Estadio El Madrigal
Encyclopedia
Estadio El Madrigal is a multi-purpose stadium
in Vila-real
, Spain
. It is currently used mostly for football
matches, as it is the home of Villarreal CF
.
The stadium with 25,000 seats was originally built in 1923. Due to the small size of the Villarreal town (just over 50,000 inhabitants) it is popularly said that the town is deserted when Villarreal plays, as almost half of it fits in the stadium; the average attendance reaches 17,000 fans.
and Cervantes, and named Campo del Villarreal, but it was renamed to its current denomination only 2 years later, in honour to the rural lands on which it was erected. Nicknamed the Feudo Amarillo ("Yellow Feud"), it is located at Plaza Labrador, 5 kilometres away from the Mediterranean Sea
, and at an altitude of 50 metres.
The first remodelling works took place on the summer break of 1952. The size of the pitch was taken from 95 x 65 m to 105 x 65 m, matching that of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
of the 1952 Summer Olympics
, a reference to copy during those years.
During the 1960s the club erected a small covered stand, and during the 1971/72 season the southern stands were finished. In 1988 it was demolished to make room for a new stand opened on March 8, 1989 with a friendly match against Atlético Madrid.
For the club's 75th anniversary the club started new renovation works. The south stand was again demolished to erect a new one with a roof, an amphitheatre, the VIP sector, and the northern stand were built, finishing the works at the 1999/00 season.
The stadium was first floodlit for night matches on September 16, 1973 for the third division match between Villarreal CF
and SE Eivissa-Ibiza
. The city hall provided help for the construction of the floodlight towers located at each of the four corners of the field, with nine halogen lamps on top of each one.
The locker rooms were moved several times. Until the 1935/36 season they were at the south eastern corner of the stadium, then at the north east until the 1989, when they were moved to the south western part. After the last modifications to the stadium, the dressing rooms are now under the main stand.
outside the stadium to represent the club's famous nickname.
, stadiums have to fulfil a series of requisites, for which the Stadium had to be quickly renovated in 2005 to meet those regulations. The façade was covered with yellow tiles, both to improve aesthetics, and to benefit the local industry of tiles. The dressing rooms were also renovated, creating an office for the coach, physiotherapy room, and a bath and showers area. There were also created an office for the UEFA delegates, an anti-doping hall, and the room for press conferences was expanded.
The separation of the pitch from the public has been expanded one meter, and the entrance to the dressing rooms had to be revised. Two restaurants have been created inside the facilities, and the advertising system was computerized.
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in Vila-real
Vila-real
Vila-real is a city in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located 7 km to the south of the province's capital , at 42 m above sea level, it has 51,367 inhabitants , most of them living in the urban area that covers about 10.72% of its county's 55.4 km2 surface...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is currently used mostly for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches, as it is the home of Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
.
The stadium with 25,000 seats was originally built in 1923. Due to the small size of the Villarreal town (just over 50,000 inhabitants) it is popularly said that the town is deserted when Villarreal plays, as almost half of it fits in the stadium; the average attendance reaches 17,000 fans.
History
The stadium was inaugurated on June 17 of 1923 with the match between CD CastellónCD Castellón
Club Deportivo Castellón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Castellón de la Plana, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home games at Nou Estadi Castalia, which has a capacity of 16,000.-History:Football first appeared in...
and Cervantes, and named Campo del Villarreal, but it was renamed to its current denomination only 2 years later, in honour to the rural lands on which it was erected. Nicknamed the Feudo Amarillo ("Yellow Feud"), it is located at Plaza Labrador, 5 kilometres away from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, and at an altitude of 50 metres.
The first remodelling works took place on the summer break of 1952. The size of the pitch was taken from 95 x 65 m to 105 x 65 m, matching that of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
of the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, a reference to copy during those years.
During the 1960s the club erected a small covered stand, and during the 1971/72 season the southern stands were finished. In 1988 it was demolished to make room for a new stand opened on March 8, 1989 with a friendly match against Atlético Madrid.
For the club's 75th anniversary the club started new renovation works. The south stand was again demolished to erect a new one with a roof, an amphitheatre, the VIP sector, and the northern stand were built, finishing the works at the 1999/00 season.
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
and SE Eivissa-Ibiza
SE Eivissa-Ibiza
Unión Deportiva Ibiza-Eivissa was a Spanish football team based in Ibiza Town, in the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Founded in 1995, it last played in Regional de Ibiza, holding home matches at Estadi Can Misses, with a capacity of 10,000 seats.-History:Unión Deportiva Ibiza-Eivissa...
. The city hall provided help for the construction of the floodlight towers located at each of the four corners of the field, with nine halogen lamps on top of each one.
The locker rooms were moved several times. Until the 1935/36 season they were at the south eastern corner of the stadium, then at the north east until the 1989, when they were moved to the south western part. After the last modifications to the stadium, the dressing rooms are now under the main stand.
The "Casals Grocs"
El Madrigal provides all sorts of comforts for its fans that search for added-value services to watch their favourite football team. For them, there are 30 Casals Grocs VIP boxes with air conditioning, TV with direct transmission of the matches (for those who cannot see a match without replays), catering service, individual seats and independent access from the southern stand with 3 elevators to quickly reach the box parking. Of the 30 boxes, five accommodate 20, twenty-three accommodate 16, and the last two 12 fans. There is also a statue of a yellow submarineYellow Submarine
-The Beatles:*"Yellow Submarine" , original song released in 1966*Yellow Submarine , a feature-length animated film featuring The Beatles' music*Yellow Submarine , 1969 album with the soundtrack to the film...
outside the stadium to represent the club's famous nickname.
Champions League
To be approved for the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, stadiums have to fulfil a series of requisites, for which the Stadium had to be quickly renovated in 2005 to meet those regulations. The façade was covered with yellow tiles, both to improve aesthetics, and to benefit the local industry of tiles. The dressing rooms were also renovated, creating an office for the coach, physiotherapy room, and a bath and showers area. There were also created an office for the UEFA delegates, an anti-doping hall, and the room for press conferences was expanded.
The separation of the pitch from the public has been expanded one meter, and the entrance to the dressing rooms had to be revised. Two restaurants have been created inside the facilities, and the advertising system was computerized.
External links
- El Madrigal at Villarrealcf.es
- History and Images at Estadios de Espana
- El Madrigal Images and Information at worldstadia.com