Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas - Rayo Vallecano Stadium Guide

Built to replace the former stadium also known as Campo de Vallecas, Nuevo Campo de Futbol de Vallecas officially opened on the 10th May 1976 when Rayo hosted Real Valladolid in a narrow 1 nil defeat. If the names are somewhat confusing to follow then please ignore this next snippet of history as in 1994 the stadium changed it’s name to Teresa Rivero to honour the club and Primera División’s first female president. However after she left the club in 2011, board members voted to revert back to the original name.

To date the “new” stadium hasn’t really undergone major renovations over the years which perhaps reflects the smaller stature and fanbase of this Madrid club.

With an original capacity over 20,000 a conversion to all seating in 1996 resulted in a reduction in capacity to 15,500 with the removal of fencing surrounding the perimeter of the pitch in 2011 responsible for the decrease to 14,708 due to two rows of seating needing to be removed to satisfy pitch side safety regulations.

In June 2009, management planned to build a new stadium with modern facilities for the team, but the project was shelved due to the Global financial crisis and have yet to be resurrected.

When Los Franjirrojos (The Red Sashes) do eventually move away from the stadium they will be leaving a small musical legacy behind with famous acts having performed there including Bob Dylan, Metallica and Queen’s penultimate Spanish concert.

View of Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas

Below is a seating plan of Rayo Vallecano's Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas:

Vallecas consists of three sections: Fondo (North), Lateral Cubierta (East) and Tribua Central (West).

Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the Stadium.

Away fans are housed within section 6 of the north-eastern stand known as Tribune Alta Lateral. Situated in the upper tier in an area without seats, visiting Rayo Vallecano’s ground is certainly an experience to say the least!

Unlike Madrid’s Bernabeau which is surrounded by banks and other commercial enterprises, Estadio de Vallecas is based in a densely populated Madrid neighbourhood with the creation of new houses prioritised by developers over shopping centres.

As a working class area there isn’t a wealth of luxurious options but you will find a decent selection of places to eat ranging from the chains such as Dominos and KFC, to independently run joints such as Fuhua Restauarante and the strip of shops along Avenue de la Albufera which is perpendicular to the North mainstand.

If you’re seeking “authentic” cuisine of Spain and Madrid then you’re better of heading to the city centre where you will find Tapas to be very popular as well as dishes such as Cocido madrileño (Beef and vegtable stew), Bocadillo de calamares (Squid ring sandwich) and Patatas bravas (Fried Potatoes in Spicey sauce).

Rayo Vallecano Club Shop

The club have an official store located at the Vallecas Stadium which will sell you a whole range of “Red Sash” related merchandise. As there doesn’t appear to be an online shop this is the best place to purchase memorabilia from.

Opening Hours

• Monday to Saturday from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm (Morning)
• Monday to Friday from 17.30 pm to 8.30 pm (Evening)

Note: Match days the store will be open up to 90 minutes before kick-off.

Rayo Vallecano do not currently offer tours of Campo de Vallecas probably due to the age of the stadium and lack of modern features within. Don’t expect this to change unless the club finally relocate to a newer ground, or major redevelopment is under taken.

Tickets to see Rayo Vallecano can be purchased online, or at ticket windows (Taquillas) at the stadium in the week leading up to the game, as well as on the day of the match as their home matches rarely sell out regardless of what division they are in.

Ticket Prices

• Goal-End: €30.00
• Grandstand: €40.00
• Low Side: €45.00
• Lateral cover: €50.00
• Tribuna high preference: €40.00
• Preference Harrow: €45.00
• Central Tribune: €50.00

The above prices are based on the match against Getafe CF who are probably one of the smaller teams in La Liga.

The Estadio can be found towards the South-East of Madrid’s city centre approximately 4-5km away out of town in the district of Palomeras Casualties (Puente de Vallecas).

The address for satnav is as follows:

• Calle Payaso Fofó, 28018 Madrid.

Car Parks

Parking at the stadium is restricted to on-street spaces which means it can be a bit of a lottery as to whether or not you will get a space. The majority of paid car parks appear to be back towards the centre which means you will likely have to take your chances within the residential area of the ground.

Madrid Atocha railway station is main train station of the city serving a variety of local and national routes and is approximately 3km away from Vallecas Campo.

The metro line of Madrid kicks “ass” and should be your preferred method of getting around the city. From central stops Sol and Gran Via take Line 1 until you get to Portazgo Station, which should take no more than 20 minutes.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport lies in the North Eastern outskirts of the city approximately 14km from Vallecano’s stadium.

As Europe’s 6th busiest airport and the largest in Spain, you’ll have no problems flying to Madrid from around Europe.

Once you’ve landed and want to get to the city, hop on the dedicated metro line which will take you to Nuevos Ministerios station or you can opt to get an EMT bus service instead.