Estadios de Fútbol en España: Alcúdia - Estadi Municipal Els Arcs

Ahh... Alcúdia, it has a lot to answer for. You see the Estadi Municipal Els Arcs was the first Spanish stadium I visited. With my kids enjoying the hotel's "Kidzklub" and my wife by the pool with her nose in a book, I wandered off towards the old town. It wasn't a chance discovery as I had done my reconnaissance before I'd left home, but the buzz I felt as I walked towards the stadium was, depending on your point of view, amazing or pathologically sad. I wandered around the stadium for the best part of 30 minutes, looking for the best views and taking photos, whilst the world-weary ground staff looked on and thought... wanker.

As it was the middle of July, I didn't see the resident team Union Deportiva Alcúdia play a match, but I have kept an eye on their progress since and it has to be said that relatively speaking, they are in a bit of a purple patch. Let me just qualify that statement. You see, UD Alcúdia has not achieved a great deal at all since they were formed in 1975. In their first 30 years as a club, only four seasons were spent in the Tercera, but since winning promotion back to the Tercera for the 2006-07 results have started to improve. In September, they will start their six consecutive season in Group XI of the Tercera and will be looking to improve on a best final placing of seventh, achieved in 2009-10.

The Estadi Municipal Els Arcs, is part of the municipal sports centre between Playa Alcúdia and Ciutat Alcúdia. It has a capacity of 5,000, with a basic cantilevered cover on the west side of the pitch and a small terrace behind the north goal that backs on to the sports centre. To the left of the terrace, in the north east corner of the ground is a bar, with it tables and chairs spread out on the concrete next to the pitch. A cold beer and a plate of tapas? You can stick your corporate hospitality where the sun don't shine, this is the way to watch football!