La Gomera

Sparkling like an emerald in the Atlantic Ocean, the island of La Gomera is one of the Canary Islands hidden gems. The island is famed for its rugged terrain and dense laurel forests, but it is also steeped in history and has a rich cultural heritage. It is known as the “Isla Colombina” due to its ties to Christopher Columbus, who stopped here before his voyage to the New World. However, the island’s roots run deeper, going back to the indigenous Guanche people, who arrived from North Africa around 2,000 years ago. As for its footballing heritage & stadium architecture, lets just say La Gomera allows the surrounding countryside to do most of the heavy lifting.

Whilst organised football had been played on Tenerife & Gran Canaria since the early part of the twentieth century, La Gomera lagged behind, with the first recorded matches dating from the 1920s. These were informal affairs, often played on the few areas of flat, open land to be found on the island. No doubt hindered by the rugged landscape and a small population, it peaked in 1961 at 30,700 but has since dropped to 22,000, competitive leagues were not set up until the 1960s. Overtime, the island’s top players have inevitably been drawn to play in Tenerife and beyond. This, and the cost of travel, means that it is extremely difficult for clubs from La Gomera to climb the Spanish Football pyramid. In fact only one from the island, Unión Deportiva Gomera, has ever played in the the fourth tier. It’s five seasons at that level were spread over three visits and 24 years. So rather than struggle to pad out the history of each club and and its home, we have gone for a gallery of images for each of these eight ravishing stadiums!

Estadio Municipal San Sebastian de La Gomera – Capacity 1,500