At the turn of the millennium, football in Almeria was a bit of a mess. Pickings were slim, and attendances were slimmer. To complicate matters, the city had two professional clubs (Almeria CF & CP Almeria) competing in Group IV of Segunda B. The situation was particularly dire for CP Almeria. Debts were high and results were poor. So grim was the situation, that CP Almeria folded mid-way through the 2000-01 season, and during the Christmas break many of the club’s playing staff “crossed town” to join Almeria CF. On 10 January 2001, Almeria CF became Unión Deportiva Almería. The reserve side of Almeria CF also changed its title, and continued in the Andalusian regional leagues, where it had played since formation in 1997.
UD Almeria B, as they were now known, reached the Tercera in 2002, and there followed a period of consolidation with a series of mid-table finishes. With the first team scaling the heights of La Primera, things began to stir with the reserves. After an unsuccessful conclusion in the play-offs at the end of the 2008-09 campaign, promotion to Segunda B was achieved in 2009-10. This was achieved not via the play-offs, but by purchasing the place vacated by CF Atlético Ciudad. The cost? €125,000. They remained in the third tier for the next six seasons, even reaching the play-offs in 2015, before losing to CD Guadalajara, before dropping back to the Tercera in 2016. After two seasons in the fourth tier, UD Almeria B regained its position in Segunda B with some style, beating Villarrubia, Arandina & Villarrobledo in the play-offs and scoring 18 goals in the process.
Home is now a rather loose term for UD Almeria B, but it was not always the case. From 2001 to 2012, matches were played at the Estadio Municipal Juan Rojas, which still stands in the northern district of Torrecárdenas, although football has made way for rugby. In 2012, home matches moved to the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, but this has been an ad-hoc arrangment. Matches against smaller opponents, and home matches in the Tercera are switched to the Anexo Campo los Juegos Mediterráneos, which as the name suggests is next door to the larger stadium. Originally built as a warm-up track when Almeria hosted the 2005 Mediterranean Ganes, the Anexo is simple in design and even simpler in spectator comforts. The only building is suited on the west side of the enclosure and features a shallow bank of 350 seats, partially covered by the overhang of the roof. UD Almeria B have even hit the road for home matches, playing at the Estadio Municipal Antonio Peroles in Roquetas de Mar.
Estadios de España 