Paterna CF (Spain)

Paterna CF

Ground: Estadi Gerardo Salvador

Capacity: 8,000

Club Founded: 1934

League: Primera FFCV Grupo I - 7th Tier (current level)

Paterna Club de Fútbol, from the Spanish town of the same name in the suburbs of the east coast city of Valencia, continues to develop its facilities for its passionate local community.

Paterna CF Club History

The Early Years

The club played football in the regional Comunidad Valenciana for several decades after its formation, with the post-war years spent in Segunda División. After winning the group title, a long spell in the fourth tier, Primera Regional División, was enjoyed, with the highlights being three third-place finishes. 

At this point, there was a reorganisation of Spanish league football. The Tercera División became the fourth tier, with Paterna being placed in Grupo V. While the team never progressed beyond the first round of the Copa Del Rey, they did get to play local big boys Levante UD in 1979-80.

The 80s and 90s

A couple of relegations followed in the 1980s before the team returned to the fifth level by the end of the decade when they won a divisional Primera Regional title. The momentum continued as one of the Preferente Regional group championships was collected twelve months later.

 

The ups and downs continued with more relegations before the 1997-98 season saw the club return to the fifth tier. Another solitary season was spent in Tercera División, a status they reclaimed once more at the end of the 2012-13 season.

The 2013-14 campaign saw Paterna reach the promotion play-offs, where they lost out in the first round to CF Montañesa. Gerardo Reyes topped the scoring charts the following season. Another restructuring of the Spanish league system followed for the 2020-21 campaign. 

Paterna's performances under manager Luis Navarro López saw the club placed in the sixth-tier Primera División, as Quique was appointed team boss. The division was renamed Primera FFCV in 2023-24, as Paterna finished second. They remained in the sixth tier, playing in the newly formed Lliga Comunitat.

Further local restructuring meant that while Paterna were promoted, they remained in the sixth tier of Spanish football and the top level in Valenciana in the newly formed Lliga Comunitat Grupo II. José A. Peña joined Quique on the bench to share responsibilities.

Despite Pedrito Valdeolivas's goals, the side was relegated to Primera FFCV before Luis Navarro López's arrival as head coach.

My visit

Tuesday 9th January 2018

I’d arrived in Valencia for a two-night stay to attend matches at Mestalla and a few miles north at Villarreal the following evening. I was already underway with a proper look at the venue of the Tercera División club Torre Levante.

The ride from Machado to Paterna meant changing from Metro line 3 to 2 at Ángel Guimerá, from where I got out at Beniferri to take a look at the impressive, but half-finished Nou Mestalla, which was a standout feature as we came in to land.

I continued on, with the actual train journeys taking just under half an hour. On alighting, I followed the track north along Calle Vías del Ferrocarril before arriving at Estadi Gerardo Salvador.

The nearest end appeared to be occupied by a small open terrace backed by a swimming pool, according to Google Maps. However, the whole end was a construction site. I decided not to try to explain myself to gain access.

The rest of the stadium was locked, but not all was lost. One corner offered a view of a raised block by the level crossing by the main entrance to the stadium. Further pictures were taken by standing on the wall, offering protection from the railway. I received a few puzzled looks!

Paterna’s home was impressive, even in mid-transition. A covered stand ran the full length of the far side, with seating in the centre blocks. The entrance end had a decent-sized open terrace, while the railway side was open and flat, but looked like it was awaiting development.

Delighted with my work, I walked back to the station to take a train to Estació de Túria, from where I set out on a fantastic walk through the old town of a really beautiful city. I ended up at the old Estació del Nord before enjoying some well-earned brews in Blue Moon Craft Beer.