Mendizorrotza Stadium: Deportivo Alavés
Mendizorrotza Stadium, sometimes called Campo de Fútbol de Mendizorrotza depending on whether or not you’re using the Basque pronunciation, is the third oldest professional football ground in Spain. Though it has been renovated numerous times over the years, most recently during the 1998-1999 season, it hasn’t been completely knocked down and rebuilt since it first opened back in 1924, hence being one of the oldest in the country.
Deportivo Alavés, meanwhile, is one of football several clubs that is based in the Basque country of Spain. Founded in 1921, they spent the first couple of years of their existence playing on fields and in parks throughout the local area. The closest they’ve come to a real sense of success at the top level came in 2001, when they were losing finalists in the UEFA Cup. They went to extra-time in the competition’s final, losing out to Liverpool thanks to a Golden Goal.
Stats
| Mendizorrotza Stadium Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1924 |
| Capacity | 19840 |
| Average Attendance | 17391 |
| Record Attendance | 19840 (Alaves v Real Madrid (2017)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 67 (7035) |
| Nickname | Mendizorrotza |
| Owner | Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz |
| Clubs Hosted | Deportivo Alavés |
| First Fixture | Deportivo Alaves v Deusto FBC (27/04/1924) |
| Deportivo Alavés Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1921 |
| Nickname | Babazorros El Glorioso (The glorious one) |
| Club Mascot | Babazorro (a fox) |
| Rivals | Real Sociedad, Athletic Club, CA Osasuna, SD Eibar |
| Kit | Blue & White (Home) / White & Blue (Away) / Blue with Black Detail (Third) |
| Training Ground | Instalaciones de Ibaia José Luis Compañon |
| Shirt Sponsor | DXTY News |
| Team Owner | Baskonia-Alavés Group |
| Record Goalscorer | Borja Viguera (46) |
| Record Appearances | Mauricio Astudillo (219) |
Mendizorrotza Stadium Photos
By Ekaesi2 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
By Asturkian (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
Mendizorrotza Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The renovations to the stadium in 1999 added corner seating, meaning that it now has the appearance of a continuous bowl of seating, common in plenty of European grounds. It is essentially a single-tier stadium, though in most of the stands there is a lower section that has a different seating design to the upper section.
Deportivo Alavés Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for football matches vary depending on the likes of the opposition, how old you are and where in the ground you want to sit. For example, tickets for Alavés’ home game against Las Palmas in 2024 cost between €12 and €42; whereas tickets against the likes of Barcelona are likely to be pricer.
How To Get Deportivo Alavés Tickets
One of the best places to start in your search for tickets is Alavés’ official website. The games rarely sell-out unless the big guns such as Real Madrid or Barcelona come to town, so you’ll likely be able to get tickets on the day of the game, too.
Where to Buy
Getting To Mendizorrotza Stadium
Train – It will take you a little under a day to get a train from London to the Alavés area, so you’re probably best making alternative travel arrangements unless you’re left without a choice. Once there the closest station to the ground itself is Vitoria/Gasteiz, which is about ten minutes walk away.
Bus – The 63, L2, L4 and L6 are all examples of buses that stop within walking distance of the ground.
Car – If you’re looking to drive to the stadium then you’ll want to keep your eye out for the N-102 and A-3102, both of which run quite close by.
By Air – Bilbao Airport is the closest to the Vitoria area, which the stadium is located in. It’s about 65 miles away, though, so you’ll need to get transport from the airport to the ground.
Taxi – A taxi from Bilbao Airport to the stadium will take about an hour to complete its journey and will likely cost you in the region of about €80.
Parking Near Mendizorrotza Stadium
There is a large car park that serves the ground, so if you’re driving then you’ll want to head there and try to find a space.
Useful Resources
Mendizorrotza Stadium Hotels
It might not be the biggest tourist hotspot in Spain, but the Alava province is no stranger to visitors either.
NH Canciller Ayala Vitoria - £120+
Silken Ciudad de Vitoria - £70+
Hotel Sercotel Boulevard Vitoria - £80+
Pubs and Bars Near Mendizorrotza Stadium
Dos beer por favor
Pub Dublin House
Bar Mendizorrotza
Café Bar La Lonja
Hospitality
Alavés’ hospitality options are impressive for a relatively small club in such a competitive league. You have access to VIP boxes with catering, drinks facilities and an excellent view of the pitch. You’ll also be able to enter the VIP lounge ahead of the game, during the half-time break and after the full-time whistle.
Private Hire
As with most major football clubs, Alavés offer some of their facilities for the likes of conferences, celebrations, presentations and more. If you want to know more then your best bet is to contact the club and let them know the specifics of what you’re after.
Stadium Tours & Museum
At the time of writing the stadium doesn’t offer a tour, though if this changes in the future we’ll let you know as soon as we can.
About Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés is one of those clubs that has bobbed around the top two divisions in Spain almost ever since it was formed. Founded in 1921, they had made it all the way up to the Primera División within eight years. Sadly it didn’t last, with the club dropping down again after just three years, failing to return to the top-flight again until the 1950s. They went down to the Tercera División and didn’t return to the Segunda División until 1994.
The club won the Segunda División title in 1998, returning to the Primera División for the first time in over forty years. They avoided relegation by a single point that season, then the following year they did the double over Barcelona and finished sixth, qualifying for Europe. Their game against Liverpool at the Westfelanstadion in Dortmund in the UEFA Cup final is considered to be one of the best ever to take place in the competition. Alavés also made the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time in the club’s history in 2017.
Mendizorrotza Stadium History
Located in the South-West of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Estadio de Mendizorrotza was built within the Paseo Cervantes. In the years since its erection more sports areas were built in the area, making it a complete sports complex. There’s a swimming pool, basketball courts and other sports arenas that are all owned by the local municipality. When it was re-designed in 1999 it became a fully-covered arena, complete with a scoreboard built into the roof.
When the stadium opened it had enough room to welcome around 8,000 supporters, with a stand to the North of the ground and open terracing to the South. The club built an art-deco style radio tower over the terracing in the middle of the 1930s. Things remained much the same until the 1980s when the stadium was redeveloped, but the changes cost the club too much money and they were soon demoted to the third division, with the players having spent most of the 1985-1986 season unpaid. The most major redevelopment came just before the turn of the millennium.
Future Developments
Josean Querejeta, the Club President, announced in December of 2016 that he hoped to introduce a plan to renovate the stadium in its entirety, perhaps even expanding the capacity to around the 32,000 mark. It was due to start in 2019 but after a short delay COVID then put the brakes on the project, and they seem to have forgotten about it completely since then.