Elche feels like the odd one out in Spanish football. A relatively small, unknown city with a surprisingly nice and big stadium. If you're around, for example on a sunny holiday, visit the rival in the nearby Alicante as well.
When the modest Elche CF returned to La Liga in 2020/21, it was like their stadium belonged in the top flight. The inside of Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero (33.000 seats) especially can easily compete with the stadiums of Sevilla, Getafe and Espanyol. It was not without reason that Elche (locally also known as 'Elx') was a host city during the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The group match between Hungary and El Salvador (10-1) was one of the craziest the stadium has seen.
The stadium from 1976 is compact and has a good atmosphere, with two tiers in the green club colours. Even the main stand doesn't have a roof here, but in this part of Spain that's usually no problem: Benidorm and Alicante are nearby, and the sun shines almost all the time.
Right next to the stadium, you will find a nice Spanish restaurant, perfect for tapas or a more extensive meal: Restaurante Franja Estadio. They are a real blessing because there is not much going on in the direct surrounding of Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero. The stadium is on the eastern edge of Elche, on a mostly empty plain area with many parking lots. Beneath the stands, you have the small cafés La Trobada and La Fábrica de Hielo, but that's all. However, in the future, there are plans to build a big shopping mall and cinema right next to the stadium.
Close to the Plaza Castilla in Elche, not far from the stadium either, is a lovely football store. Not necessarily for the football romantics (you won't find rare old jerseys here), but a really specialistic football store with everything you need on and around the pitch. The owners are real lovers of the game, and they will help you kindly.
We recommend a short trip to the nearby Alicante when you're in Elche. Not just because it's a beautiful coastal city, but to visit the Estadio José Rico Perez of Hercules Alicante. The once-so-proud club has fallen deeply and gotten in a lot of financial trouble, but the stadium is still wonderful. The 1982 World Cup was also played here and hosted a match of Argentina with a young Diego Maradona. The floodlights are awesome and the stadium is charmingly asymmetric.
A little west of Elche, you'll also find a nice little stadium: the Estadio Municipal Enrique Miralles in Crevillent, home of Crevillente Deportivo.
When you enter Elche from the direction of Alicante, you'll see the green-white club flag waving proudly at the first roundabout of the Avenida José Esquitino Sempere. Right next to it, there's a monument for the fans of Elche.
Tickets for Elche's home games can be easily bought on the club's official website. The chances of the stadium getting sold out are almost zero, so can you try your luck on match days at the stadium too.
The stadium lies right next to the EL-20, the provincial road to the east of Elche. Because of its location a little outside city limits, you can reach the stadium best by car, and there's close to no public transport in this area. Try to fix a taxi for after the game in advance.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
