Alicante – Campo de La Viña & Campo de Bardín

Article updated: 25/11/2025

This is the story of Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol (don’t worry, we will refer to them as Hércules from now on!), from formation to their move to the Estadio José Rico Pérez. A tale that pre-dates the opening of their current stadium by 60 years and follows the toing and froing of the club, both on and off the pitch.

We start back in 1914 with the formation of a youth team. Its members struck upon an inspirational name, that of the ancient Greek hero Hercules. Hércules was a useful youth team and formed a senior section on October 20 1922. However, they only really started to prosper when an older and more successful local rival fell into deep water. Club Natación Alicante was the footballing arm of the local swimming club, and in the 1920s, was the dominant club in the city, boasting good form in the Copa del Rey, reaching the quarterfinals in 1924. However, after losing the plot in a match at Valencia CF in February 1927, the Valencian Football Federation threw the book at them and rather than take the fine, the footballing arm of the swimming club was wound up.

Natación played their matches at Campo de La Viña, and shared their ground with Hércules, so rather than forming a new club, the players and officials of Natación joined Hércules, who in turn adopted their neighbours’ blue and white striped shirts & black shorts. Campo de La Viña was a basic enclosed field that opened on 19 January 1919 and was located in the Barrio of La Florida. By the time Hércules appeared in the Tercera for the 1928-29 season, thoughts were already turning to a new stadium. Their first Tercera title arrived in 1931-32 and coincided, for the time being, with the club’s departure from La Viña. Hércules didn’t move far, heading just 500 metres northeastwards to the purpose-built Campo de Bardín. The new stadium opened on 18 September 1932 with a friendly against Real Madrid. It was quite an impressive ground by 1930s standards, with a full-length covered stand on one side of the pitch and decent terracing around the other three sides. A further Tercera title followed in 1932-33, but a loss in the playoffs to CE Sabadell meant the 1933-34 season would be spent in the Tercera. The fourth-place finish that followed, however, was good enough to earn the club a place in the new regional second division for the 1934-35 season.

Hércules was a club on the rise, and the 1934-35 season would prove to be their most successful to date, when they topped their region of La Segunda, earning a third league title in 4 years. In a tight playoff group, Hércules beat Celta Vigo 1-0 in the final match to gain promotion. Their debut season in La Primera saw the club finish in an impressive sixth place, with wins over FC Barcelona & eventual champions Athletic Club de Bilbao. An excellent run in the Copa saw the club reach the semi-finals, before losing to the eventual winners, Real Madrid. The team had achieved a great deal in a short space of time, and the future looked bright for this young and skilful team, but then the Civil War interrupted proceedings. Following the war, Hércules continued in La Primera and another sixth-place finish was achieved upon resumption. Around this time, the Nationalist Government’s policies began to influence the Spanish Football Federation, and Hércules and FC Alicante were forced to merge, taking the name Alicante Club Deportivo. The marriage, however, was a short one and in 1942, after relegation to La Segunda, the clubs went their separate ways. Over the next 30 years, Hércules made three brief visits to La Primera, but conversely, also tasted 2 spells in Tercera, in the late fifties and late sixties. They also left Campo de Bardín, playing their last match at the ground on 27 June 1954, securing a 2-0 victory over CA Osasuna that earned promotion to La Primera. Here’s some rare footage of the last match at the Campo de Bardín.

Hércules returned to a renovated Campo de la Viña for the start of the 1954-55 season. Unlike the Campo de Bardín, La Viña did not have a covered stand. It did, however, have a higher capacity of 12,000 and resembled the Campo de Altabix, home of near-neighbours, Elche CF. It was basic, but acceptable by 1950s standards, featuring a large open tribuna on the west side and a slightly smaller preferencia terrace on the east side. Both end terraces were slightly curved, with the southern one being the larger of the two. After two seasons in the top flight, Hércules dropped to La Segunda. Worse was to follow in 1959, when the club was relegated to the regional Tercera. The league title was secured a year later, thanks in no small part to the 17 goals scored by a 21-year-old loanee, a certain Luis Aragonés. Playoff victories over Manacor and CE Hospitalet secured Hércules’ return to La Segunda. Remarkably, La Viña was not finished as a top-flight stadium, as Hércules won a place back at the top table in 1966. The club had struggled financially for much of the past two decades, but things were about to change.

José Rico Pérez began his presidency in 1971, which would be the start of the most successful period in the club’s history. The club repurchased the Campo de La Viña from the regional bank and completed the purchase of the land near the Castell de Sant Ferran. They then sold the site of the Campo de La Viña to the local council, making enough profit to finance the building of the new stadium. The Campo de La Viña had one last glorious day when Hércules beat Córdoba 2-0 on 19 May 1974 to earn promotion back to La Primera. On 3 August 1974, Hércules hosted FC Barcelona in a friendly that marked the opening of the Estadio José Rico Pérez.