Zubieta · Profile

The Zubieta Facilities are Real Sociedad's training ground and academy complex. They stand in Zubieta, a district of San Sebastián, next to the city's racecourse. The club created the site in 1980. The academy sides develop there, the first team trains there, and the venue is home to Real Sociedad B, known to everyone as Sanse, and to Real Sociedad Femenino. The complex covers about 70,000 square metres.

Origins: Orbegozo's project

The Zubieta land was first earmarked for a new Real Sociedad stadium, at a time when San Sebastián hoped to host matches at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Disagreements between the club and the city council stopped the stadium, and the city missed out on the tournament. José Luis Orbegozo, club president from 1967 to 1983, pushed for a training pitch on the site instead. That pitch opened in 1980 and grew into the training complex. The original ground is the complex's main pitch and carries the former president's name.

The 2004 redevelopment

On 1 April 2004, the final phase of a redevelopment gave Zubieta its modern form. The project, designed by architect Izaskun Larzábal, cost €12.85 million. It added a rehabilitation room, a gym, a video room and a press room. That same year, Real Sociedad Femenino began using the facilities. The Campo José Luis Orbegozo, with seating for around 2,500 spectators, became the venue for academy matches. In 2016 another team moved in: Real Sociedad C, the third tier of the club's men's set-up.

The pitches

Each pitch is named with the letter Z and a number. Z-1, Z-2, Z-3, Z-6 and Z-7 have natural grass, while Z-4 and Z-5 are artificial. They range from 80 by 30 metres for Z-3 to 105 by 68 metres for most of the others. In late 2024, the club presented a programme of works. It covered new surfaces on Z-4 and Z-5, new pitches numbered Z-3 and Z-8, and a building for women's football next to Z-7, named Izan.

Real Sociedad's academy

Around the club, the name Zubieta stands for the academy itself. Several players who came through the reserve team went on to win senior caps for the Spain national team. They include Txiki Begiristain (1982-83), Julen Lopetegui (1983-85), Xabi Alonso (1999-00), Asier Illarramendi (2007-11) and Iñigo Martínez (2009-12). The list also takes in Álvaro Odriozola (2013-17), Mikel Oyarzabal (2014-16), Robin Le Normand (2016-19) and Martín Zubimendi (2017-21). The years in brackets refer to their time with the second team.

Sanse's road to the second tier

Real Sociedad B was founded in 1955 and reached the Spanish second division in 1960. It played there in 1960-61 and 1961-62, until the first team's relegation forced it down to the third tier, because a reserve side cannot play in the same division as its parent club. It took almost six decades to return. In 2021 it beat Algeciras 2-1 in the promotion final, but in 2022 it finished 20th and dropped to Primera Federación. In 2025 it won promotion again, beating Gimnàstic de Tarragona 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off final. After that promotion, its first home games were played at Anoeta.

The Izan stadium

Zubieta's new stadium was built next to pitch Z-7. It has a two-tier stand with a cantilevered roof and 4,000 seats, along with dressing rooms, recovery areas and media facilities. Its debut as Sanse's home was delayed because the TV gantry did not meet LaLiga's broadcast requirements. Once the league gave its approval, the reserve side played its first match at Zubieta on 10 January 2026, a 0-0 draw with Albacete.