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UD Las Palmas celebrates its 76th anniversary

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UD Las Palmas is celebrating this August 22, 2025. On this day, 76 years ago, the genesis of the football club was recorded, a club that would channel with one heart the sporting passion of an entire city, an island, and for many seasons, serve as the flag of the Canary Islands in national football.

 "Unión Deportiva Las Palmas has been born," stated a brief press article reflecting the events of the club's founding act during the assembly held at the Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria on August 22, 1949.

After months of deliberations with the real possibility of placing an island club in national competitions, the leaders of Real Club Victoria, Club Deportivo Gran Canaria, Marino Club de Fútbol, Arenas Club, and Atlético Club joined hands to bring Unión Deportiva Las Palmas to life. The five founding entities followed the original idea of Manuel Rodríguez Monroy, vice president of the Las Palmas Football Federation, who had the support of the federation's president, Adolfo Miranda Ortega, to weave a project with yellow and blue as its colors and composed of the best football talents of the time.

The generosity of all prevailed over the eternal rivalry of some of the merging clubs, which they demonstrated to the entire city on the various fields where they competed. Since December 25, 1944, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria already had a stadium capable of hosting matches at the level required for national competitions, and it was there that all that effort was channeled into the fruit of a team for everyone.

On the night of August 22, 1949, the merger proposal materialized with the signatures of all participants: Miranda Ortega and Rodríguez Monroy, Alfonso Quiney Collis (representatives of the Federation), José Jiménez Sánchez and Luis Rivero Noble (from Gran Canaria), Guillermo Wyttenbach García and Alberto García (from RC Victoria), Francisco Naranjo Hermosilla and Simón Doreste Estruch (from Marino), Juan Trujillo Febles and Vicente Di Napoli (from Atlético Club), Luis González Vera and Manuel Hernández Sánchez (from Arenas Club).

From the meeting at RC Náutico also emerged the name of the interim president of the yellow entity, José del Río Amor, with Manuel Rodríguez Monroy, Eufemiano Fuentes Díaz (later named president after Del Río's resignation), and Aurelio Montenegro Riobó as vice presidents. They were joined by Luis González Vera, secretary; Alberto García Sastre, deputy secretary; Francisco Naranjo Hermosilla, treasurer; José Jiménez Sánchez, accountant; Juan Trujillo Febles, Simón Doreste Estruch, Víctor Santana Saavedra, Guillermo Wyttembach García, and Bruno González García as board members.

The most important step had already been taken. From then on, the sporting aspect had to be defined with the five entities working together. On September 19, 1949, the football team being assembled by coach Pancho Arencibia, the first technical manager of UD Las Palmas, began its journey at the Estadio Insular.

Those early steps were not easy, with financial difficulties arising as soon as the club was established. Funding such an ambitious project for the time was a significant challenge, which is why in those early months, messages of encouragement and support for the UD Las Palmas cause emerged to prevent it from faltering. A press article in Canarias Deportiva summarized the message: "Canarian, whoever you are and wherever you are, join this cause. Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, with the colors of your flag, needs you. Let us not forget: In unity lies strength; by defending the yellow colors of our team, we will defend our island and make Gran Canaria greater."

The creation of Unión Deportiva Las Palmas was, without a doubt, the greatest achievement of Gran Canarian society in the 20th century. The dimensions the club has reached over time prove it. Seventy-six years later, the ship continues its course, with a collection of successes, joys, bittersweet moments, and also misfortunes. But the strength of its roots is untouchable.