finetwork arena – design description

Does CD Eldense need a new stadium?

Club Deportivo Eldense was founded in 1921 and is currently the oldest football club in the province of Alicante. In its history, the team has most often played in the third and fourth levels of the competition, with its greatest successes being playing in the Segunda División between 1956–1959 and 1962–1964.

The team played its first matches at the so-called Campo del Progreso. As early as 1923, a new ground was opened, called Campo del Parque. This existed until the 1960s, when it was replaced by a new stadium, later named after the Elda-based footballer and coach José Amat Cerdán (better known as Pepico Amat).

In the 21st century, plans were made to build a shopping and entertainment centre on the site of Estadio Pepico Amat, hence another stadium (named Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat) was built in 2011–2012 a few hundred metres to the south, with the capacity of 4,036 spectators. Nothing came of the plans to build a shopping and entertainment complex, however, and the old stadium still stands today.

Although CD Eldense's current facility, Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat, can be adapted to the requirements of professional games on an ad hoc basis, for example by adding temporary stands, in the long term the club, with its high ambitions, will need a new arena.

When were plans to build a new stadium for CD Eldense announced?

On February 9, 2023, CD Eldense president Pascual Pérez announced plans to build a new stadium for his club. The facility would be built on the site occupied by the old Estadio Pepico Amat. The capacity of the new stadium is expected to be 18,000 spectators, significantly more than the club's current or previous facility has. The project also includes the creation of an underground car park for 3,000 vehicles and a commercial area.

The concept was announced after several months of discussion and planning. The idea has been welcomed by representatives of the local authorities, who have given preliminary approval for the development. Construction is likely to start if the club manages to gain promotion to the second tier of the competition. According to information provided by the club, the work would take 18 months.

What is the vision for the 'finetwork arena'?

According to the concept presented, the stadium will have a football-specific layout, with multi-level stands around the pitch, higher along the playing field. The auditorium will be covered and the stands will be enclosed from the outside by a façade. The whole will take on a fine, irregular form. In addition to CD Eldense matches, the facility is to be used for other sporting and non-sporting events.

The renderings presented suggest that the stadium will be called the 'finetwork arena'. Finetwork is a mobile network operator and the company is owned by Pascual Pérez (president of CD Eldense).

The concept presented is remarkably ambitious for a club of this stature, but the president of CD Eldense has far-reaching plans and ambitions for the team, so the new facility is expected to meet the requirements of playing even in LaLiga. In 2022, the club returned to the third tier of the competition after several years, and at the time the project was announced they were top of the table with good chances of promotion to the Segunda División.