Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho[1] is a multi-use stadium in the neighbourhood of Ponta da Mina southeast of the centre of São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe and is located on Avenida das Nações Unidas. The building is classified as a Heritage of Portuguese Influence and Origin (SIPA).[2] It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium can hold 6,500 people and the field size is 105 × 68 m. The surface is Artificial turf.
The stadium is equipped with floodlights and a scoreboard. The stand located where the main entrance is, has a roof over it. Its interiors and exteriors are coloured pink with its entrance section coloured orange and blue. Before its recent renovations in 2015 the entrance section was coloured pink and had white columns and brown rims. Its doors are of neoclassical style with a mixture of Mediterranean architectural styles; the remaining things are modernistic.
The stadium also has a running track, and track events are sometimes held at the stadium.
History
The stadium was built around the 1920s as a football field. The building was opened in 1950. It was the first football stadium in the nation. The stadium was formerly named Estádio Sarmento Rodrigues. It was renovated in 2002 and expanded in 2003.