Estadio de la Ceramica or more informally known as El Madrigal is the home stadium of La Liga team Villarreal and was inaugurated on June 17, 1923, under the name Campo del Villarreal (Villarreal Field). There is a history to the name which only adds to the mythical nature of the Valencia based club.
Villarreal is one of the most important towns in a region dedicated to the pottery industry. Entire families have worked in tile and brick factories from generation to generation. The region produces 99% of all Spanish ceramic exports and that is reflected in the name of the stadium ‘Estadio de La Ceramica’.
The 23,000-seater stadium can house almost half of Villarreal’s 50,000 inhabitants, which is why the town itself comes to a standstill whenever Villarreal, located just 60 kilometers from Valencia, are in footballing action.
On August 5, 1966, the Beatles released ‘Yellow Submarine’ which became an instant hit throughout the world. That very same year, Los Mustang, a Spanish group that enjoyed plenty of success in the 1960s, brought out their own version of the soundtrack which went on to sell 130,000 copies.
A year later, Villarreal saw themselves promoted to the third division and the fans got together to sing the famous ‘Amarillo el submarino es/amarillo es/amarillo es” chant (We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine).
In fact, the song was played from battery-operated record player by a group of fans from the terraces of El Madrigal. Since then, the club has come to be known as the ‘Yellow Submarine’. There is a statue of a yellow submarine outside the stadium to represent the club’s nickname.
The first match to be played in one of the best La Liga stadiums was between Castellón and Cervantes under the name Campo del Villarreal (Villarreal Field).
