Football
The Gran Canaria Stadium, located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is more than just a venue for football matches. Opened in 2003, the stadium has become an important symbol for the Unión Deportiva Las Palmas and a landmark in the Canary Islands’ sports scene. In this article, we’ll tell you all about it!
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Unión Deportiva Las Palmas
If you are a football fan, you probably already heard about UD La Liga, right? With 34 seasons in the Primeira Division, a finalist of the Copa del Rey, and a vice-champion of the Spanish league, the club is considered by specialists as one of the most representative teams of the Canary Islands in Spanish football.
But not everything is always glory. The club has faced challenging periods in recent decades, including a long period away from the Spanish soccer elite. Since the late 1980s, Las Palmas has gone through ups and downs, with rebates for lower divisions and financial difficulties that threaten the club’s survival.
However, in the 2022/23 season, UD Las Palmas made a remarkable comeback, reclaiming the spotlight. After years of struggle, the team rose to the occasion and secured promotion back to La Liga, marking a new chapter in the club’s history.
The Home of UD Las Palmas
The Gran Canaria stadium was built precisely to house the team, as the old famous Estadio Insular was no longer adequate in terms of capacity and modernity for the needs of the club and fans.
It started on May 8, 2003, in a friendly game. The Belgian team Anderlecht was invited to face Unión Deportiva, led by coach Josu Uribe, in that season. The game ended with a victory for Unión Deportiva by 2 to 1. The player Rubén Castro, a native of Gran Canaria, scored the first goal in the new stadium, scoring 1 to 0. This was the first goal of the event that marked the inauguration of the new home of time, and since then, Gran Canaria has been officially the new home of Unión Deportiva Las Palmas.
Apart from club games, this stadium has also seen several matches of both Spain’ and Canaries’ national teams.
Gran Canaria Structure
The UD Las Palmas Stadium is located on land designated as a Sports City, with an area of 250,000 m2, of which the Stadium occupies 65,000 m2, offering capacity for 31,250 spectators and Olympic features.
The space is accessible for people with reduced mobility via ramps from the main entrances. All buildings are equipped with lifts for access to any floor, always avoiding architectural barriers. The toilets and changing rooms have also been adapted. There are three areas in the stands for people with reduced mobility: an area on the upper level, an area on the lower level, and a VIP area with direct access from the street and the car park. On the sides of the pitch, there are two towers, North and South, which house administrative areas, cafeterias, and other areas of interest to both the club and the Insular Sports Institute of Gran Canaria.
The services building, located in the center of the structure, houses the offices of the Insular Sports Institute, various Insular Sports Federations, and the stadium’s administrative facilities. The building also includes multipurpose rooms, a press room, changing rooms, a gymnasium, and other essential facilities for the stadium’s operation and to meet the needs of athletes and the media.
The stadium also has 43 VIP boxes that provide all the convenience and comfort for fans looking to combine more luxurious experiences with football. The VIP includes areas with privileged views of the games, catering, and hostess services.
2030 World Cup and Possible Reform
The stadium is relatively new but has already undergone some minor renovation. It was originally built as a multi-purpose arena and included a running track around the pitch, but this did not please fans who felt it was too far from the pitch. In 2014, the club carried out some renovation work, which included removing the athletics tracks, extending the stands closer to the pitch, and repainting the grey seats with the club’s blue and yellow colors.
In July 2023, the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, with the support of UD Las Palmas, submitted a bid for the Gran Canaria stadium to be one of the venues for the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. On 31 July 2024, FIFA announced the chosen venues, including Gran Canaria, designated as one of the nine possible venues for the quarter-finals.
To meet the bid’s requirements, a stadium renovation that will increase its capacity to 44,000 spectators was approved in June 2024. The works include bringing the stands closer together, lowering the pitch level, completely covering the stands, demolishing the east tower, and reconfiguring the changing rooms and access to the pitch. Although these plans are speculative, UD Las Palmas fans are optimistic about this opportunity.
Records At A Regional Level
The stadium holds several important regional records of attendance. While it isn’t the biggest stadium in the Canary Islands according to capacity, Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium does take that honor.
The stadium also has a national record for the largest attendance during a match from Segunda Liga B, with 30,210 people who came for that match with C.D. Linares and then an overcrowded game in play-offs with 35,000 (more than 4000 people were left outside and could not enter on this day). Prior to this time, another record was held by U.D. Las Palmas, where its official Insular Stadium hosted 21,000 spectators against Cultural Leonesa back in 1996, going over the max capacity limit by almost three thousand individuals.
Another notable event was the regional derby between U.D. Las Palmas and C.D. Tenerife, held on May 10, 2014. The Gran Canaria Stadium recorded an attendance of 31,123 spectators, making it the derby with the largest attendance for a Segunda División game in the history of Canarian football.
A Great Concert Venue!
In addition to hosting major football matches, the venue also hosts a number of concerts and musical events. In addition to hosting major football matches, the venue also hosts a number of concerts and musical events. Over the years, big names have graced the venue, including Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Sting and Robbie Williams.
You Can See Everything With Your Own Eyes
For those who enjoy stadium tours, Gran Canaria doesn’t disappoint! With a guided tour, you have the opportunity to see all the “secret” spaces of this incredible stadium.
The standard tour includes the reception, gym, exit to Field 1, doctors’ and physiotherapy rooms, thermal baths, kitchen, cafeteria, changing rooms, press room, as well as Fields 2 and 3. There are also VIP tour options, where you can take the tour on a match day and access the VIP boxes and lounges of the venue.
In some tour options, you can also take the tour accompanied by a former club player and go through the players’ tunnel. Amazing, right?
The club’s website provides all the information about the tours and allows you to purchase tickets. Prices vary according to the type of tour you choose.
How To Get To Estadio De Gran Canaria
The stadium’s full address is Fondos del Segura s/n, 35019, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is located on the southwestern edge of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It lies approximately 5 kilometers from the Playa de las Canteras beach and central Parque de Santa Catalina square in Las Palmas’ city center. There are several ways to get to the stadium:
By Car: The stadium is located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the Siete Palmas area. If you are staying in the city centre, you can take the GC-23 towards the stadium, which offers to park nearby. The stadium offers 5,000 outdoor parking spaces and 350 covered parking spaces under the service building.
Public Transport: There are several bus lines that connect different parts of the city to the stadium. Lines 26, 44, and 91 are some of the options that pass near the Estadio Gran Canaria. Taxis are also a convenient option for getting to the stadium from anywhere in the city.
Walking or Cycling: If you are staying nearby, walking or cycling to the stadium can be a good option, especially on football matches or event days when traffic can be heavy.
The stadium is well-signposted and easily accessible from many parts of Las Palmas.
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