Estadio de Tenerife – stadium description

When was CD Tenerife's stadium opened?

Club Deportivo Tenerife (then called Sporting Club Tenerife) was founded in 1912. On 5th May 1913 the club's first stadium, Campo de Miraflores, was opened. In 1922, due to financial problems, there was a restructuring of the club. Among other things, the club decided to abandon the previously used Campo de Miraflores. A new stadium was built about 0.5 km south-west of the previous facility. It was inaugurated on 25th July 1925, and the hosts took on the Marino team from Las Palmas. The cost of constructing the new stadium was almost 250,000 pesetas.

Who is the stadium of CD Tenerife named after?

In 1946 a former player, Heliodoro Rodríguez López, became president of the club. One of his first decisions was to undertake the extension of the club's stadium. The design was created by architect José Enrique Marrero Regalado and the construction was finished in 1950. Meanwhile, Heliodoro Rodríguez López died on 4th March 1950. Shortly afterwards, the stadium was named after him. The ground did not have a grass pitch at the beginning, and the first match on the lawn was played on 31 August 1952 against Atlético Madrid (1:1). On 2nd July 1954, floodlights were installed in the stadium.

When did Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López take its current form?

At the end of the 1980s, a decade-long phased extension of the stadium began, designed by architect Carlos Schwartz. The design was modelled on the Miniestadi in Barcelona, although some also see parallels with La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. The redevelopment was completed on 4th January 2001 with the finishing touches being put to the upgrade of the north stand.

Who owns Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López?

The stadium was originally owned by the club, but due to financial difficulties, it was sold back to the city in 1930. In 1940 the club bought back the facility, but in 1970 sold it again to the local authorities.

What does Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López look like?

The pitch of the stadium is surrounded by two-tier (the upper level is considerably larger), gently curved stands. The main stand, located on the south side, is roofed. The canopy and the upper tier of the stadium are lined with floodlights. A LED screen has been installed on the stand behind the western goal. Capacity is 22,824 spectators and the seats are in the club's colours - white and blue. The stands on each side bear their names: Tribuna (south), San Sebastián (north), Popular (east) and Herradura (west). The stadium is in the center of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the second largest (after Las Palmas) city in the Canary Islands. It is the second largest arena in the archipelago, topped only by the Estadio Gran Canaria,

What takes place at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López?

Football in the Canary Islands was a local game for a long time, and regular competition with teams from the rest of the country became possible after the establishment of regular air services in the late 1940s. In 1953 CD Tenerife advanced to the Segunda División for the first time, and in 1961 to the Primera División. The first stay of the team in the top division was brief and lasted one season, but the second promotion to the elite in 1989 began the best decade in the history of the club, during which the team regularly appeared in the Primera División, also twice participating in the UEFA Cup (in 1996/97 reaching the semi-finals of this competition).

Prominent matches played at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López included those against UD Las Palmas. The rivalry between the clubs from the two biggest cities in the Canary Islands is referred to as the Canary Derby.

The venue can certainly be considered unlucky for Real Madrid fans. In the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons, the team played their last league game at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, each time losing to the hosts, 2:3 and 0:2 respectively. Each of these defeats meant losing by a point in the battle for the league title to FC Barcelona.

The stadium has occasionally played host to the Spanish national team. The venue also regularly holds the finals of the Copa Heliodoro Rodríguez López tournament, which has been played since 1949. The stadium attracts non-sporting events as well, such as concerts (among others, Sting, Shakira and Aerosmith have performed there) or the traditional Epiphany cavalcade.

How Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López compares to other LaLiga Hypermotion stadiums?