Antiguo canódromo de Carabanchel, Sports stadium in San Isidro, Madrid, Spain.
The Antiguo Canódromo de Carabanchel is a football complex in the San Isidro district of Madrid, with several pitches laid on artificial turf and covered seating areas. The grounds sit inside a circular footprint that dates back to the site's original purpose as a greyhound track.
The site was built between 1960 and 1962 as a greyhound racing track, and racing continued there until 1989. After years of disuse, the facility was converted into a football complex in 2007.
The name "Canódromo" still refers to the greyhound track that once stood here, and walking around the grounds today you can still read the circular shape of the old layout. The stands and the oval outline of the space tell a story that has little to do with football.
The complex is on Via Carpetana in the south of Madrid and is straightforward to reach by metro or bus. It is worth checking in advance whether the pitches are reserved on the day you plan to visit, as the facility is regularly in use.
In the 1980s there were plans to turn the site into a cycling velodrome as part of a potential Olympic bid for Madrid. Those plans came to nothing, and the site sat empty for years before football took over.
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