SD Ponferradina · History

Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina is based in Ponferrada, the main town of El Bierzo in the province of León. The club was founded on 7 June 1922 and has played in Primera Federación, the Spanish third tier, since 2023, after it was relegated from the Spanish second division. Its home ground is El Toralín, the team wears blue and white stripes, and supporters call the club la Deportiva or la Ponfe. Ponferradina has spent ten seasons in the second division, and its best finish there was seventh place.

Foundation and early years

At the founding meeting in June 1922, the members chose the name Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina and made Rogelio López Boto the first president. The club built its first ground at Santa Marta. It opened on 8 September 1923 with a game against Cultural Leonesa, the club from the provincial capital, which later became Ponferradina’s main rival. In 1926 the club joined the second category of the Castile and León federation, won its group and went up. A serious crisis forced it to stop playing in 1930. It came back in 1932 and won the regional title in 1935. In 1940 it moved to the Asturian federation.

Four decades in Tercera División

Ponferradina first played in Tercera División in 1943-44, the same season it made its Copa del Rey debut. It spent 46 seasons at that level and dropped to the regional leagues twice, in 1947-48 and 1973-74. It won its group in 1957-58 and 1965-66. The club won a third Tercera title in 1986-87, and this time the title brought promotion to Segunda División B. The club also changed grounds during these years. It played its last game at Santa Marta on 16 March 1975 after the land was sold, and moved to Fuentesnuevas, where floodlights were added in the 1988-89 season.

From Segunda B to the professional game

Ponferradina made its Segunda B debut in 1987-88. It was relegated in 1993-94 and won promotion back in 1998-99. El Toralín opened on 5 September 2000 with room for 8,432 spectators and replaced Fuentesnuevas. Promotion in 2005-06 gave the club its first season in the second division in 2006-07, but it went straight back down. The same thing happened after promotion in 2009-10, with relegation in 2010-11. That season the club also won the Copa de Castilla y León.

The Copa del Rey tie against Real Madrid

In the 2011-12 Copa del Rey, Ponferradina was back in Segunda B and reached the round of 32. The draw paired it with the holders, Real Madrid. The first leg was played at El Toralín on 13 December 2011, and José Mourinho’s side won 2-0 with goals from José Callejón and Cristiano Ronaldo. In the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on 20 December, Madrid won 5-1. The round of 32 is the furthest the club has gone in the competition, and it reached that round again in 2012-13 and 2015-16.

Two four-year spells in the second division

The 2011-12 season ended with another promotion, and this time the club stayed up. It played four second-division seasons in a row, from 2012-13 to 2015-16, and its seventh-place finishes in 2012-13 and 2014-15 are its best. In 2012-13 the Brazilian striker Yuri de Souza scored 21 goals, the club record for a single season. Relegation in 2015-16 sent the club back to Segunda B, and promotion in 2018-19 brought it back up. The second spell also lasted four seasons, from 2019-20 to 2022-23, and ended with relegation in 2023. Yuri de Souza holds the club records for appearances (511) and goals (195). Marcos Tyrone is second on the scoring list with 157.

Primera Federación play-offs

Ponferradina finished fifth in its first Primera Federación season, 2023-24. Córdoba knocked it out in the play-off semi-final, winning 1-0 at El Toralín and 2-1 in the return leg on 9 June 2024. In 2024-25 the club finished second. It beat Antequera on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw and reached the final against FC Andorra. The first leg ended 1-1, and Ponferradina lost the second leg 1-0 at El Toralín on 21 June 2025. Under coach Mehdi Nafti, the club finished fourth in 2025-26, beat Atlético Madrid’s reserve team and reached another final, this time against Celta Fortuna. The first leg in Ponferrada ended 0-0 on 13 June. Celta’s reserve side won the second leg 4-1 on 20 June 2026 and was promoted to the second division.