Formentera – That idyllic island off the Southern tip of Ibiza. Renowned for its pristine beaches and easy-going lifestyle. Throw-in a spot of naturism and some historic links to the 20th Century music scene (Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, King Crimson & Joni Mitchell have all recorded albums on the island), and you can see why it’s a favourite with tourists. If only there was a decent football team to watch? Well, this past decade has seen things start to stir on the football front in the shape of Sociedad Deportiva Formentera, who have become one of the Balearics leading teams and bloodied a few noses in the Copa del Rey.
SD Formentera was founded on December 17 1970 and joined the local federation in 1971. The club’s home for the first three years was the Camp de Can Joan des Pla, around 3km east of Sant Francesc Xavier, in Sant Ferrán. The regional leagues remained home until they reached the Tercera for the first time in 1979. Unfortunately, their first season at this level proved to be a difficult affair, winning only 7 of their 38 matches and finishing one off the bottom of the table. Relegation back to the regional leagues followed, and the club remained there for the next 32 seasons. Not that this area of the Balearics was bereft of decent football during this period. Both SD Ibiza & UD Eivissa reached Segunda B during this era, however both flattered to deceive and ran up huge debts in the process. Maybe it was the demise of UD Eivissa in 2010 that triggered SD Formentera’s resurgence. The Regional Preferente Pitiusas section was won in 2011-12 in emphatic style, with 21 of the 22 fixtures won, 87 goals scored and just four conceded. Victory in the play-offs earned the club a place back in the Tercera for the first time in over three decades.
The club’s return to the Tercera was very impressive, with third place finishes in 2012-13 & 13-14. However, this was the forerunner to a historic 2014-15 season, that saw SD Formentera clinch their first ever Tercera title with a 1-2 victory at CD Manacor of the final day of the season. The Play-offs have proved to be a more difficult opponent, with first round exits in 2012-13 & 2015-16, whilst their championship season ended with defeats to Peña Sport & Atlético Sanluqueno. The 2013-14 season also ended in heartache, but only after defeat to Eldense in the final round. The 2016-17 season saw SD Formentera making a name for itself in the Copa del Rey. Atletico Sanguntino, Lorca FC & Tudelano were all been dispatched, albeit on penalties, before La Liga’s heavyweights Sevilla bought an end to the run with a 14-2 aggregate win. After the cup exit, the club’s priority became securing a second Tercera title and then promotion to Segunda B. The title was won with a total of 86 points, before Deportivo Alavés B where beaten 3-0 on aggregate to secure football in the third flight for the first time.
SD Formentera’s first season in the third tier started promisingly, which the club placed 9th at the halfway point of the season, whilst a 96th minute winning goal at San Mamés secured a historic aggregate win over Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey. However, things started to unravel in the new year. Alavés won the Copa del Rey tie 5-1 on aggregate, whilst the second half of the 2017-18 season saw the club secure only 16 points. A 3-0 defeat away at Peralada on the final game of the season confirmed SD Formentera’s relegation back to the Tercera. There followed three seasons in the Tercera, before an impressive late-season run earned the club a place in the play-offs. In the knockout phase, CE Constància were dispatched 2-0 in the semi-final, before a 0-0 draw with Mallorca B secured SD Formentera’s promotion the Segunda Federación. Three seasons the the fourth tier came to an end via the relegation play-offs and a 0-2 aggregate defeat to CD Izarra.
The Camp Municipal d’Esports de Formentera opened on 30 September 1973, but remained unenclosed until the club’s promotion to the Tercera in 1979. It is situated around a kilometre south east of the centre of Sant Francesc Xavier, and features two raised decks on the west side, which sit either side of a media booth. Beneath the media booth is a bar. Temporary seating extends either side of the permanent deck, which brings the combined capacity on the west side to 750. Hard standing can be found at the northern & southern ends, whilst the teams change in the municipal facilities also at the southern end of the ground. To emphasize the fact that these are public facilities, the structure at the southern end also includes a nursery/pre-school. The entire east side of the enclosure was occupied by a 100-metre sprint track, but in the summer of 2024, work commenced on a new covered stand. The new stand consists of 850 seats spread over six rows that run the full length of the pitch. The seating deck is covered by cantilevered roof held in place by wooden supports. The entire project was funded the the council of Formentera at a cost €2.9m. In total, 3,000 can squeeze into the Estadio Municipal, but capacity can increase to 5,000 with the addition of temporary stands at either end of the ground. Another sign of the SD Formentera’s growth is the plot of land to the south of the Camp Municipal, where the club’s new training ground can be found.
Estadios de España 