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The original Estadio José Zorrilla was built in 1940 and was eventually replaced 42 years later when Spain were chosen to host the 1982 World Cup with modern facilities greatly needed. Officially opened on the 20th February 1982, Valladolid took on Athletic Club (Bilbao) and defeated the visitors 1 nil with a goal by Jorge Alonso. As well as being used for the remainder of the team’s league matches, the stadium hosted in the 1982 Copa del Rey Final as a precursor to the World championships, with Real Madrid defeating Sporting de Gijón 2-1. During the Summer of the World Cup, José Zorrilla hosted three group matches: Czechoslovakia v Kuwait, France v Kuwait and France v Czechoslovakia. Although England were also in this group as well and finished first, all three of their games were played at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao so fans may be unfamiliar with this Estadio. Since the World Cup, the stadium has undergone slight modifications most famously due to exposed sides which earned the ground the nickname Estadio de la Pulmonia (Stadium of Pneumonia) amongst fans of the club. Consisting of a single bowl-shaped tier of around 30,000 capacity, the club eventually enclosed the North end in 1986 giving the stadium the shape of a horseshoe with a capacity increase to 37,500. In the 1990s following a mandate from UEFA and Liga de Futbol Profesional, the stadium had to be converted to all seater which decreased the capacity to the current 26,512. Currently there plans to expand the stadium to 40,000 capacity, which have been dubbed “Valladolid Arena” but as of yet, there hasn’t been much progress.

WALKING From the city centre you will need to cross the Pisuerga river with there being three suitable bridges which can take you west depending on your location: Avenue de Jose Luis Arrese, Paseo del Hospital Militar or Calle Puente Colgante. From there the two main roads you will need to follow are either Avenue del Monasterio de Ntra. Sra. de Prado or Calle Padre Jose Acosta. Consult the map, as it’s impossible to give you precise directions without knowing your starting location! TRAIN Valladolid train station is around 30 minutes away by foot and is pretty close to the river with Calle Puente Colgante from Calle de Recondo outside the station leading you across the easily recognisable Iron bridge. Once you have crossed it’s simple a case of following Avenida del Prado Monastery in a straight line until you can see the stadium. Pretty straightforward and easy to get your bearings as you are essentially heading in a straight line from the station westwards! BUS The bus is also a good option to have with Bus number 8 departing 4 times an hour from Plaza de España on matchdays with a journey time of around 15-20 minutes. Closest stop is Calle Mon. S. Lorenzo de El Escorial (around Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes). Alternatively you can catch Bus number 9 from Plaza Madrid and both the train and bus station. Closest stop for this service is Calle Hernando de Acuña (corner Juan de Valladolid) where it is a 10-minute walk to the stadium. BIKE Another option is to cycle to the stadium, following the introduction of a Vallabici bike rental scheme which was introduced to the municipality of Valladolid a few years ago. With 31 points around the city and a system which is fully electronic, this could be a decent choice for those who enjoy an active exploratory lifestyle. DRIVING Lastly if all else fails you can get a taxi or drive yourself to the stadium using a rental car where you will find over 1,500 parking spaces available for cars as well as a large supermarket across the road which offers at least another 500 spaces. As José Zorrilla is adjacent to the A62 Autovía de Castilla” motorway and can be reached via exit 127 signposted as Parquesol/Estadio with the address for satnav being: Avenida del Mundial 82 s/n, 47014 Valladolid AIRPORTS AND FLYING Valladolid Airport-Villanubla is located 11 km North West of the Stadium and around 15km from the city centre. As the 28th largest Spanish airport by passengers volume, there isn’t an extensive range of international destinations served, but there are a number of internal flights from Barcelona, Ibiza and Málaga which can easily fill this gap, and allow you to watch some Spanish Football!