The Balaidos has been given Celta’s shades sky blue and white, reflecting the community’s closeness to the sea.The Balaidos serves as the home stadium for La Liga side Celta Vigo. It has hosted Celta’s matches since 1928, making it one of the oldest in the league. Situated in the coastal city of Vigo, in Spain’s northwestern autonomous community of Galicia, Balaidos has been given Celta’s shades sky blue and white, reflecting the community’s closeness to the sea. The stadium has can hold up to 30,000 supporters.
Vigo gets its name from the Vikings, who attacked the area repeatedly in the Middle Ages. The hues symbolise the culture of a people who are committed to the city’s coastal areas, which have formed an essential part of its history, ever since the Viking influence which gave rise to the name Vigo, up until its current naval industry and seafood-related activity, which is part and parcel of a land renowned for its gastronomy, traditions and culture.
Celta and Deportivo fans may be on two sides of a regional rivalry but they start every match by putting their voices together to sing the Galician Anthem.The club hasn’t won a league title or a Copa Del Rey, although they have finished runners up thrice in the Cup competition. But the stadium is the place to be whenever Celta play their regional rivals Deportivo La Coruna.
Situated in Northern Galicia, Deportivo are seen as an embodiment of Galician values by their fans as much as Celta are by theirs. They may hate each other but every derby starts with both sets of fans putting their voices together to sing the Galician Anthem.
Celta’s topsy-turvy graph means that the Balaidos has played host to matches in which the team is fighting against relegation from the second tier, to Champions League matches in which the club has gone up against the likes of Juventus, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Celta Vigo’s topsy-turvy history has meant that the stadium has hosted matches from the Spanish second tier to the Champions League.Their Champions League years were in the late 90’s after which a period of decline set in. The club has been relegated twice since. The first was in 2003/04. They earned immediate promotion the year after but were relegated once again in 2006/07. This time their absence from the top flight was a long one.
The next time the Balaidos would play host to La Liga matches again would be in 2012. They built their way up the pecking order and returned to European competitions by qualifying for the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League. They reached the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners Manchester United.
