Real Mallorca - Son Moix - Capacity : 23,000 All Seater
The Stadium – Son Moix Cami dels Reis s/n, Son Moix, Palma Mallorca
First the good news – the Son Moix is one of the most modern stadiums in Spain. Originally constructed to replace the dated Sitjar ground in the city centre. However, the stadium is located in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of the city and has no amenities close by.
As Real Mallorca hold a monopoly on football in the Balearic Islands, away fans don’t tend to visit the stadium, meaning that games are often played in near silence with no visiting supporters to engage in banter. The stadium does seem quite sole less – it has two large stands that run the length of the pitch, the main stand being covered (although the climate on the island doesn’t really warrant a roof). At each end the “Fondo’s” are curved away from the pitch due to the Athletic’s track. The first row of the seats is also set around 8 foot above the pitch giving good views of the action from all angles.
The Estadio Luise Sitiar was home to the club from 1945 to 2000, and is still used by the reserve team. Whilst it looks quite tatty, it is easy to see how the fans were unhappy to move. Surrounded by small bars and cafes, the stadium was completely open air with the stands close to the pitch and a capacity of 19,000. If you are in the city when the reserves are playing then entry is free. The stadium is also the home to Atletico de Baleares who play in the third tier of Spanish footballl.
Who Plays There? Real Mallorca were one of the success stories in European Club Football during the 1990’s. It is hard to believe that less than 25 years ago the club had never reached the La Liga or a Kings Cup Final, and were considered by the Spanish public as no more than a footballing backwater. The team were originally formed back in 1916 through an agreement with King Alfonso XIII. The club soon found themselves in the second division of Spanish football, but found it hard to attract players to the islands, with the lure of the big cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia proving more popular.
In 1991 the club reached their first major cup final, losing to Athletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey and proved the catalyst for major investment in the stadium and the team. At last the club reached the top division in 1997, and immediately outside investment poured into the club. Through a loophole in the constitution of the club, one of the biggest media and TV companies, Antenna 3 were able to buy the club in return for exclusive TV rights to their games – thus being able to name their price when the big guns from Barcelona and Madrid came to town. Owner (of both club and TV station) Bartolome Beltrán kept by his word to make the club one of the top teams in Spain by investing this new found wealth in the team. In came stars like Dani, Argentinean World Cup winning keeper Carlos Roa, and the services of astute coach Hector Cúper (later to go on and take Valencia to two consecutive Champions League finals) were secured.
In their first season in La Liga, the team did themselves proud. They again reached the Copa del Rey final, losing out on penalties to double winners Barcelona. This, however, did give them a first crack at a European cup as they entered the 1998 European Cup Winners Cup. In their first European campaign the club beat all expectations with wins over Hearts, Genk, Varteks and Chelsea taking them into the final with Lazio at Villa Park. In an open game, the last Cup Winner Cup Final to be played, Mallorca lost 2-1 to the Italians.
Their league form continued to impress with the team actually topping the league at one point. However, with such a small squad the team couldn’t keep up the form week in week out despite the goals from Dani. A final 3rd place finish was more than expected and meant that the club had truly arrived on the European stage with entry into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for season 1999/2000. The new season kicked off with a Champions League qualifier in the new Son Moix stadium, although the team disappointed by failing to overcome Molde of Norway, and thus miss out on a lucrative Champions League champion.
Another 3rd place finish in 2000/2001 saw the team have a crack at Champions League qualifying again. This time a 2-1 win over Hadjuk Split in the qualifying rounds took them into the group stages for the first time. There they met Schalke, Panathinaikos and Arsenal. A great start to the competition saw Engonga’s penalty beat Arsenal at the Son Moix. Further wins over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen and at home to Panathinaikos would have seen them through to the next stage in most groups – however, the heavy defeats at home to Schalke (4-0) and away at Highbury saw the team finish third and thus enter the UEFA Cup. There they met Liberec of the Czech Republic where a 3-1 away defeat saw them crash out of the tournament.
European football returned to the Son Moix in 2003 when Mallorca qualified for the UEFA Cup. After a good win versus APOEL of Cyprus in the First Round, the club went on to Kobenhagen, and Spartak Moscow before a heavy defeat to Newcastle United in the last sixteen. The club also took the Copa del Rey for the first time with a victory over Recreativo de Huelva in Elche.
The last few seasons have been very barren for the team, with the money no longer flowing into the club. Last season 12th place was more than most fans expected as goals came hard to come by. They have started this season a bit better with two draws in their first two games. The fans will be pleased to welcome a true goal scorer at last with Diego Tristán rejoining the club.
How to get to the San Moix The Son Moix sits just outside the main Mallorcan ringroad, to the north of the city centre. Whilst many applauded the move north to the new stadium in the early 2000’s, the local authorities have been slow to provide public transport access, meaning that the only real option to get to the ground is by private cars. This leads to absolute chaos after the game finishes. There is a bus service from the city centre – line 8 but due to the traffic heading for the stadium on match day, it is often quicker to walk.
For a more detailed view on who plays where in Spain go to Footiemap.com to access their excellent Football map site.
How to get a ticket for the San Moix Tickets for home matches go on sale from the ticket booths in the east car park of the stadium from 10 days before a game.
Around the San Moix Unfortunately in planning for the new stadium in the early part of this century, no provision was made for anything around the stadium. Apart from a large car park, a garage and the ring road, there is nothing in the vicinity of the stadium.
Nearest Airport - Palma Son Sant Joan Airport (Airport Code PMI) Telephone: +971 78 90 00 Website: http://www.aena.es
Palma’s recently expanded Son Sant Joan airport is one of the busiest in Europe, with other 500 flights coming and going per day during peak season. The airport is located about 5 miles to the east of Palma, and a bus runs from outside the arrivals doors to Passeig Maritim and Placa Espanya every 15 minutes from 6am. A single fare is €2, and a taxi will cost around €20.
The budget airlines soon wised up to the islands popularity and launched roots to the island from many UK airports. Currently, the following airlines serve Palma on a daily basis.
Air Berlin – London Stansted BMI – London Heathrow BMIBaby – Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham East Midlands BA – London Gatwick Easyjet – Bristol, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Luton and Stansted as well as Newcastle Excel Airways – Cardiff, Humberside, London Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle Flybe – Exeter and Southampton Jet2 – Blackpool, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle Monarch – Birmingham, London Gatwick and Luton Thomsonfly – Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Coventry, Doncaster, Durham and Southampton
