Espanyol - new stadium

 

FC Espanyol begin the 2009-10 season in their brand new stadium - the cunningly titled Estadio del RCD Espanyol.

The 40,000 seater stadium is based in the Cornella de Llobregat area of Barcelona around four miles from their previous temporary home of ten years, the Olympic Stadium. It's worth popping by the Olympic stadium so I've kept the guide below.

 

The closest metro stop to the new ground is Cornella Centre, at the end of the blue L5 line which also serves Collblanc for the Nou Camp.

 

I've yet to make it there - please get in touch if you've been.

Who are yer? The club

Loyal fans know them as Espanyol. To the rest of the world they're the answer to the quiz question: what's the other football team in Barcelona?

 

You have to feel for Espanyol. A couple of years ago they won the Spanish Cup (Copa Del Rey) and in 2007 they reached the final of the UEFA Cup. Yet the best coverage they'll ever earn in Barca's rampant sporting newspapers is a feature 15 pages in - alongside the handball and hockey and just ahead of the pigeon fancying no doubt.

 

The club first formed in 1900 and took up the present name of Reial Club Deportivo in 1912.

 

It's won four Copa Del Rey trophies, the first two against Real Madrid and most recently in 2000 and 2006, and reached the UEFA Cup final twice but the La Liga title has eluded the men in blue and white stripes.

 

I've kept and updated the guide to the Olympic Stadium below as it's still worth a look if you're in town.

 

Fan's guide to the Olympic Stadium

• Where do you come from? The ground 
• We're on our way: Getting there 
• Who ate all the pies? Food and drink 
• Memories of 92: Olympic museum

 

Where do you come from? The Olympic stadium

As stunning vistas go Barcelona's Olympics really had it all.

Perched high above the city in the beautiful gardens of Parc de Montjuic, visitors to the games of 1992 would have enjoyed spectacular views in serene surroundings, a world away from the bustle of La Ramblas.

 

I never made it to Barcelona 1992. I watched from a sofa as the archer Antonio Rebollo aimed - and ever so slightly overshot - a burning arrow to light the Olympic flame.

 

The stadium and Olympic 'ring' of facilities are still in place today. And from a first impression it's grand - a huge open plaza lies at its heart between the Estadi Olimpic and the Paulo Sant Jordi hall, all very classical in an Athens style.

 

The Olympic Ring, all open spaces - and when I was there, the stadium in scaffolding.

You can pop into the Olympic stadium itself for free and have a gaze.

But on closer inspection, despite its impressive size it appears that when the Olympic bandwagon rolled out of town it was left to its own devices.

 

Just 15 years since its major overhaul for the Games (it first opened in 1929), it seems in worse condition than the Nou Camp. The facilities are basic to say the least, and its not seen a lick of paint since Linford Christie sprinted to 100 metres victory.

As an Olympic venue, it's wonderful, but as a football stadium for Espanyol - and on occasions world minnow Andorra - a world away from the cramped grounds in hemmed in parts of British cities. The running track still in place will do little to help the experience.

 

The view inside the stadium.

Espanyol got fair crowds but never filled out the stadium, which now has giant advertisements covering the seats at one end. At the other end some seats have made way for exit stairways, no doubt to cater for the venue's chief main use now Espanyol have upped sticks to their new stadium, rock concerts.

 

It now holds 55,000, with the main stand under cover.

 

We're on our way: getting to the ground

The Olympic Stadium is one part of Barcelona that isn't totally straightforward to get to by metro. However, on the plus side there's a variety of weird and wonderful ways to arrive at your final destination which are infinitely more impressive than Tottenham High Road or Anfield.

 

For one 'getting to the ground' option a little out of the ordinary hop off at Paral-lel metro (lines L2 and L3) and take the funicular up to Parc de Montjuic. Leaving around every ten minutes, they take just two minutes to get up the hill - exiting the station, turn left and it's a 600 yard walk up the road to the stadium.

 

The funiculars (part of the metro so there's no extra charge) aren't huge so if there's a hefty queue the walk is uphill through the park, but should take less than an hour. See the map below, Parall-lel metro is in the top right hand corner.

 

Click here to view a metro map

 

Alternatively you can take the metro to Espanya (lines L1, L3, L5) and then catch a bus there which stops almost outside - 50, 61 or PM. The bonus of this is that you get a cracking view from Placa d'Espanya towards the park.

The view from the park down to Placa d'Espanya.

If time is on your side stop being so idle and walk it - there's escalators if you're feeling a bit wet and you don't fancy the steps - and the reward is some awesome vistas over the city from outside the grand and imposing MNAC art museum. Grab a well-earned refreshment at the cafe outside - from there it's another 20 minutes up through the park to the Olympic stadium.

One other short cut from the middle - if you are in Placa Cataluyna, Ronda de Universitat or Ronda de Sant Antoni use the 55 bus which takes you all the way to the stadium, every ten minutes taking around 20 minutes.

 

Remember metro tickets work on buses too, simply insert them into the machine on board


View Larger Map

Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking

 

Besides the odd cafe, decent eating and drinking options are thin on the ground in the park itself. If you want to mingle with the locals, check out the Poble Sec district at the foot of the hill - the jumble of streets now house numerous bars and restaurants. The main ones are concentrated between the stations on Poble Sec (surprisingly enough, I hear you say) and Paral-lel.

The bustling Poble Sec district. Why use the pavement when you can push your
shopping trolley up the road?

If you crave food from the well-known chains they can be found close to Paral-lel station.

 

Other than that, your best option is La Ramblas - the main clutch of bars, both Spanish and Irish, are centred around Liceu metro stop halfway down. From here metro line L3 goes to Paral-lel, Poble Sec and Espanya but this isn't the world's biggest city so you can walk - from Liceu head down and take the second right de la Rambla - it takes you ten minutes to get to the Funicular, or you can carry straight on the route to the park.

On tour, grab a souvenir

 

Seeing the ground

 

 

Unlike the Nou Camp there's no all-singing, all-dancing film shows here and frankly, the less said about any trophy cabinet, the better.

 

 

However, one big plus is that there's no 16 euro entry fee either - you are welcome to take a wander in and view the stadium from one end free of charge (when a game's not on, obviously). Perhaps because it's so open it doesn't seem quite as big as it is.

 

 

Your free view of the Olympic Stadium

You can take in the view, and there's a cafe and souvenir shop. For more about the Olympics, check out the museum 50 yards across the road - see below.

 

Memories of 92: Museu Olimpic de L'Esport

 

One hundred yards down the road from the stadium you will find the all new exhibition Museu Olimpic de L'Esport.

 

Don't go on a Tuesday. I did. It's closed. But go any other day, as I then did, because it's worth it.

 

This brand new exhibition is a celebration of all sports. Yep, the primary focus is the Olympics but it gives a broad overview of all sports and pursuits, from football to cycling, judo to round-the-world sailing.

It is what it says on the window: Museu Olimpic de L'Esport

 

It also puts the sporting world into a healthy perspective, the occasional spanish bias aside, so away from good old English jingoism you can see just how highly we are rated on the global sporting stage. The answer - we're there, but not that high. All the sporting greats are mentioned, with Ellen McArthur now a worthy inclusion.

 

Being new it is of course, all very interactive so there's a chance to see how quickly you can start the 100 metres compared to the track stars - I didn't try it, that niggling thigh strain suddenly came on - plus there are touch video info screens and more.

 

There's the obvious fond look back to the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 when Spain won a record 22 medals. And there's a nod to Juan Antonio Samarach, the one time roller hockey player for Espanyol who went on to be president of the IOC for 21 years.

The screens inside the museum. Five one to the Engerland?

 

Throw in a film, brief history of each games plus banks of TV screens that would even put a Walkabout bar to shame, it's well worth the 8 euro entry fee. With a cafe upstairs this could occupy you for up to a couple of hours.

 

Remember, it's not open on Tuesday.

Museu Olimpic de L'Esport
Opening times:
Wednesday to Saturday and Monday 10am to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 2.30pm
Closed Tuesdays
Entry: adults 8 euros, concessions 5 euros

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