Racing Club Santander - Nuevo Sardinero - Capacity: 22,300 All Seater
The Stadium – Nuevo Sardinero Calle Real Racing Club s/n, Santandar
One of the most “British” of continental stadiums, it looks and feels like a carbon copy of St Mary’s in Southampton, or Pride Park in Derby. The stadium is located almost on the beach front in the area of Sardinero (hence the name), and in the warm late season it is a real pleasure to watch games in the Sardinero.
The Stadium has three identical two tier stands which wrap around to a slightly larger main stand that has a row of Executive boxes as a middle tier. All of the seats offer an unobstructed view of the action. And as there is no running track or high fences the atmosphere on a matchday can really be intimidating for the away team and fans. The Nuevo Sardinero opened in 1988, replacing the old stadum It has been used on a number of occasions by the Spanish national team.
Who Plays There? The last few seasons have seen Racing find the consistency needed to retain their La Liga status, much to the annoyance of neighbours Alaves, Celta Vigo and Oviedo who have languished outside the top division. In fact after promotion in 1993, the club have spent 12 seasons in the top division – even reaching the dizzy heights of 8th back in 1994.
Racing have always had a proud home record and this can be seen from their record against some of the bigger teams – both Barcelona and Real Madrid have lost more games in Santandar than they have won – the locals also still talk about the 5-0 defeat handed to the Catalans back in 1995 and the 4-0 defeat in 2000.
The club were originally formed in 1913. although the club didn’t appear in the La Liga until 1928. In 1930 they finished runners up on goals scored to Bilbao – the nearest they have come to winning a major honour. They slipped out of the top division in 1940, returning again in 1950. Since coming back to the top division they have finished 16th twice, and 17th twice – although the prime aim at the start of each season is to retain their La Liga place. The team did suffer from losing talisman Yossi Benayoun to West Ham last season. This season the team entered the Christmas break in 13th place. The squad has been bolstered by the arrival of Argentinian full back Lionel Scaloni and Croatian Nikola Zigic.
The club are still waiting to make their debut in Europe – one of the only top flight Spanish teams not to have made this grade. There is very little chance of European football this season already, although the home form has meant they are within touching distance of an Intertoto Cup place.
How to get to the Nuevo Sardinero The stadium is located on the Sardinero beach and so what a better end to a summer’s day of sunbathing than popping into the stadium to catch a Sunday early evening game. If you are coming from the town centre, then bus number 1 runs past the stadium every 15 minutes.
If you want to walk from the area around the station, then just follow the waterfront past the public gardens, the Marina and finally the Palacio de Festivales befoe taking any of the next left hand roads. These will lead inland towards the university area. After a 15 minute stroll you wil get to the main Avenida de los Castros road and the stadium will be visible on the far side.
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 Nuevo Sardinero The stadium has only sold out on a handful of occasions, notably when Real Madrid or Barcelona are in town. As with most Spanish teams, away supporters are also unheard of – the exception being Athletic Bilbao who often bring large numbers, and so there are normally plenty of tickets available on the day of the game for neutrals. The hardcore fans – the Juventudes Verdiblancas are located in the Grada Norte at the beach end of the stadium. A good bet for the neutrals is the Preferencia Este. Ticket prices start from
Around the Nuevo Sardinero The stadium is located almost on the beach at Sardinero and so you will find plenty of restaurants and a few bars close by. A ten minute walk south will see you firmly in the University area of the town with a number of good bars here as well.
The small Santandar airport is located 4km out of town. It is currently served by Ryanair from Liverpool and London Stansted – as well as a host of internal flights. To reach the town centre from the airport catch the twice hourly bus to the rail station. The bus costs €1.50 each way.
Who Plays There?