Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina was founded in 1922. The first idea of the executive committee to arrange a stadium was to build it inside the castle ofPonferrada, which was eight centuries old. KingAlfonso XIII denied the building permit, which led to the construction ofSanta Marta; the opening match was played 8 September 1923, afriendly againstCultural y Deportiva Leonesa.
Ponferradina spent the vast majority of its professional years in thefourth andthird divisions. In 1967, with the club in the former category, it achieved an historic 6–1 win againstLa Liga giantsReal Madrid. Eight years later, due to financial difficulties, Santa Marta was sold, and the team relocated toFuentesnuevas.
In the2009–10 season, Ponferradina returned to division two: after winning the regular season with 75 points it defeatedSant Andreu onpenalties, inthe play-offs (after winning and losing 1–0 over the two legs); subsequently, the club appeared in the league final, losing toGranada 0–1 on aggregate.
In2010–11 Ponferradina played in the second division for the second time, meeting the same fate after finishing in 21st position.The following campaign the team finished second in its group and, after oustingReal Jaén,Lucena andTenerife inthe play-offs, promoted back.
In2015-16 season, Ponferradina were relegated after defeated byGirona on the last matchday, finishing in 19th position.
After three seasons in the third-tier Segunda B division, on the 29th of June 2019, Ponferradina won their two-legged playoff against Hércules to secure promotion back to the Segunda División.
In2022-23 season, Ponferradina were relegated to third division after four seasons in the second division.
The longest rivalry of SD Ponferradina is the province ofLeón rivalry withCultural y Deportiva Leonesa. However, the respective first teams of the two clubs haven't played each other since Ponferradina were promoted to theSegunda División and Cultural were relegated toTercera División in 2010.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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