Inaugurated for the 1978 FIFA World Cup hosted by Argentina, the stadium is currently used by local clubs Alvarado and Aldosivi to play their home matches.

[1] Argentina was chosen as the host nation of the 1978 World Cup by FIFA in London, England on 6 July 1966, and Mar del Plata, as one of the most touristic cities in the country, was selected as a venue.

The organizing committee, under supervision of the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina since 1976, decided to build a new stadium on the same spot where the Mar del Plata hippodrome had been located 40 years earlier.

As the city of Mar del Plata is a very important tourist destination and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina, since its construction this stadium has been the main host of the many annual Summer Tournaments.

On September 24, 2021, a week before the return of the public to football stadiums after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Municipal Sports and Recreation Entity disabled the covered stalls (with a capacity for 6,500 seated people).

[11] The José María Minella offers parking lots for 250 cars, a 590 m2 lounge and 245 m2 VIP area, conference room and two 550 m2 gyms.