Feudo Amarillo La Cerámica[1] | |
 Interactive map of Estadio de la Cerámica | |
| Former names | Campo del Villarreal (1923–25) El Madrigal (1925–2017) |
|---|---|
| Location | Villarreal,Spain |
| Owner | Villarreal CF |
| Capacity | 23,008[2] |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | hybrid grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1923 |
| Opened | 17 June 1923 |
| Renovated | 1952 (Pitch Expansion) 2005 (Champions League) 2022 (Remodeling) |
| Expanded | 1998–2001 |
| Tenants | |
| Villarreal CF (1923–present) Spain national football team (selected matches) Villarreal B (2023–present) | |
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Estadio de la Cerámica, formerly and informally calledEl Madrigal (Spanish pronunciation:[elmaðɾiˈɣal]), is afootball stadium inVillarreal,Spain, used since 1923. It is currently the home venue ofVillarreal CF ofLa Liga, the highest football league in Spain.
The stadium has 23,008 seats,[2] a figure which is half the population of the town ofVila-real, making it the26th-largest stadium in Spain and the 5th-largest in theValencian Community.
The stadium was inaugurated on 17 June 1923 with a match betweenCastellón andCervantes under the nameCampo del Villarreal (Villarreal Field), becoming renamed two years later in honour to the rural lands on which it was erected. Nicknamed theFeudo Amarillo ("Yellow Fief"), it is located at Plaza Labrador, ten kilometres away from theMediterranean Sea, and at an altitude of 50 metres.
The first remodeling works took place on the stadium in the close season before the 1952–53 season. The size of the pitch was taken from 95 x 50 m to 104 x 65 m,[3] matching that of theHelsinki Olympic Stadium of the1952 Summer Olympics, a reference to copy during those years.
During the 1960s the club erected a small covered stand, and during the 1971–72 season the southern stands were finished. In 1988 it was demolished to make room for a new stand which opened on 8 March 1989 with a friendly match againstAtlético Madrid.
For the club's 75th anniversary new renovation works were started. The south stand was again demolished to erect a new one with a roof, an amphitheatre, the VIP sector, and the northern stand were built, finishing the works at the 1999–2000 season. In the summer of 2001, the grandstand was enlarged.
The stadium was first floodlit for night matches on 16 September 1973 for the third division match between Villarreal andIbiza. The city hall provided help for the construction of the floodlight towers located at each of the four corners of the field, with nine halogen lamps on top of each one.
The changing rooms were moved several times. Until the 1935–36 season they were at the south eastern corner of the stadium, then at the north east until 1989, when they were moved to the south western part. After the last modifications to the stadium, they are now under the main stand.
On 8 January 2017, just before aLa Liga match againstBarcelona, Villarreal changed the name of its stadium fromEl Madrigal toEstadio de la Cerámica (English:Ceramics Stadium) recognising the local industry.[4]
In February 2021, Norwegian clubMolde FK played their Europa League last 32 home match at the ground, due toCOVID-19 travel restrictions in their own country.[5]
There are 30Casals Grocs VIP boxes with air conditioning, TV with live transmission of the matches, catering service, individual seats and independent access from the southern stand with three elevators. Of the 30 boxes, five accommodate 20 people, 23 accommodate 16, and the last two 12 fans.[citation needed]
To be approved for theUEFA Champions League, stadiums have to fulfil a series of requisites, for which the Stadium had to be quickly renovated in 2005 to meet those regulations. The facade was covered with yellow tiles, both to improve aesthetics, and to benefit the local industry of tiles. The dressing rooms were also renovated, creating an office for the coach, physiotherapy room, and a bath and showers area. There was also an office created for the UEFA delegates, an anti-doping hall, and the room for press conferences was expanded.
The separation of the pitch from the public has been expanded by one metre, and the entrance to the dressing rooms had to be revised. Two restaurants have been created inside the facilities, and the advertising system was computerised.
39°56′39″N0°06′13″W / 39.94417°N 0.10361°W /39.94417; -0.10361
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