In the grand scheme of things, Club Deportivo Tropezón is a relatively new club. It was founded by a group of friends in 1983 as a “cultural, sporting, recreational and gastronomic association”, in the small Cantabrian town of Tanos (Pop, 6,000). The club was originally called Peña Tropezón de Tanos, and home was a rented field in an area called El Prado on the southern edge of town. The club took on its current name in 1986 and following progression through the Cantabrian regional leagues, made it to the Tercera in 1991.
Tropezón made steady progress in the Tercera, improving its position with each passing season, before a first Tercera title was won in 1996-97. This was followed with a second Tercera title in 1997-98, and victory in the play-off group featuring UD Fraga, CD Logroñés B and SD Amorebieta, earned a place in Segunda B. El Prado was basic by Tercera standards and therefore the local council agreed to build a new stadium for the club. The new stadium was not ready for the start of the Segunda B campaign, so Tropezón played their first six home matches at El Malecón, the home of local rivals, Gimnástica Torrelavega.
Situated 400 metres to the west of El Prado, the Campo Santa Ana was inaugurated on 29 November 1998 with a local derby, when Gimnástica was held to a 0-0 draw. It features a half length raised cantilevered stand on the west side, which seats 780, and hard standing on the remaining three sides. Unfortunately, the new surroundings did not inspire Tropezón, and after finishing 19th and 8 points from safety, the club returned to the Tercera. A year later and Tropezón was back for another season-long stay in Segunda B, but that 2000-01 season also ended in relegation back to the Tercera,
There followed over a decade of frustration back in the Tercera with a series of top ten finishes and seven appearances in the play-offs. The jinx finally ended following the capture of a third Tercera title in 2013. Even then, the club took the long route, losing 1-4 on aggregate to Algeciras in the Group Winners Promotion Play-off Final. Tropezón picked themselves up and saw off challenges from Unión Adarve and Alzira to secure a return to the third tier for the first time in 12 years. The 2013-14 season saw Tropezón record their highest ever finish of 12th in Segunda B, but a year later, another 19th place saw the club drop back to the Tercera.
Between Tropezón’s 12 season absence from the third tier, the Campo Santa Ana made a surprise return to Segunda B in 2010. Whilst Tropezón was still playing in the Tercera, Gimnástica Torrelavega moved a couple of miles south to set up a temporary home at Santa Ana. This was due to the redevelopment of the El Malecón stadium. Temporary seating was installed behind the north goal and on the east side to accommodate the additional spectators during Gimnástica’s 18 month stay, which started with a 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo on 5 September 2010. The Tanos-Torrelavega love-in came to an end in December 2011, when Gimnástica moved back to their re-built El Malecón stadium.
Gimnástica returned the favour when El Malecón hosted Tropezón in the spring of 2013 following the installation of a €330,000 artificial surface at Santa Ana (a surface that has a coconut fibre infill, instead of rubber crumb!). Any hopes of “El Derbi de Torrelavega” during the 2013-14 season were dashed however, following Gimnástica’s demotion to the Tercera for failing to clear its debts. Following a strong 2020-21 season, Tropezón earned a place in the new Segunda División RFEF (4th Tier) whilst Gimnástica were placed in the fifth tier. All of which leaves Tropezón as head cooks and Gimnástica as the city’s bottle washers.
Club Deportivo Tropezón Official Website : https://www.cdtropezon.es/
La Futbolteca club history : http://lafutbolteca.com/club-deportivo-tropezon/
Estadios de España 