Welcome to…Tamaraceite

An age-old neighborhood club from Gran Canaria

The leading club of Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria, is UD Las Palmas, which collaborates with many smaller clubs on the island. One of the clubs with the closest ties to the yellow club is Tamaraceite, the representative club of the homonymous neighborhood. From playing in the sixth and seventh tier for decades to almost reaching the Segunda División: welcome to…Tamaraceite.

A starting XI of Tamaraceite in the 2020-21 season. © Carmen Torres.

The neighborhood

Tamaraceite is one of the most extensive quarters in Las Palmas, and its name is based on the word for ‘palm grove’ in Guanche, the pre-colonial language of the Canary Islands. It can be found in the western part of the island’s capital and is mainly known as the starting point for Grancanarian pilgrims who walk to Teror to venerate the island’s patron saint Virgen del Pino.

A panoramic view of the south of Tamaraceite. © Andrés Cruz.

Football in Tamaraceite

Tamaraceite was not really a footballing neighborhood and only lived its first highlight in 1958. CD Porteño, a club from a coastal district, decided to move to Tamaraceite and became very popular here. As Porteño turned into the representative club of Tamaraceite, it was popularly called ‘Tamaraceite’, a name officially adopted in 1966, as the club was formally refounded.

The Estadio Juan Guedes. The stadium consists of one stand, which is not relevant because the stadium’s name is interesting. The field is named after Juanito Guedes, one of the best players in the history of UD Las Palmas, who passed away during his active career at the biggest club of Gran Canaria. His tragic loss shocked the entire island and was logically followed by many tributes. One of these was the naming of the stadium of Tamaraceite, one of the teams in which Juanito Guedes had played, together with a mural in the stadium. © La Província.

Unión Deportiva Tamaraceite used to play primarily in the lowest divisions of Canarian football, corresponding with the fifth, sixth, or seventh tier. The only exception occurred from 1981 to 1984 when Támara was active in the Tercera División. The lowest point in the club’s history, contrarily, happened in 2010 when no one wanted to lead the club. Sadly, the club remained out of action for several years.

The brothers Miguel Ángel Ramírez (left) and Héctor Ramírez (right), the men who saved Tamaraceite in 2013. Támara was a club they supported in their childhood, and, now they had enough money, they were able to revive the club. Miguel Ángel Ramírez could not enter the presidency, as he was and still is the president of UD Las Palmas since 2005, so Héctor Ramírez did so. The brothers ensured a close collaboration with Las Palmas, which has meant good things for both clubs. © Marca.

In 2013, Tamaraceite’s youth academy was revived, and two years later, the same happened for the first team. The tamaraceiteros played better than ever and returned to the Tercera in 2018. Surprisingly enough, the development of Tamaraceite was not stopping; in 2020, they secured promotion to the Segunda División B.

Tamaraceite presented the shirt for the 2020-21 season, which would be the best season in the club’s history. As always, it is a white shirt with blue elements, with the same-colored crest of Tamaraceite. Moreover, this shirt promoted sports in Gran Canaria. © UD Tamaraceite.

This edition of the Segunda B was divided into two parts due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first half, Tamaraceite surprised everyone by winning many matches. The team almost qualified for the first edition of the Primera RFEF but sadly lost the last game of this league. In the second half of the competition, Támara was close to doing the same but missed out on this again. Still, the club played very strongly and qualified for the Segunda RFEF. However, the Grancanarians failed to stay up in this division and play in the Tercera Federación since.

The blanquiazules celebrate a goal during the legendary season, which included victories against Recreativo de Huelva, Marbella, and Real Murcia, among others. © UD Tamaraceite.

Great players

Besides Juan Guedes, some other interesting players have worn the white-blue shirt of Tamaraceite, including:

• David García (2019-2021 and 2022-2023): the player with the most appearances ever for UD Las Palmas. He was one of the key players of Tamaraceite in the Segunda B.
• Dani Castellano (2023-?): he played for Las Palmas from 2011 to 2021 and is another legend of the yellow club.
• Alberto Rodríguez (2017-2021): he joined Tamaraceite in the Preferente and left the club in the Segunda B to play for Lugo in the Segunda División.
• José María López Silva (2018-2023): one of the most-loved players during the glory days of Tamaraceite. Earlier, López Silva was active in professional football for Cádiz and Córdoba.
• The brothers Asdrúbal Padrón (2019-2023) and Aníbal Padrón (2018-2022): two players who were important in the successes that Tamaraceite obtained between 2020 and 2022. Their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have played for Las Palmas, converting Padrón in a legendary name for the club.

David García is presented in 2019 as a new player of Tamaraceite, all thanks to the excellent relationship between Tamaraceite and Las Palmas. © Jesús Izquierdo.

The future

The future of Tamaraceite looks promising. Ibán Rodríguez, who has proven in the past to be able to achieve promotions with Tamaraceite, stays at the wheel, while president Héctor Ramírez maintains Támara financially stable. The most probable outcome is to witness the third promotion of Tamaraceite to the Segunda Federación soon, but no one knows how the future rolls. This was…Tamaraceite.

Players of Tamaraceite celebrate a goal in the Juan Guedes stadium. © UD Tamaraceite.

Sources

• Borchers, L. (2021). GOLAZO. Self-published.
• Borchers, L. (2022). CARA O CRUZ. Self-published.
• http://lafutbolteca.com/union-deportiva-tamaraceite/
• https://www.lahistoriadelfutbolcanario.com/secciones.php?tabla=subcategorias&num=65