments outside, watching a draw that secured promotion to the elite division. The pitch is natural grass.